Help Cleaning Dirty Microfiber Wash Media After using ONR

L

Lonnie

Active member
I am again reaching out to my fellow Autopians for suggestion on cleaning my microfiber noodle/chenille wash mitt after using Optimum`s No-Rinse (ONR). The wash mitt just looks (is?) dirty after thoroughly cleaning it with Castrol`s Super Clean (The Purple Stuff) full strength and then rinsing it and squeezing/wringing it out to air dry. I realize the encapsulation formulation of this wash soap lends itself to contributing to this problem, but I WOULD like my wash media to look clean. OR do you just live with it.
I also know that there was an older discussion about this very subject, but I am just too lazy to search and my reason for asking for help is that there may be some newer car-care cleaning products/chemicals and methodologies that may lend themselves to cleaning wash media used with ONR.
I have not tried Optimum`s Power Clean APC full strength or diluted 1;1, which may be my next experimental step, but it is rather expensive for that purpose.

As a side note, this year`s El Nino- induced warm, mild winter weather in Wisconsin has been great for washing my vehicles outside. I have never been able to do that in past winters like the number of times I have washed a vehicle this year. We have very little snow on the ground for January in Wisconsin, which is a REAL curse for snowmobilers and skiers and the businesses who cater to them, farmers who need this nature-stored moister in the spring, and homeowners and municipal maintenance departments whose water supply and sewer pipes will freeze underground when it turns bitter -20°F cold without that insulation!
 
I usually just throw my wash mitts in the washing machine on warm water. If you have some oxy clean you can add that to the wash as well. They usually come out looking pretty much brand new after the wash cycle. I find hand washing doesnt really get into the fibers and break down the dirt on those microfiber noodle wash mitts all that well.

EDIT: For wash detergent I recently started using the "ALL Free and Clear" detergent. You can get the concentrate version at Kroger for $4.99 which gives you around 64 washes. Its pretty cost effective and I find it works just as well as the designtated MF detergents.
 
This is the most vexing thing about ONR. I tell myself the fact it does this when other rinseless washes don`t, means that ONR has some (superior) property that the others don`t, but I don`t really believe myself. Like Raydiant, I machine wash my media; I had a wash media that got some tar or something on it and I sprayed that section with OPC (probably 1:3 dilution) and that section came out perfectly clean while the rest had the usual gray color.

It might be worth either pre-spraying, pre-soaking, or washing with OPC if your washer is ok with that, not sure how much that is going to suds up.
 
IMO the way ONR results in worse residual soiling is no feature and I suspect that it goes hand-in-hand with the way wheels cleaned with ONR are *SO* much harder for me to clean the next time. But anyhow..

While some regular detergents (e.g., Persil) work OK on my household MFs (even the ones I use with ONR), for Detailing MFs I always have to use a MF Detergent. I wash on the hottest setting the washer has.

I do pretreat with my old APCs (currently EF HI), but usually just for nasty stains. I do not recommend doing this with an HE washer unless you want to experience its "over-sudsing" function.

BUT...I don`t do RW so my MFs never get all *that* nasty.
 
If any of ya`ll are familar with how washes/inner/vs outer drum, the stuff that can ~accumulate~ in the outer drum that you don`t see...
My detailing washing does get washed in the machine. But beforehand, I always do a pre-wash in the laundry sink to get rid of the detailing chems beforehand.
 
mobiledynamics said:
If any of ya`ll are familar with how washes/inner/vs outer drum, the stuff that can ~accumulate~ in the outer drum that you don`t see...
My detailing washing does get washed in the machine. But beforehand, I always do a pre-wash in the laundry sink to get rid of the detailing chems beforehand.
Click to expand...

This is very true. I regularly wipe down my washing machine inner barrel with distilled vinegar and water after I wash the really dirty MF towels. A presoak in a 5 gallon bucket with some APC/ pad cleaner also helps for really grimey towels as well.

I always wash least soiled/contaminated to most soiled in that order so I`m not contaminating any good towels.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk
 
There’s also simply replacing some wash media at some point. I know my mitts don’t last forever
 
Have I understand it right that you get the hot water from the water heater in the house or where you have it and that`s the hot water the washer uses?
Or do you have a water heater builded in the washer?

