How to avoid MF towels from sticking to surfaces?

I have another load of towels that are ready for washing, so I'll try drying without the dryer :).

For wax removal, I'm using the Super Plush rated at 600 g/m^2. I use Gold Plush towels (360 g/m^2) for QD in the door jambs and general cleaning. The thinner towels don't seem to bunch up as much with QD, but I haven't really tried them on a flat panel. Maybe I'll give that a shot next time.

Unfortunately, I don't have any other QD products at the moment. Can you recommend one without carnauba? (Note that the towel issue also occurs on glass using Stoner's Invisible Glass, but that's a slightly different animal -- glass has always been a little grabby in my experience.)
 
Here's a few suggestions for you Iroc86:
ONR can be used as a rinseless wash or mixed a little stronger for a QD, Meguiar's Ultimate Quick Detailer mentions 'wax' but I think it's really sealant based, not carnauba based, FK425 would be another QD without carnauba, Griot's Speed Shine.
 
JohnZ3MC- I always thought of the SpeedShine (which I used to use all the time) as being carnauba-based, even though GG recommends it for use over their sealant (which I guess shouldn't be a big surprise, huh?).

That's a good point about the ONR as a QD; while I use/prefer IUDJ, it works so well as a drying aid that it's rapidly replacing my usual QDs, even FK425(!). Wonder if something like that, simply tweaking the "what's on the paint when you dry it", would solve the problem. I've done OK using some QD as "LSP buff-off aids", but some combos were awful- the solvent action caused all sorts of issues.

iroc86- Some of my autoglass is always "grabby" too, no matter what kind of MF I use on it (I think of it as "squeaky clean"). Certain WWMFs, especially the one from CarPro's Microfiber Madness line, are OK on it though. Wonder if that would work better for you when drying (not a solution for the rest of the grabbing though...).
 
I have this problem with my VERY high gsm's with thick polishes an waxes, best advice is use a shorter nap or use a cleaner such as car-pro eraser sprayed DIRECTLY on the TOWEL (NOT PAINT). This should eliminate your problem or atleast cut it down alot.
 
I've never experienced this phenomena per se, usually when something is "grabby" it is the product - not the towel.

However, I think the OP is just used to cotton towels that don't have micro-filaments that grab product. The reason MF towels are recommended is because they grab up dirt and product (and hold it) better than cotton. Not to mention their pile adds an element of a safety cushion when using the towel.

I'm not sure what towels you got from AG, but the 530s and 600s are almost the best OVERALL towels out there.
 
I'm surprised that people are air-drying their MFs...I have zero problems drying mine in the dryer, even when I mess up and use a higher heat setting than usual (usual is "low" or "very low"). When I air-dry, my MFs don't end up as soft-feeling (my cotton towels are simply *awful* in this regard, I *gotta* use the dryer or most of them end up like cardboard).
 
Accumulator said:
I'm surprised that people are air-drying their MFs...I have zero problems drying mine in the dryer, even when I mess up and use a higher heat setting than usual (usual is "low" or "very low"). When I air-dry, my MFs don't end up as soft-feeling (my cotton towels are simply *awful* in this regard, I *gotta* use the dryer or most of them end up like cardboard).
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The only ones I had seen recommending a Very low heat was Microfiber Madness & these:

From Autopia car care How to:
Maintaining Microfiber Towels

Wash in cold water only. Warm water can be tolerated, but hot water cannot. Polyester and polyamide both shrink in hot water. If you wash in hot water the fibers will shrink and the towel will not perform as intended.

Do not use fabric softeners of any kind. The softener will become lodged in the microfiber reducing its ability to absorb water, clean and pick up dirt. In short, you’ll have a soft towel that’s useless.

"Do not dry above medium heat. Treat microfiber towels the same as you would your delicate clothing. Drying with high heat is worse that washing in hot water.
To make microfiber care simple, Pinnacle developed a single detergent that thoroughly cleans microfiber and helps maintain its texture. Pinnacle Micro Rejuvenator is the only microfiber detergent you need to remove oily and greasy residues in the wash. "

From AutoGeek How to:
"For such a technologically advanced fabric, proper care is surprisingly easy. No fabric softener, no bleach, no heat - that’s all you have to remember!

