Cleaning Microfiber cloths

B

bsibaja

New member
So I tried to use Optimum No Rinse the other day. Car was pretty dirty (winter road grime) so I picked up some new microfiber cloths and went to the task using a double bucket and as many cloths as I felt were needed for the job.

When each cloth was done I feared that they would be stained from the grime and not just dirty.

Using Griots Microfiber soap I threw all the dirty cloths in the wash...
88929a201d96b226196adb4d2f37c274.jpg


The results were poor. The towels ARE stained, and it would probably take some harsh hand washing to get them anywhere close to yellow/clean again!

What is everyone here doing to not waste towels? Do you re-use them stained? I appears as though most of the dirt is gone, but I am not sure.

 
David Fermani said:
Look on the bright side.....not like the staining is causing your towels to perform any differently.
Click to expand...

Right. I think this gets overlooked.

While *some* staining could be residual [stuff] stuck to the MF material, and thus a genuine issue, IME almost all staining is of zero functional consequence. Same ol' same ol'...when in doubt, inspect under magnification and CD-test before touching your paint with it.
 
Try soaking in an APC then another wash. I always set my machine to do a second rinse. If I can remember, I'll add a little vinegar to the rinse cycle. Afterwards, regardless of stains, you should be good to go.

Some people might say that if you got a MF towel THAT dirty, you pushed the limit of an ONR wash.
 
I've been using Charlie's Soap for years, followed by a 7% acidity vinegar rinse. Very satisfied.

I've also used Norwex powder detergent. One tablespoon cleans about 20 towels, followed by a 7% acidity vinegar rinse.

Satisfied. And very inexpensive.

My other option is homemade soap.
Zote/Borax/Washing Soda.
Vinegar rinse.
Another inexpensive mix that does the job well.
 
Bare with me as I am new to this Microfiber cleaning stuff...
But it seems as though some of you guys are OK with stained towels.
Then somebody spoke about checking for microscopic residue?!?! What's a CD test???
 
bsibaja said:
Bare with me as I am new to this Microfiber cleaning stuff...
But it seems as though some of you guys are OK with stained towels.
Then somebody spoke about checking for microscopic residue?!?! What's a CD test???
Click to expand...

Take your towel and wipe it on a cd and you should easily be able to see if it's causing scratches or not
 
Mr. Gloss said:
I've been using Charlie's Soap for years, followed by a 7% acidity vinegar rinse. Very satisfied.

I've also used Norwex powder detergent. One tablespoon cleans about 20 towels, followed by a 7% acidity vinegar rinse.

Satisfied. And very inexpensive.

My other option is homemade soap.
Zote/Borax/Washing Soda.
Vinegar rinse.
Another inexpensive mix that does the job well.
Click to expand...

Big Charlie's soap user here too. It leaves MFs nice and clean. Not to mention my laundry
 
Any tips for sealant and wax removal towels that accidentally got mixed with glass towels? They bead water and seem to be pushing the glass cleaner around instead of actually absorbing it.
 
Might want to give megs RFEW a shot sometime. That stuff amazes me at how well it releases dirt/grime from microfibers when doing a rinse less wash. I've tried ONR and UWW+ and neither of those release dirt from my MF nearly as well as RFEW
 
You can do the towel "reset" process that has been advocated on other forums. Soak towels in a couple gallons of really hot water (boil it on stove) with a few ounces of Optimum Power Clean for about 15 min. Then rinse towels in clean water and put them in the wash machine with your normal detergent or MF cleaner. I have used this process and it was effective to restore absorbency to towels, and didn't seem to have any adverse effect on the towels.
 
ShaneB said:
Might want to give megs RFEW a shot sometime. That stuff amazes me at how well it releases dirt/grime from microfibers when doing a rinse less wash. I've tried ONR and UWW+ and neither of those release dirt from my MF nearly as well as RFEW
Click to expand...
Not familiar with RFEW, could you link me? I use ONR based on the sheer number of positive reviews everywhere. So far I am not impressed. Very poor cleaning power for dirty cars.
 
I'm always interested to hear how some people do so well with Charlie's. I had high hopes for the stuff, bought two gallons of it. Utterly mediocre performance for me, if even that. Not even very good for normal laundry. Total FAIL. But I do believe you folks who like it, just one of those "YMMV" things.

Yeah, vinegar rinses can be good. I do a pair of "extra rinses" for my MFs after the regular wash/rinse cycle- first with vinegar, second without it. Just seems to work better for me than doing the vinegar rinse last.

FWIW, I always do a presoak and/or a prewash before the regular wash cycle, and I use *HOT* water.

LSP residue? Try an extended soak in APC or AkyraClean or even Dawn Power Dissolver or something else that's good and potent.

bsibaja said:
Bare with me as I am new to this Microfiber cleaning stuff...
But it seems as though some of you guys are OK with stained towels...
Click to expand...

Right. Many/most stains are merely cosmetic and don't affect the towel in a functional way.

Then somebody spoke about checking for microscopic residue?!?!
Click to expand...

People sometimes get all "oh, come on...don't go off the deep end!" about "microscopic" inspection but what I was getting at is this- even with OK vision it can be tough to see what's really going on with *all sorts of things* without using magnification. You're wondering along the lines of "are those stains merely discolored microfiber or are they some kind of [crap] stuck to the fibers of the towel?", right? It might not be easy to tell with the naked eye. (That goes for a *LOT* of other detailing issues too, especially "weird issues" with/on/in paint. More info is generally good, better inspection gives more info.)

What's a CD test???
Click to expand...
The data-side of most CDs is about as hard/soft as "average" clearcoat. Yeah, that's all very vague and it's a rough approximation but it's still a pretty good test. Test stuff the way you use it- drying MFs would be tested dry; a wash mitt/brush/etc. would be tested soaking wet with wash solution; a MF used for rinseless washing/QDing would be tested wet with that product; etc. Use whatever pressure you'd normally use too, it's all about trying to duplicate the normal use of whatever you're testing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top