Washing Microfiber towels?

[Lambo1]

Any other ways that keep Microfiber towels soft like when u buy them other than the microfiber conditioning stuff suppose to use

[imported_Bunky]

I have been using drying balls (2 per load) with each load and use medium heat (not hot) when I dry my mf towels. This seems to make them soft.

[Todd@RUPES]

Any other ways that keep Microfiber towels soft like when u buy them other than the microfiber conditioning stuff suppose to use

I get a very long life out of microfiber towels, here is how I do it.

Always keep you good microfibers seperate from your bad ones.

Wash on hot to help break down the waxes, polishes, dressings, ect

I use either Microrestore or regular, unscented Woolite.

Wash on a meduim cycle, then follow with two rinses. During the second rinse add a couple of table spoons of distilled white vinegar.

Hang up and let air dry.

[David Fermani]

Same here^^^^^, but I use Whole Food`s Free & Clear detergent.

[Moutee]

Thanks for that post, Todd! Is it fine to put them in the dryer without fabric softener rather than letting them air dry?

[RustyBumper]

Thanks for that post, Todd! Is it fine to put them in the dryer without fabric softener rather than letting them air dry?

Hi, I just read about this on a different board and from I understand you can dry them but on low or no heat only. Drying your towels at a high temp can affect the materials and make them harder, which could mar or scratch your paint. I just purchased some micro restore so when it gets here I`ll wash my towels with that but give them a presoak in vinegar. Following the wash I`ll dry them in the dryer for a few minutes on low heat or no heat and then hang them to dry. I hope I don`t ruin them..I never have luck at this sort of thing.

[TOGWT]

Micro fibre Care
Proper care is simple; to ensure your towels and buffing cloths provide long-term use, wash them frequently after every use and as soon as possible, in a liquid soap (Micro Restore) in hot 120oF< (48oC <) water, add a teaspoon per towel distilled white vinegar, the vinegar doesn`t coat the fibres but instead works to eliminate detergent residue (do not use fabric softener) in the rise cycle, and finally a thorough cold rinse. Always wash micro fibre separately and only with other micro fibre fabrics. Use the hot setting on dryer, no softener sheets (your towels will not melt)

If this doesn`t completely clean them use distilled water, place your towels in the pan and bring to a slow boil for 10 to 15 minutes. There will be a film that rises to the top of the water which you should skim off (these are minerals and impurities found in regular tap water) Drain the water from the pan before removing the towels, and then hang the towels to air-dry.
Regardless of material type or quality, a dirty micro fibre, or a 100% Cotton towel will scratch, micro fibre has attractant properties, that is dirt, dust, and various other substances cling to it, which is one of the reasons that it works so well, but it is also a reason why you need to be extra careful when using towels on your paint

Before using micro fibre towels for the first time;
?Remove labels / tags
?Check for towel colour fastness before washing
?Wash towels before using
?Wash / Rinse after using and before you use a different product (i.e. don?t use to remove polish and then apply wax)
?Always wash towels separately from other fabrics using hot water
?Use a mild liquid detergent (or a speciality product like Micro-Restore) without softener, bleach, whiteners, etc
?Half the washing detergents manufacturers suggested amount is usually sufficient
?During the rinse cycle, add 1-tsb per towel white distilled vinegar to help dissolve detergent and hard water minerals
?Do not use fabric softeners or sheets
?Drying ? air dry or use medium heat in a tumble dryer (adding plastic dryer balls will help plump up the fibres)

[imported_DetailDan]

I have different colored towels for polish, wax, and sealant removal and they all get washed separatley using Micro Restore. Wash with warm water, tumble dry low.

[Woodengolfer]

I get fuzzies all over the window from washed MF. It is inconsistant. I wash them seperately and scrub in Shout to very dirty areas. Has anyone else seen this? My wife refuses to use MF on mirrors in the house because of this.

[imported_akimel]

Detailing forums are filled with contradictory advice when it comes to the laundering of microfiber towels. It`s difficult to winkle out the truth. Sometimes one gets the impression that we need to treat these towels more gently than we do silk shirts. My limited research, however, suggests that microfiber is not nearly as fragile and delicate as we may think it is. Polyester melts at 500F. How hot do our household washing machines and dryers get? 130?F? 140?F 150?F?