Wash your microfiber in the washing machine with detergent only. Tumble them dry on low heat or no heat. High heat will literally melt the fibers while fabric softener and bleach will eliminate the electric charge that makes microfiber so effective. Avoid those three laundry habits, and your microfiber will last indefinitely."

But for me, & @ $10-25 for a single towel I'd skip the dryer. :)
 
I think I may have some useful insight,

MF's short knap and even plush,, that grabby feel....It is supposed to be that way. static is a good thing. (!) its not a cotton Tery and stop thinking of it as being in the same family. Please dont misread, im not yelling.

the "sticky is what attracts and grabs the dirt. As for keeping them qtr folded, I always try to put the "open" "loose" cornersin the crook of my thumb and index finger, and sometimes put the other end betwen my 3rd finger and my pinky. this keeps them flat. this really works well if you wrap them on the backside of your hand to do the inside of a windshield.

When I wash,, I use liquid whisk, and NOW hear me out! dollar general tire and wheel cleaner, or LA's Totally awesome. (my challenge to you, buy a bottle of groits MF cleaner and a bottle of DG tire anwheel, and LA--- theyare all bassically APC,, although LA's has some other stuff cause it just kicks the crap out of the other two) I use a half cap of whisk and 1/4 cup of LA. I usually wash my general use/nasty MF on hot and cold rince, and the finish ones on warm/cold (even though they say not to, I put them into then dryer on gentle.) They come out perfect. yes they stick together,, thats what you want. sometimes Ill pre wipe teh dryer with APC to remove any dryer sheet residue left in there. I dont know about you, but I dont have a place to hang 50 towels.

As everyone else has said,, you dont need lots of pressure. This was an issue for my father in law, he would spray detail juce and then rub the hell out of his bike,,, this last time I checked it out,, I had to do a 2 step to everything! gave hime a little more training. and I hope its going to be ok. One other hint, after spraying the surface, give your towel a spray also.

I hope this helped.
 
Guessless said:
The only ones I had seen recommending a Very low heat was Microfiber Madness & these:
Wash in cold water only. Warm water can be tolerated, but hot water cannot. Polyester and polyamide both shrink in hot water. If you wash in hot water the fibers will shrink and the towel will not perform as intended.
Click to expand...

Hot water can be relative. I wash with hot water but my water heater is set to 120 F or so while others can be much higher. I definitely agree about lowest setting or no heat. I saw some microfiber pants care guide to recommend medium or low heat. Plastics even well below their glass transition temperature can change behavior just like like metals can below their melting temperature.
 
My never lets me down routine for MF's
First are you using the family washer and dryer or a detail only set?

I have a family washer and it took me a while to get this down to where my towels are perfect when they come out.
1 - Don't let your towels dry. I put them all in a 5 gallon bucket of water with a cup or two of APC and just throw them in there when your done. Two buckets Dirty and Filthy

First run a cold extra large cycle of 4 cups of vinegar in the drum. Fill the fabric softener cup to the top with white vinegar. Run it.
Now that it's clean add your dirty towels. Wring them out the best you can. Only let the water fill to about two inches above the towels. It saves water and keeps the towels closer together so the actually scrub each other. Add your MF soap. I only use CG. For the money I have not used anything better. Now you can eyeball this. Add two teaspoons of white vinegar to the fabric softener cup per towel. Let it run the cycle warm wash cold rinse. When it's done if it smells like vinegar run a light cycle to rinse them again.
Drying - If you use dryer sheets in your regular laundry stop they will load your towels with static and also keep lint from getting pulled out of the dryer. Some is good too much they get grabby. Clean the lint catch screen and the holder out really well. I run a vac over it. I also vac out the drum. I do this once a month anyway to keep the lint from building up in general makes my dryer work better. Dry them on low until they are dry. Once they cool down fold them up and bag them in a ziploc based on task.
Couple things I learned. Always wash your towels as soon as you get them keep them seperate by brand, type, color. If you let towels dry dirty they will come out of the wash dirty. Keep them wet to keep them chems from drying.
I have never had any issue with cross contamination of pads or towels as long as you do not let them dry. Once a towel or a pad is spent in a soak bucket it goes.
Give it a try and white vinegar will not harm your towels. I have never ruined a towel yet.
 
