Removing Wax Residue from MF Towels

**micjmac** · 06-17-2009, 12:23 PM

I have a few MF towels that are brand new that I used to remove NXT paste wax from my car. I have used these towels on two different occassions to remove NXT. I applied too much NXT to the car, and now certain spots of my towels are caked with wax. I have machine washed them a few times with warm water and Tide liquid detergent. This has not done the trick. Are there any other solutions? The waxed spots are kind of rough, but I tested them on a CD and they didn`t scratch the CD, so they should be safe on my paint?

**DM101** · 06-17-2009, 01:15 PM

Try Dawn Power Dissolver and Dawn Dish soap. If that does not work machine wash them with some type degreaser purple power, mean green, simple green, in hot water.

**Perferd** · 06-17-2009, 01:20 PM

Boil them or soak them in a MF cleaner then wash them again with the MF cleaner and use 2nd rinse...

**micjmac** · 06-17-2009, 02:15 PM

Could I use a stiff brush to scrub the residue off while they are sitting in the water or will this destroy the material?

**Kean** · 06-17-2009, 02:33 PM

....as mentioned, I would pre-soak them in an MF specific cleaner like Micro Restore first. I do this for my pads, applicators, etc. before washing them and never had an issue with product build up.

**micjmac** · 06-17-2009, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by MDRX8

Try Dawn Power Dissolver and Dawn Dish soap. If that does not work machine wash them with some type degreaser purple power, mean green, simple green, in hot water.

Have you successfully used any of these methods to remove pesky wax residue buildup that a regular machine wash + laundry detergent did not remove for you on your first few attempts? I only ask because @ $2.50 per towel, I might as well just buy new towels instead of experimenting with chemicals that might not work. I`m looking for a tried and true method. Thanks.

**Black240SX** · 06-17-2009, 10:48 PM

Ammonia is what you want.

**BigAl3** · 06-18-2009, 12:04 AM

try soaking them in a bucket with some APC overnight and then re-wash...

**Perferd** · 06-18-2009, 06:29 AM

Boiling them is the only thing that reall worked for me...but that was old towels with crap in them for a long time...

**DM101** · 06-18-2009, 06:50 AM

Yes it works. Try Dawn Power Dissolver and Dawn Dish soap. If that does not work machine wash them with some type degreaser purple power, mean green, simple green, in hot water. You can also wash in Meguiar`s Super Degreaser.

Originally Posted by micjmac

Have you successfully used any of these methods to remove pesky wax residue buildup that a regular machine wash + laundry detergent did not remove for you on your first few attempts? I only ask because @ $2.50 per towel, I might as well just buy new towels instead of experimenting with chemicals that might not work. I`m looking for a tried and true method. Thanks.

**tom p.** · 06-18-2009, 06:56 AM

White vinegar in the rinse cycle helps break chemical bonds. This is a simple and effective strategy.

**Thats Fresh** · 06-18-2009, 07:57 AM

Tide/Era/MF Restore in washing machine using HOT water

Second rinse cycle add distilled white vinegar.

Dry on low delicate setting or hang dry.

**Setec Astronomy** · 06-18-2009, 08:03 AM

It`s simply a matter of breaking down the wax. As others have stated, use one of the Dawns, or an APC, and apply it liberally to the spots. Let it soak for a while and then scrub the towel against itself to loosen the wax. Probably worth applying some more of your cleaner at this point and repeating the soaking and scrubbing. If that is too much work, as you say, just demote these towels to wheel duty and buy some new ones.

I personally don`t do this because I think I would wind up with a bucket of mold, but you can pre-soak them right after you use them in a bucket of warm water and detergent. Maybe squeeze them out later and let them dry until you get around to washing them.

**Kean** · 06-18-2009, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by Setec Astronomy

I personally don`t do this because I think I would wind up with a bucket of mold, but you can pre-soak them right after you use them in a bucket of warm water and detergent. Maybe squeeze them out later and let them dry until you get around to washing them.

....mold has never been a problem for me but then again, I`m not leaving them in a pre-soak solution long enough that it would be an issue. ....I would imagine that would take several days? In my case I just use one of my buckets and a Grit Gaurd to keep the items submerged below the surface. I toss the pads, applicators, etc. (anything that gets caked with product) in after use and let them dwell as I finish the car. At the end of the process, I agitate each item and then hand or machine wash.

**Setec Astronomy** · 06-18-2009, 08:46 AM

I have tons of MF`s and I like to wash them in a large load, which I only do every few months, or maybe longer if it`s winter. If I have something on one that I think is going to set, I`ll spray it with some APC before I throw it in the laundry basket. I`m sure I`d be better off having a soak bucket as you say and then wringing them out at the end and letting them dry until wash time, but that seems too much like work. Usually when I wash I mix up a bucket of hot Snappy Clean and soak all my caked MF`s and applicators in there for a while an squeeze them out before washing. Someday I`ll grow up to be like SuperBee and have one of those fancy front loaders with the sanitizing cycle and life will be so much easier...