I hate hand washing MF towels. What do you guys handle this?

I

irsankao

OCD Detailer!
I can have as many as 20 towels used everyday for drying, wiping compound, buffing and engine room.



How do you guys clean the mf toweles you used for wiping compound and buffing quickly and effectively? What products to use and how (hand wash on warm water or washing machine)?



Also I hate to clean greasy, oily rags towels I used to wipe engine room. How do you clean these towels efficiently?



The mf towels for drying and wiping glass are the easiest the clean. I have no problem washing that. Just those above gave my headache to clean.
 
If I have really dirty stuff, I usually prewash it in a bucket with some strong cleaner (wear gloves if applicable). If I have a bunch of different soils (as you do), I start with the "cleanest", remove them and progressively get to the dirtiest (the engine compartment towels). After I have the gross soils removed that way, then I wash them in the washing machine.
 
Why not just wash them in the washing machine? Segregate the towels by duty, wash them in like groups every couple of days.



It also helps me to let them soak in a bucket for a while before a wash cycle. I've gotten to where I just generally use a dishwashing soap to wash them on the first cycle and rewash them with plain water and add vinegar in a Downy ball for a second wash. Then dry them in the dryer until they're alomst dry and let them air dry the rest of the way. It works for me.
 
What detergents do you guys use to wash the mf towels for buffing because they tend to repel water? and

What do you guys use to wash greasy/oily mf towels for engine compartment?
 
irsankao said:
What detergents do you guys use to wash the mf towels for buffing because they tend to repel water? and

What do you guys use to wash greasy/oily mf towels for engine compartment?
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Hot water and Dawn. Dawn will remove anything in the MF and it rinses clean.
 
irsankao said:
What detergents do you guys use to wash the mf towels for buffing because they tend to repel water?
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Dawn (or a comparable dishwashing soap. If they are repelling water, it sounds like you've used fabric softener - possibly residue from the dryer?







irsankao said:
What do you guys use to wash greasy/oily mf towels for engine compartment?
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Again, a dishwashing soap. Personally, after a soak in bucket with hot water with either dishwashing soap or an APC.
 
Anthony A said:
Hot water and Dawn. Dawn will remove anything in the MF and it rinses clean.
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After you posted (in that other thread) about Dawn working OK in HE washers, I gave it a try. I sure had to rinse rinse rinse, and rinse some more, but yeah, it appeared to work just as well as "MF detergents". The WWs I washed that way even seemed to soak up water a little better!



So thanks for posting it...I somehow only did that for "special cases" in the other (agitator-style washer), where regular MFs and cotton towels were unusually grungy, and was thus missing out (and spending a lot on detergent).



BUT...I gotta figure out the correct, still-effective minimum, amount of Dawn to use. I was using *FAR* less than one ounce (and diluted it with water for uniform dispersal), and I'm not kidding about how I had to repeatedly rinse 'em; it wasn't just four or five warm rinses by a long shot! That was one way that the MF detergents do work better, they rinse out a lot easier.
 
I wash them in the washing machine. I separate them off course. I wash them on warm and rinse twice. I use Arm & Hammer LIQUID laundry detergent and then I add a cup of ZEP's Industrial Purple degreaser.



If they are real bad, I'll let them soak for about 15 minutes. I then dry on LOW heat.
 
1cup simple green, maybe 2cups simple green if they are really bad. Regular All Free Laundry Detergant



Let soak for an hour



Wash in hot water and they come out as new as ever
 
Accumulator said:
After you posted (in that other thread) about Dawn working OK in HE washers, I gave it a try. I sure had to rinse rinse rinse, and rinse some more, but yeah, it appeared to work just as well as "MF detergents". The WWs I washed that way even seemed to soak up water a little better!



So thanks for posting it...I somehow only did that for "special cases" in the other (agitator-style washer), where regular MFs and cotton towels were unusually grungy, and was thus missing out (and spending a lot on detergent).



BUT...I gotta figure out the correct, still-effective minimum, amount of Dawn to use. I was using *FAR* less than one ounce (and diluted it with water for uniform dispersal), and I'm not kidding about how I had to repeatedly rinse 'em; it wasn't just four or five warm rinses by a long shot! That was one way that the MF detergents do work better, they rinse out a lot easier.
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I'm glad it worked for you but I wasn't the one that said Dawn worked well in HE washers. I don't own one so I wouldn't know if it does. I did say Dawn and hot water will make the MF like new again and I use a top loading washer.



I don't have the rinse problem you had. In fact besides the excellent cleaning ability the thing I liked about Dawn was how well it rinsed out. I had a problem with regular detergent not rinsing well and that was one of the reasons I stopped using it a started using Dawn.
 
irsankao said:
What do you guys use to wash greasy/oily mf towels for engine compartment?
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I've seen this posted before and I've just got to ask.....Why use MF towels in/on an engine? Why not just standard ol cotton rags.
 
kb2ehj said:
I've seen this posted before and I've just got to ask.....Why use MF towels in/on an engine? Why not just standard ol cotton rags.
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Because you can pick them up in bundles at Sams or Costco for very cheap.
 
It is the Dawn with Scrubbers or regular Dawn?



(Somehow, someone will add how they use Dawn in car washing to strip their car of wax and oils before applying their LSP (Last step Product) of choice. Let's not go there)
 
I've always used detergent with a bit of simple green, its worked but I'm going to try palmolive and see what kind of results I get.



I also wash my synthetic wool washing pads in there every time I come home and let them air dry. I can just get a 'new' one for each car I do and they are squeeky clean.
 
So conclusion is wash with regular detergents plus a little bit of dishwashing liquid?

I have used dishwashing liquid and hot water to clean foam applicator pad I used for colin 476 and it worked out great. It's better than using only detergent with hot water.
 
I use this to wash a couple of towels.. just put some detergent and turn it on... i run it again after i change the water and hang dry the towels. I mush say it works really good. It only washes a couple of towels so don't expect to wash more then 4 or 5 towels..



Got the machine idea from another forum awhile back



Amazon.com: Wonder Washer: Kitchen & Dining
 
irsankao said:
So conclusion is wash with regular detergents plus a little bit of dishwashing liquid?

I have used dishwashing liquid and hot water to clean foam applicator pad I used for colin 476 and it worked out great. It's better than using only detergent with hot water.
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I don't get that conclusion. Most are saying Dawn and skip the detergent.
 
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