Microfiber towel question?

[rmbrewer1]

I wanted to ask you detailing guys a question. I know some of you may have been asked this but I just ran into this in the last few months.

All of my older but yet still good microfiber towels are not picking up moisture when I spray detailer or spray wax or even water on my vehicles. The product just smears. I just started having this problem a few months ago. It is getting expensive getting out new towels when I detail my vehicles.

I was told a few years ago on here NEVER to use fabric softner as it causes the towels to pick up and hold abrasive matter during the cleaning of the vehicle. So no fabric softner of any kind has been used on the towels. Also we only use HE Free and Clear liquid detergent because of allergies. We always try to use the extra rinse cycle also to make sure all detergent residue is rinsed out.

What could the problem be? I am lost and have run out of ideas and as I said before getting out new clothes every time I clean the cars is getting a bit expensive.

Thanks in advance.

[65chevy]

have you tried some microfiber towel cleaner only?

[rlmccarty2000]

Are you washing your towels in hot water? Ive used both Tide Free and dedicated microfiber detergents and really can’t say one is better than the other. Wash towels in hot water, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and dry on low heat is what I do to keep my towels performing at their best. I could be some of your towels are contaminated with wax or SiO2 products. Hopefully the addition of vinegar will bring back the absorbency to your towels.

[Mike lambert]

Are you washing towels separate as to task? Cross contamination could be the problem. Or plain and simple , towels are worn out?

[rmbrewer1]

have you tried some microfiber towel cleaner only?

I had not heard of this. I will try to find some. Thanks.

Are you washing your towels in hot water? Ive used both Tide Free and dedicated microfiber detergents and really can’t say one is better than the other. Wash towels in hot water, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar, and dry on low heat is what I do to keep my towels performing at their best. I could be some of your towels are contaminated with wax or SiO2 products. Hopefully the addition of vinegar will bring back the absorbency to your towels.

I will try this next also. That may be the problem, contamination. I thought this may be a problem at first. I could have some detailed or sealant that got mixed in the clothes. Thanks.

Are you washing towels separate as to task? Cross contamination could be the problem. Or plain and simple , towels are worn out?

I only wash the ones that I use to wax, clean and dry with. Anything that is remotely "dirty" from, saying cleaning wheels I throw them away or use them to wipe off tire shine and then throw them away. One time a few years ago I posted a picture of my car after detailing at a show and somebody ragged me badly about my microfiber towel laying on the ground. They did not know it was the one I used on my inner fenders with detailer. It is either put in a baggy and discarded at home or in a can at a show. Thanks.

[Older]

Are you washing towels separate as to task? Cross contamination could be the problem. Or plain and simple , towels are worn out?

I agree with this. I wash all task-specific towels as their own group.

I have worn out drying towels. I even tried boiling them without success.

[Stokdgs]

Welcome, rmbrewer1 !

I have had microfiber towels for over a decade and they still work great..
My process is to wash them separately using only Microfiber wash that comes in gallon jugs.
I also add Distilled White Vinegar to the Wash Cycle and the Rinse Cycle sometimes and that always makes them feel more fluffed up and they work really well after that treatment..

You didn`t tell us how you dry them -------------- If you are drying them in a Dryer that has used a zillion of those dryer sheets, or fabric softeners, then perhaps some of that "Coating" is getting on your just cleaned towels and ruining them after you just washed them..

I only dry microfiber in Low Heat, and just enough to get them almost all dry and not too hot..
Then, I take them out, fold them, and leave them somewhere where they can dry some more if needed, before I put them in the Cabinet..
I use none of those Fabric Coatings in my machines and I never have issues..

In fact, for the last few years, I only use laundry soap made from the cold press technique with only pure, steam distilled, plant oils in them for cleaning. None of those nasty surfactants, sodium laurel sulfate, etc.., full of all those chemical oils, etc...

And because this laundry soap I use now has no chemicals in it, it rinses out so much quicker and completely...
Dan F

[TMQ]

(In fact, for the last few years, I only use laundry soap made from the cold press technique with only pure, steam distilled, plant oils in them for cleaning. None of those nasty surfactants, sodium laurel sulfate, etc.., full of all those chemical oils, etc...)

Really...?

What brand of soap?? I like the sound of this...

Tom

[rmbrewer1]

Welcome, rmbrewer1 !

I have had microfiber towels for over a decade and they still work great..
My process is to wash them separately using only Microfiber wash that comes in gallon jugs.
I also add Distilled White Vinegar to the Wash Cycle and the Rinse Cycle sometimes and that always makes them feel more fluffed up and they work really well after that treatment..

