Rags, what to do

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bassman

New member
Hi, simple question, I haven’t gone to microfiber rags yet, I generally use towels and T-shirt’s for polish and wax but my question is how to clean them. Is it ok to put them in the family washing machine? Also, is it nessesery to go and use microfiber rags? Thank you
 
bassman -

Microfibers are in their own world and work best if they are absolutely separated from everything when getting washed AND dried..

The reason is because their little fibers will trap and hold all the lint from anything else washed with them, and that makes them not work so great..

They are also very good at holding things in them that could be bad for your paint if you rubbed that microfiber towel with that little piece of something hard, stuck in it, over your just polished panel..

So, you would want to purchase light colored ones to help you spot something that is NOT that color in them, and pick it out before you use it..

In the World of microfibers; what do you want the microfibers to do for you ? It helps if you will be specific..

For cleaning them, I have been cleaning mine with only specific microfiber cleaners sold in gallon jugs, for almost 20 years, and I still have some of those that continue to work great.. Sometimes I will add a little Distilled White Vinegar to them in the Rinse Cycle, and it seems to be good for mine..

Do not dry them with dryer sheets, etc., things either.. Dryer sheets coat everything and are the reason bath towels do not absorb water very well..
Dan F
 
Bassman- Cleaning really nasty Detailing textiles in the household washer *might* call for some kind of "clean the washer out" process, but IME that`s pretty rare.

As for switching to MFs, I`m a firm believer in not looking for problems (related to auto cosmetics) that you don`t know you have...you don`t *have* to care about this stuff the way so many here do. But that said, I`d bet anything that cotton textiles mar your paint, if only so slightly that it`s not too obvious. MFs shouldn`t do that, and most people who`ve used them will say that they do most everything better than cotton...usually by a huge margin.
 
thanks guys, I hear all the time its better to use micro fiber ```s for polish and waxing cars. I`ve always just used old tshirts or cotton towels with the loops in them. Are they even considered terrycloth?
 
bassman said:
thanks guys, I hear all the time its better to use micro fiber ```s for polish and waxing cars. I`ve always just used old tshirts or cotton towels with the loops in them. Are they even considered terrycloth?
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Hello bassman, Hope you and yours are safe and well !

Cotton towels, terrycloth, etc., are still going to be made of cotton.. Terrycloth is supposed to be woven in such a way it makes more surface area to help absorb better..

Before microfiber was invented, we ALL used Mom`s old worn out cotton towels, sometimes, old cotton diapers, etc..
Certainly, you can continue to use what you use and you will get the same results..
For old cotton anything that belongs in the garage, I still like to run a little distilled white vinegar in there in the Rinse Cycle, and that always seems to make them come out better..

Accumulator, mi Amigo, brought up a great point - sometimes, depending on what you washed, you need to come back and run something through the washer to get it more clean in there..

I have been using a product called Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner tablets in there periodically.. The water that remains at the bottom of the machine drum sometimes might still have some yucky stuff it removed from your wash load in there, and this product is supposed to help break that down, so when it all eventually gets rinsed out from down there, the machine will be really clean..

I have a side loading older HE machine so that big drum is sitting sideways in there, and I think there is a lot more volume of that wash water still sitting in there, and I like to clean that out with the Affresh tabs sometimes...

Dan F
 
Stokdgs said:
..Before microfiber was invented, we ALL used Mom`s old worn out cotton towels, sometimes, old cotton diapers, etc..
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Hush your mouth...some of us were using the best cotton towels ever made for this stuff while using something less wonderful for household towels!

But seriously, yeah...it wasn`t all *that* long ago that Mr. Overall was selling those reserged Charismas, which were maybe the 5th-best cotton towels I had. I can still appreciate cotton towels for some jobs, I just don`t rub paint with them as they`re just not as soft as MF.

Touching, well..at least RUBBING... any autopaint I`ve ever had, including the old white ss Imron, with any cotton t-shirt/etc. I`ve ever had, always resulted in marring. Every. Single. Time. Learned that the hard way as a kid...but anyhow..

Certainly, you can continue to use what you use and you will get the same results..
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Yeah. Switching to MF might be a real eye-opener though.