I came across an interview with Steven Tinker, director of research and development for Gurtler Industries. In this interview he states that the optimal temperature for the washing of microfiber textiles is 160F; in other words, we should be washing out towels on the hot setting, especially, as Todd notes above, if we want to clean them of polish, wax, dressings, grease, etc. Tinker also recommends drying them on the medium setting. I emailed Mr. Tinker directly and asked him further about microfiber towels. He replied with the following advice:

Microfiber towels generally are fairly easy to clean with detergent only. Liquid Tide in a home-style washer is an excellent choice. Hot water (in a home washer that is 130-140?F) is okay, but you may want to try the warm water setting also to see if the soil and stains in the fabric are adequately removed. The temperatures used in a home-style washer should not be detrimental to the microfiber textile.

Do not use fabric softeners, as that will affect the absorbency of the fibers.

The use of vinegar may be helpful, but an extra rinse may be more effective in making sure that all the residual detergent is removed. I also recommend soft water for best results.

Tinker`s advice confirms the guidelines offered by Leo Cerruti, who has had a long association with the Textile industry and appears to know his fabrics. You have probably run across his comments on various detailing forums over the past years. On a recent Detailing World thread Leo writes:

HOT water will do no harm at all to either cotton or polyester microfiber. Even boiling it won`t melt the fibers. Polyester melts at 500F (260C) so if your household water is that hot you have a lot more to worry about than your towels. Same applies to your dryer, HOT setting is no problem at all, the dryer will never reach more than 135F to 140F (60C). Use some logic and think for a minute, if the dryer got hot enough to melt the fabric many of your clothes would either melt away or come apart at the seams if they used polyester thread!

Wash: Simply use a good liquid detergent and hot water to wash, use 1/2 what the manufacturer recommends for the load size, they always tell you to use too much. Use too much and your towels eventually get stiff. Add about 1 tablespoon of distilled white vinegar per towel to the final rinse, ay more and they will smell like vinegar. The vinegar helps the threads release any excess detergent, basically this is the original fabric softener.

Dry: Dry on hot. Depending on the ambient humidity sometimes towels come out with a lot of static, simply spray with a light mist of water and the problem should go away.

Of course, don`t use any fabric softeners in the wash or dryer, all they do is add a coating of silicone to the towels.

So based on my limited research, here is what I presently do:

Wash towels as soon as possible after every use
HOT water
Tide liquid detergent
No bleach or fabric softener
Medium drier setting
No softener sheets
Add approximately a tablespoon of vinegar per towel during first rinse cycle. I then run a second rinse cycle.

Laundry ... not rocket science.

[imported_Bunky]

My full process is:

longest wash cycle with **WARM** water, 2nd rinse (auto with wash cycle)
DP Microfiber soap (rinses better than regular laundry soaps) in my He washer
No bleach or softeners although I think wash can get contaminated from a prior wash
wipe down dryer with apc or vinegar to reduce transfer of softener sheet residue
medium dryer setting (casual clothes)
2 dryer balls.

I find lower wash and dry temperatures (like with clothes) lead to longer lasting towels that do not loose their shape or fade (some colors bleed).

My theory is if you need vinegar you may have hard water or just using too much detergent thinking more is better. This is especially true with a He washer.

[imported_gewb]

Micro fibre Care

If this doesn`t completely clean them use distilled water, place your towels in the pan and bring to a slow boil for 10 to 15 minutes. There will be a film that rises to the top of the water which you should skim off (these are minerals and impurities found in regular tap water) Drain the water from the pan before removing the towels, and then hang the towels to air-dry.

I used to put my MFs in the washer until one day I hand washed some that were really dirty. After seeing the gray filmy ring left in the sink I vowed never to put my MFs in the washer.

So a couple days ago I was cleaning a bunch of cloths and several just wouldn`t come really clean - I decided to try the boiling method (above).

My wife came into the kitchen as I was doing this and said "I`ve got a ham hock you could throw in there."

We stay married for the entertainment factor.

Regards,
GEWB