Just asking since I picked up that somewhere but didn`t want to look dumb for asking LOL. Either way I wanted to share what I do before a bigger detailing. I pour a alkaline based degreaser in the detergent compartment. Set the temperature on the washer to 90C/194F and put in 5-6 mf that has been done to not be used again. So it`s something in the washer to help with the aggitations inside of the washer barrel. When the washer program is done I put in distilled vinegar in the detergent compartment and in the compartment for fabric softerner. And a washing program set on 60C/140F. When this is done I run 2 rinse cycles without anything in it. Empty the filter to the rinse outlet and clean it. Now the washer is clean enough for the finest mf towels LOL.

Why this extreme is I don`t do it very often. And I don`t do it every time before washing the wash mitts and drying towels after a wash. But I do the couple of used mf towels and distilled vinegar in the rinse cycle and a extra rinse cycle before a maintance wash. Cause have had both drying towels and wash mitts full of linting from what have been washed before in the washer. That some I have not been able to save for useing it on the paint again. My nice Carpro Mf Wash Mitt I had only used 3 times when the linting did a number on it. It got like like tight knots with the linting and mf on the mitt that was not getting loose and where just to give that mitt up and use it no where near a delicate surface. That`s why I use the mf to pick up the linting in the washer barrel when cleaning it out. And are more thorough with separate the different mf when washing in the washer too.
 
SWETM- I have a water heater in the Shop. Basically, we built the whole "new garage" to have its own systems, even with regard to water filters/softeners/etc. It`s like a separate house, I overkilled it in some ways :o

For Shop Washing Machines, note that old used ones often work better than the newest most energy-efficient ones. My first garage washer/dryer were freebies that the owner of my first house didn`t think was worth moving, they were still working fine when I sold that shop after building this place.

Oh boy, your washer maintenance regimen sounds impressive. I`m awfully lax about mine but it hasn`t bitten me yet, maybe because I do so many rinses all the time.
 
Accumulator said:
SWETM- I have a water heater in the Shop. Basically, we built the whole "new garage" to have its own systems, even with regard to water filters/softeners/etc. It`s like a separate house, I overkilled it in some ways :o

For Shop Washing Machines, note that old used ones often work better than the newest most energy-efficient ones. My first garage washer/dryer were freebies that the owner of my first house didn`t think was worth moving, they were still working fine when I sold that shop after building this place.

Oh boy, your washer maintenance regimen sounds impressive. I`m awfully lax about mine but it hasn`t bitten me yet, maybe because I do so many rinses all the time.
Click to expand...

Overkill! Not at all I would have done it my self if possible LOL. Would have been great with a shop washer where I could use it with detailing products only. Yeah the washer maintance is a little overkill LOL. But since it`s shared with others and clothes and all else is used in it. That`s why I go overkill mode when I have had accually mf wash mitts and mf drying towels to be destroyed to be used on the paint. And do the picking of linting out of the mf towels that has been washed is not so fun and takes a long time to do. So it`s been that ever since I started about 2 years ago only to dive in head first with detailing. Comes from drive through those swirlomatic car washes to accually care a little more LOL. It takes some time to dial in the care of the detailing products too. And find out where the troubles are.
Nothing wrong with a old washer if it still works. The most important is that the inner washer barrel is in great shape and you don`t feel any grabby things inside it. That is a little benefit with the newer washer that the build of the washer barrel is generally better. So just that is great it don`t matter how old it is. Would be awesome to have water softening system both for the washer and the outlets to where I wash the cars. And a own shop/garage with heater in it so I could wash the cars whatever the weather is LOL. I`m just dreaming on LOL
 
None of our HE washers has been even remotely close to the old agitator-style ones when it comes to getting things clean. The latest (an Electrolux) is *INFINITELY* better than any of the previous ones were, but there`s still no comparison. We`ll sometimes take clothing/household textiles out to the shop to launder them just because it`ll get them cleaner.