For old cotton anything that belongs in the garage, I still like to run a little distilled white vinegar in there in the Rinse Cycle, and that always seems to make them come out better..
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That is great advice *for MF* but IME (and this is definitely a YMMV! thing) it doesn`t make an appreciable diff with cotton...sure wish it worked for me the way it does for others! What does work is a small amount of Ultra Downy Fabric Softener. I know what people say, but *NO* it doesn`t compromise the absorbency for me, just takes them from "harsh and stiff as cardboard" to "soft and gentle" like magic. (Other softeners did indeed mess `em up, but not that Downy.)

...[since]..sometimes, depending on what you washed, you need to come back and run something through the washer to get it more clean in there....I have been using a product called Affresh Washing Machine Cleaner tablets in there periodically..
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That`s a good suggestion, and like the Snappy Clean that Stokdgs swears by, is something that I 1) really oughta get some time, and 2) recommend that others do get. IMO most people don`t clean their washing machines (or dishwashers) nearly as often as they oughta, and having the right stuff that makes it quick/easy might change that.
 
Accumulator said:
Hush your mouth...some of us were using the best cotton towels ever made for this stuff while using something less wonderful for household towels!
Click to expand...

But seriously, yeah...it wasn`t all *that* long ago that Mr. Overall was selling those reserged Charismas, which were maybe the 5th-best cotton towels I had. I can still appreciate cotton towels for some jobs, I just don`t rub paint with them as they`re just not as soft as MF.

Touching, well..at least RUBBING... any autopaint I`ve ever had, including the old white ss Imron, with any cotton t-shirt/etc. I`ve ever had, always resulted in marring. Every. Single. Time. Learned that the hard way as a kid...but anyhow..



Yeah. Switching to MF might be a real eye-opener though.



That is great advice *for MF* but IME (and this is definitely a YMMV! thing) it doesn`t make an appreciable diff with cotton...sure wish it worked for me the way it does for others! What does work is a small amount of Ultra Downy Fabric Softener. I know what people say, but *NO* it doesn`t compromise the absorbency for me, just takes them from "harsh and stiff as cardboard" to "soft and gentle" like magic. (Other softeners did indeed mess `em up, but not that Downy.)



That`s a good suggestion, and like the Snappy Clean that Stokdgs swears by, is something that I 1) really oughta get some time, and 2) recommend that others do get. IMO most people don`t clean their washing machines (or dishwashers) nearly as often as they oughta, and having the right stuff that makes it quick/easy might change that.[/QUOTE]


Hilarious, Mi Hermano !!! :):):)
Hope all is good with you and yours up there !
I`m ok down here in the Northern California Farmland..
Dan F
 
Personally, I`m sad to see the market completely saturated with Microfiber offereings, but almost nothing in Cotton (sized and marketed to detailers).

In theory, Cotton is better for Applying. Microfiber is better for Removing.

Depending on quality, Microfiber is arguably better at buffing, drying, and waterless washing. But if you think about it, those are Subtractive processes. So... Removing.

Try this: Apply tire gel with an old white cotton sock or cloth diaper. Then try a microfiber towel.
 
WaxAddict said:
Personally, I`m sad to see the market completely saturated with Microfiber offereings, but almost nothing in Cotton (sized and marketed to detailers).
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The way those CBT/DFT ("cotton microfiber") towels didn`t sell too great probably factors in.

In theory, Cotton is better for Applying. Microfiber is better for Removing.
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Hey, interesting...could you expatiate on the Theory behind that idea?

Depending on quality, Microfiber is arguably better at buffing, drying, and waterless washing...
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Prior to the Plush MF Drying Towels, I often found *cotton* better for Drying. I saw it as "absorption vs. adsorption" but that was just my, uhm...uninformed guess :o Moot point now what with those Plush MFs, but the previous "regular MFs" sure never dried anything all that well for me and the cotton often did better than my WWMFs. Maybe just another YMMV! thing, but I found it interesting if only because I use that Downy on the cotton ones.

Try this: Apply tire gel with an old white cotton sock or cloth diaper. Then try a microfiber towel.
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Rubbing my tires with cotton leaves cotton lint on them far too readily for me to ever do that again! Not that I apply Tire Slime with MF either, just use it to buff off the excess.

