Washing your Microfiber Towels

[BobbyG]

While this sounds pretty simple there are a variety of methods and I wanted to share mine.

It`s always good to separate then into at least three distinct groups.

1. Water Soluble Products
   
   1. Compounds
   2. Polishes
   3. Paint Cleaners
2. Waxing & Sealants
3. General Purpose

Pre-Soak


Sometimes towels become so soiled that pre-soaking should be mandatory in order to soften and dissolve caked on contamination prior to washing.


A solution of hot water and a general purpose clothes wash like OxiClean Max Wash without fabric softener work well here and is very economical.



Allow towels to soak in this solution for 30 minutes, occasionally agitating, and you`ll see the water turn murky. Once this happens you`ll know that the solution has done it`s job and now it`s time for the wash.



Washing


To ensure no cross contamination takes place wash your towels separate. Now you can use one of the Microfiber detergents or continue with the OxiClean Max Wash as it works and is very economical.


Wash in warm water and once the wash cycle is complete the load will spin making itself ready for the rinse.


Rinsing



A little trick is to add about 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle. While this sounds somewhat odd, vinegar is nothing more than acetic acid which comes from most fruits containing sugar but it makes the towels so soft, something your finish will thank you for.


Drying



Once the rinse cycle has completed and spun remove the towels and pop them into the clothes dryer on low heat for 15 minutes or so. DO NOT use fabric softener of any kind as it will stick to the fibers of the towel making it suitable as an oil or grease rag.


So there you have it, I hope you find this useful!!

[rzatch]

Very good information Bobby. I`m really anal when it comes to my towels. I don`t let my wife even touch my towels. I do them myself, although I don`t think i`m breaking her heart any! I also do the double rinse and vinegar but don`t use any special soap just normal Tide.

[mjlinane]

Thanks Bobby - great thread topic.

I follow a very similar routine. Use a free&clear for the presoak and alternate between pinnacle, dp and micro restore detergents. My dryer has an ultra-low heat setting so I have to go a bit longer.

[Parrothead]

I follow same procedure but I never heard of the vinegar add; will have to give
it a try. When drying do you completely dry the towels or damp dry?

[Marc08EX]

Great thread Bobby! Thanks for sharing.

I have yet to add white vinegar in my rinse cycle. I need to do that on my next wash to see if there`s any difference.

I`m the same way too. I`m very anal about my MF towels. I separate mine into 2 categories: High quality MFs and all purpose MFs.

[CT3]

Thanks Bobby! Right now I use Tide Free & Gentle. I have heard about the vinegar trick, but haven`t used it yet. Now I will start pre-soaking my towels too. Thanks.

[theamcguy]

Yes white vinegar in the rinse definitely works.

[mwtaco]

thanks for the tutorial bobby g.

heres a question: how do you know when the rinse cycle is during the wash? do you sit and wait for it? i would have no idea when to add it.

[BobbyG]

thanks for the tutorial bobby g.

heres a question: how do you know when the rinse cycle is during the wash? do you sit and wait for it? i would have no idea when to add it.

When I hear the washer draining after its wash cycle, I`ll listen for it to spin and once it stops that`s the rinse cycle and in it goes...

[Addicted2Bling]

Great write up. I`ve been using poorboys APC to let the rags soak, (thanks to beemerboy) and just let them air dry, which doesn`t take too long at all

[rzatch]

thanks for the tutorial bobby g.

heres a question: how do you know when the rinse cycle is during the wash? do you sit and wait for it? i would have no idea when to add it.

What I do is to let the washer run it`s full cycle until it stops. Then I add the vinegar and resert the dial to rinse and restart the machine. If you have never looked you would be amazed at how much soap is left behind with only one rinse cycle.

[SS 07C70]

That is a very nice write-up, on a very common task.
Thanks for the info, sounds so simple when you explain it, but never realy think about this to that level - Thanks!

[TroyScherer]

Nice write up bobby. I definetly agree with you as to how you go about separating and washing. I do one thing differently.

I do my pre soak and then do an initial wash using oxy clean.
I stop it after the 1st wash and re-start the process using CG MF wash.
I then add a little white vinegar to the final rinse.

So far this has worked great for me. It gets my towels very clean and spot free and the MF wash doesn`t leave any residue behind.

[blk5.0]

Nice write up bobby. I definetly agree with you as to how you go about separating and washing. I do one thing differently.

I do my pre soak and then do an initial wash using oxy clean.
I stop it after the 1st wash and re-start the process using CG MF wash.
I then add a little white vinegar to the final rinse.

So far this has worked great for me. It gets my towels very clean and spot free and the MF wash doesn`t leave any residue behind.

What does the white vinegar do? I have never heard of anyone useing it to wash there micro fiber towels

[TroyScherer]

What does the white vinegar do? I have never heard of anyone useing it to wash there micro fiber towels

The white vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener that does change the properties or clog the MF towels.

Try it once. You may be surprised.