SWETM- I`m spoiled, no question about it. I probably wouldn`t even bother with this stuff if I didn`t have my version of the right facilities; I`d just have "don`t care" cars and I really wouldn`t care about them. I`ve done that before when I had to prioritize other stuff, and yeah I could do it again. BUT.. I couldn`t keep our current vehicles and watch them deteriorate, I`d have to buy replacements and not get attached to them.
 
This is slightly off subject but it has to do with washing microfiber towels. I used to wash everything together and for years I had no problems, but now I’m seeing some of my towels not being absorbent. I think it may be some of the new products like Premier and Overcoat contaminating my other towels. I wash in hot water, use a microfiber towel soap, dry on low, and wipe the dryer tub before drying. The only new variable is new products. I’m going to start washing those towels separately to see if there is a difference.
 
rlmccarty2000- That`s good thinking. If it *is* from the new products, avoiding contamination of your other towels is one thing, but the Premier/Overcoat towels...what about them? Just gonna use them for "not absorbent is OK" tasks?

What about washing them in really hot water (like, if your washer has a "sanitary" cycle), or even boiling them?

Sooner or later all of my towels quit absorbing or start linting or...something.
 
OT. Do you GUYS uses any sort of fabric softener in your front loader....
Like downey, which literally is fat
take the cap off, dip your finger and rinse it. See how clean or not your finger rinses.
Could be residual *stuff* on you inner tub that is transferring to your MF towels

Does you laundry washer have a onboard heater.
If so, IMO, run a sanitize hot cycle with Sodium Precarb ------often-----
Most people wash in too cold of cycle and if one removed the inner tub to inspect the outer tub, get the vomit bucket handy
 
Accumulator said:
What about washing them in really hot water (like, if your washer has a "sanitary" cycle), or even boiling them?
Click to expand...

Well...I still remember a lotta years ago SuperBee talking about how he got one of those fancy washers and used the sanitize cycle to finally get out all the stains on his MF towels (even though he complained the cycle was 2 hours)...so I`ve been dreaming of that.

In the meantime, TRC and OPT have started this talking point about how washing above 140F or drying on hot will ruin your towels by fusing the micro fibers together. We got into a real knock-down, drag-out about it, I think it was on AGO, where I (thought) I debunked the whole thing by talking about how sometimes people boil their towels, and linking threads to our old pal Leo from DF Towel talking about how preposterous it was to damage MF with hot water or your dryer. (bear in mind the most popular TRC towel is the Eagle Edgeless--remember this for later)

So I finally get a new fancy washer and dryer, but for a bunch of reasons I don`t get to do a regular MF towel load for a long time...and I have a huge amount of towels to wash. For some reason I am skittish even though I`ve been telling everyone this is all BS about the hot water. So because I`m skittish, I research this "sanitize" cycle, can`t find much, but it says it has to achieve 131F for 3 minutes minimum...so I figure that`s not bad.

So I wash this huge load, I do the pre-soak, the pre-wash, the sanitize (or allergen, I don`t remember) which uses an internal heater in the washer. So I throw them all in the dryer, to my disappointment there are still stains (not enough detergent?) and while I`m folding them, I have a towel that somehow seems flatter than it used to, I figure it`s my imagination. Then I have one MFT towel, which is kind of like an Eagle Edgeless, which they don`t sell any more (yes, I know they sell a towel now that is almost identical--this was before that). This towel looks nothing like it did before I washed it (which has been washed a lot of times before--at least I think so), it`s all matted up.

So anyway, I had only washed WW`s before in this new washer/dryer, and this was the first time I used the sanitize/allergen cycle, but I`m going to presume that`s the culprit (rather than the dryer). So this is me saying apparently I was wrong, at least for some towel types, and I`m going to have to approach the sanitize cycle more carefully in the future.
 
You guys swear by Oxy Clean. The primary ingredient in it that does the cleaning the the precarb - basically oxygen bleach.

All I`m saying is between too much soap, FATTY fabric softners, human oil/grease, and not enough hot water....the inside of the laundry tub which you don`t see often has stuff lurking

inside-washer.jpg
 
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