But that`s just my experience again, and what I`m really wondering is what *your* point was with that comparison...I`m all intrigued even though our experiences may very well differ but it feels like you left me hanging because I don`t know what you`d have expected me to observe when I tried that!

Come to think of it, I could use a minimal-lint cotton diaper and try it again sometime, but eh, on second thought... 1) I don`t want to risk that lint again, and 2) I`m certain you`ll respond *LONG* before I wash anything (or at least I hope so). Heh heh, I really do find that you`ve piqued my curiosity though!
 
So I have thrown away really dirty MF bc I didn’t want them in my washing machine. If you have a laundromat near you take them there. I used to do that when detailing was my main gig high school and college summers. Now I selectively do cars for clients who see the value in me working on their cars.

If your going to get big into detailing you will need a separate washer or go to the laundromat
 
Accum: Microfiber, by design, is made for removal and absorbing by way of the grabbing-and-retaining shape of the fibers. And speaking of cotton to apply tire shine products... I’ve never had that lint problem, but perhaps you use a sticky product. I use water-based products. Anytime I have a white athletic sock that develops a hole, it gets washed and put into my wheel-care bucket. Never had an issue, and they are “free”.
 
WaxAddict said:
Accum: Microfiber, by design, is made for removal and absorbing by way of the grabbing-and-retaining shape of the fibers. And speaking of cotton to apply tire shine products... I’ve never had that lint problem, but perhaps you use a sticky product. I use water-based products. Anytime I have a white athletic sock that develops a hole, it gets washed and put into my wheel-care bucket. Never had an issue, and they are “free”.
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Nope, none of those apply, and I`ve experimented quite a bit with cotton vs. MF and Plush vs. Zero/low-nap MFs. I`ve just never experienced any of the "this will do that" stuff that people predict, so I put it down as just another inscrutable YMMV! thing that didn`t work that way for me.

I too only use water-based products for my tires, *zero* stickiness/etc., and still the linting is terrible. My athletic socks aren`t cotton and don`t work worth a [darn] for *anything* Detailing-related, or anything else for that matter, sure wish they did have some use once they wear out!

Please note that the above is not in *any way* intended as contentious, just yet another way my experiences differ from some other Autopians. Sure seems to happen a lot, but hey...I`m learning to just shrug it off and be content that the diffs result in posting stuff that oughta cover all the bases.

I`ve always suspected that the *tires* themselves might factor in..those overly-stylized sidewalls with all that [crap] designed to look fancy :rolleyes: The various ridges/lettering/etc. can be a huge PIA when doing the dressings, or at least it was before I found my applicator of choice (which of course came from TOL and might be hard to replace :o ) and I *still* have to use brushes to get it just right before buffing off the excess with an old MF (which I`ve tried using to apply, with mediocre results that were still better than a lot of approaches that work great for others).
 
For applying tire products, I have had the best results with the Tuf-Shine Orange Applicator sponge -- https://www.autopia-carcare.com/tuf-shine-applicator.html#.XpyyxmapH3g
It is closed cell foam that is not wanting to absorb a lot of product quickly, and is easily controllable applying the product on the tire..

The entire applicator fits the hand nicely and is so easy to rinse out afterwards for re-use next time..
Now, I only use their Clear Coat product, which of course, is not greasy, oily, etc., and very easily rinses out..

It is not so soft that it wears down quickly, or deforms, etc., it looks the same no matter what you do to it (within reason)... :)
Dan F
 
Stokdgs- You guys who do OK with sponges...any sponges...just kill me. How do you work it into the deeper recesses? I simply *must* use a brush, with the right length bristles, to get it down in there unless I use a [boat] load of product, which I then have to wipe back off before it runs all over the tire.
 
Accumulator said:
Stokdgs- You guys who do OK with sponges...any sponges...just kill me. How do you work it into the deeper recesses? I simply *must* use a brush, with the right length bristles, to get it down in there unless I use a [boat] load of product, which I then have to wipe back off before it runs all over the tire.
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I use both. Brushes work better but take time. Use a sponge to get a nice coat around and then follow up with a Carrand. Agree with the brush being better for crevices and recesses.


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