You didn`t tell us how you dry them -------------- If you are drying them in a Dryer that has used a zillion of those dryer sheets, or fabric softeners, then perhaps some of that "Coating" is getting on your just cleaned towels and ruining them after you just washed them..

I only dry microfiber in Low Heat, and just enough to get them almost all dry and not too hot..
Then, I take them out, fold them, and leave them somewhere where they can dry some more if needed, before I put them in the Cabinet..
I use none of those Fabric Coatings in my machines and I never have issues..

In fact, for the last few years, I only use laundry soap made from the cold press technique with only pure, steam distilled, plant oils in them for cleaning. None of those nasty surfactants, sodium laurel sulfate, etc.., full of all those chemical oils, etc...

And because this laundry soap I use now has no chemicals in it, it rinses out so much quicker and completely...
Dan F

Never heard of this stuff. Wow.

Yes I use medium type heat. Not high heat. I will try to use a lower setting. My wife does not like to let anything dry fully, so usually they are not completely dry but close. I will try your method. We also do not use dry sheets but on special type occasions. In fact we had to quit using fabric softners, of any kind, also for a while because of my allergies. Doctors could not figure out what was causing it. So I will definitely remember all of this and if/when you post the name of the detergent you use.

OBTW and friend of mine who has a commercial business has a box you hook up to your washer. Costs about $500.00. Hooks up to the cold water. You turn off your hot water. You wash everything in cold water and as the water passes through this box it ionizes it or something and you do not have to use any detergent or fabric softners. He and his family has been using it for over 2 years and you should feel their clothes. Soft as can be. Smells fresh. Whites are white and all colors are bright. I wanted one of these but I did not have the funds. He said it saves enough on the detergent and softners that it pays for itself in about 24 months. Plus not using hot water saves on the electric bill. I really though it was crazy but it does work. Everyone he has sold one to brags about it.

[Lonnie]

One other aspect of cleaning microfibers is cleaning the washing machine itself, especially if you wash very dirty clothes, like that of a road construction worker, asphalt maintenance worker or mechanic due to tar and grease. Proctor-&-Gamble makes Tide Washing Machine Cleaner, available at Walmart, a specific cleaner just for cleaning the washing machine itself.

I know Charlie`s Soap HIGHLY suggests BEFORE using their soap for the first time in ANY washing machine is to wash a load of throw-away cotton rags or towels with their soap. Why? The "superior" cleaning agents in their soap will release dirt and gunk stuck between the water reservoir and OUTSIDE of the wash tub and hence, will get on any fabric that is washed, which is why you would use throw-away rag or towels during this initial wash cycle.

I know there was s thread on this subject by a fellow Autopian who disassembled his washer and cleaned the tub manually and said it was absolutely disgusting what he found clinging on the outside of the tub.

[TMQ]

Appears to be too good to be true..

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...test/index.htm

Tom

[rmbrewer1]

He sells the top one. He swears by it and so does his wife and sons. Wow is all I can say since the testing company says they don`t work. Thanks for the input and the article. I bet the guy has sold close to 50 of them maybe more.

[Accumulator]

Most of this has already been covered, though YMMV *really* applies with this topic...

-Wash in the hottest water you can, dry in a dryer on Low or Medium (even High *should* be OK, but better safe...)
-Try MF Detergents if you haven`t already and see whether they make a diff (they are utterly *necessary* for me)
-The use of Distilled White Vinegar, in the *penultimate* rinse (NOT the final one) is helpful for some people
-FWIW, every one of my MF Drying Towels has eventually degraded in performance and finally just "pushed the water around" although they`d do a little good if used damp (but then they left water behind, requiring a follow-up with one that still works right)
-My use of various Drying Aids, including Spray Waxes, has *NOT* made my Drying MFs degrade faster

[rmbrewer1]

OK guys. I washed my first load of rags/towels/cloths. I put in Apple Cider Vinegar that I had. Did them with and extra rinse. Put them in the dryer on low/medium. My wife went in and pulled them out of the dryer and folded them and said that was the softest my towels and clothes had ever felt. Plus they really looked cleaner. Hard to believe. Now to go outside and try them out either later or tomorrow.

[Accumulator]

rmbrewer1- It`ll be great if that sorts it out! IMO most people`s laundry is probably saturated with residual detergent, especially if using an HE washer. Every now and then I take clothing/household textiles out to the shop and wash them in the old agitator-style washer..even without detergent and after a few rinses, I;ll often *still* find sudsing! Once I get that all gone, the stuff is softer/fluffier than it`s been for ages. Hopefully our (brand new) Electrolux washer will be better in that regard...