Guessless- I'm *NOT* arguing, or trying to get people to change their ways, and I want to be very clear about that lest I come across like a real [jerk].

But my understanding is that MFs tolerate hot, even boiling, water just fine. Some of my MFs came with instructions to boil them before use (no, I didn't bother) and I often wash mine on "sanitary" cycle (very hot) with zero problems. In fact, that has rejuvenated numerous MFs that seemed to be losing their effectiveness, especially ones that seemed to retain things like LSP residue.

Similarly, it's my understanding that a properly working dryer just doesn't get hot enough to damage MFs.

Again, "YMMV" applies and whatever works for people is cool with me. But I've been using MFs since they first came out and mine seem to last virtually forever (not just for detailing; I use at least several every day in the house). I was prepared for issues when I decided to just wash 'em in really hot water and throw 'em in the dryer, but nope...no problems from that kind of treatment.

0inDetail0- Yeah, I almost always do my MFs in the dedicated/shop washer and dryer. When I want to do that Sanitary Cycle I have to use the household one, and that means a thorough cleaning to remove anything like softener residue (lest my MFs get contaminated).

Interesting that the CG MF-detergent works so well for you, I can't for the life of me figure out why those seemingly identical detergents can perform so differently for different people!
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I thought Leo settled this (unlike his accounts) a lot of years ago...
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Heh heh heh....guess he had that coming, although *I* never had any trouble doing business with him.

Yeah, he certainly *did* know a lot about textiles, I learned plenty from him (not just detailing-related stuff). Although I will say that some of his opinions simply didn't work out for me (e.g., the "fabric softener and cotton textiles" topic).
 
Have some microfiber that are over 10 years old, washed with micro restore, or chemical guys microfiber wash, HOT Water, always run a little Distilled White Vinegar in the Rinse cycle, 2 rinses, dry them all on low heat..

Both wash and dryer are front loaders, never used any softeners, sheets, etc...

To date, some of the very first towels that got a lot of work right away are more Worn Out in spots from use, than anything..

I run Water Heater at Hotter Setting because it takes 3-4 minutes to get hot water from any tap in the house..

Not 1 Microfiber has ever been damaged, changed, or otherwise become unusable..

I made it easy for me and use cheap white cotton towels (you can even find them at Target in the Automotive Section), for all Dirty, Greasy, etc., cleaning and only use Microfiber for paint, hard Interior parts, and glass..
Dan F
 
Washing in hot water 120-140 should not harm the towel.

Drying at med high temp should not harm the towel.

If the above method harms a towel, it's most likely an inferior towel.
 
Lots of good tips here -- I won't address all of the individual comments, but do know that I appreciate the advice. I have some new things to try.

I just finished washing my car (waterless) and going over it with some QD. The towels are still grabbing, but I paid closer attention to the conditions that cause it. It seems that the amount of product is proportional to the stickiness of the towels.

The towels are most likely to stick when wiping off the initial wet application of QD. Once the product has spread across the paint and takes on a "slippery" appearance, buffing is much smoother. If I flip over the towel, such that my hand contacts the now-damp section, it works flawlessly (it seems like the damp towel sticks to my hand a little better and is less likely to roll or bunch up). Same thing for wax, but obviously the towel doesn't get damp. It doesn't seem like the nap length makes a difference in my experience.

How often do you switch your towels? I typically use a single 16x16 towel to QD a medium-sized vehicle. When waxing, I might use two. Perhaps the towels are becoming saturated with product? If I take my used (slightly damp) QD towel after doing a vehicle and wipe a clean panel, it sticks about half of the time. This does not happen with a dry towel.
 
iroc86- Based on your latest post, I think I'd do a clay/paint clean and re-LSP with something else. Sounds like once you get a "fresh LSP-effect" from your QD everything is OK, or at least better.

With liquids like QD/rinseless wash I get a new MF when the old one leaves too much behind. I can buff off LSP from most vehicles with just one, but then I'm a fanatic about thin THIN *THIN* LSP applications. Generally, I advocate "if in doubt, get out a new one".
 
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