Softening up towels

A

ahunt01

New member
Hi, I have tons and tons of regular 100% white Fieldcrest de-seamed towels of various sizes. I"ve only used each a couple of times, and now they feel like they're getting a little harder everytime I wash them. I know Sal says not to use fabric softner, but why couldn't I? What else could I do to soften them up so I don't swirl my paint? I use the big ones for drying, the medium ones for QDing and buffing and the small ones for applications of waxes and car shampoos.
 
Fabric softener closes the pores on cotton. The only way I've been able to make it softer was washing them and drying in a dryer, but then run into static.



I've used the Autopia CBT towels and I just ordered a towel from DFTOWELS as they have a natural MF towel. Should be interesting.



Regards,

Deanski
 
These do get washed in the dryer. They get their own seperate wash and dry load lol. *lord of the rings voice* They're...precious to me. J/K
 
ahunt01- I realize that I *AM* in the minority here, and this may very well be "Autopian heresy" but I use a LITTLE fabric softener when washing my cotton towels (including Charismas like yours). I have NEVER had a smearing, etc. problem.



FWIW, I also use fabric softener on my Charisma washcloths (the ones I use on me :D ). I use these to dry my eyeglasses. If I use TOO MUCH softener I can get streaking/smearing on my lenses (and it also compromises the absorbency). If I use just a little, no problem.
 
I've noticed over the years of washing towels that the most important thing to can do to a towel to get good results from it is to rinse out the soap COMLPETELY. I actually hand rinse each towel before putting it into the dryer. I can't "prove" it, but I've found that towels that aren't rinsed of soap well will be crustier.



I really don't like the idea of softener. Try rinsing well.
 
DO NOT USE BLEACH :nono

DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER :nono

DO NOT USE DRYER SHEETS :nono



And just in case



DO NOT USE BLEACH :nono

DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER :nono

DO NOT USE DRYER SHEETS :nono



Why?

Bleach breaks down fibers after time.Fabric softener and dryer sheets DO NOT soften fabric, they add a coating that makes the fabric feel softer burt all it does is transfer to your finish.



Just give towels a good washing in HOT water and fluff them in the dryer. If that doesn;t work, toss them and get new ones.
 
To keep them soft just dry to about 70-80% in dryer, fold and shelf.

They will dry the rest of the way in no time.
 
Heh heh, as I said, I'm an Autopian Heretic on this issue. If you can get by without softener, by all means DON'T USE IT! I know what everyone's saying, and I'm not trying to :argue (really! :cool: ). But in case someone else has the same :confused: situation that I have, I'd rather they use a little softener than swirl up their car.



No matter WHAT I do, without the softener the fibers are noticably stiff/inflexible, while with it they are soft and very pliable. Without it they swirl, with it they don't (as in, a very dramatic difference, from severe to none). As far as the transfer to finish issue, as I said, if I overdo it, yes (e.g., the smearing on lenses), but not if I use just a little (I'd notice). FWIW, I use Downy softener, maybe a half-teaspoon per load. And if I figure out how to get by without it, I'll be sure to post!



OK, enough of my contrarian views on this topic! Good thing we have MF's!
 
I wonder if that would buff off the streaks Z5 has left? After 3 coats Z5 has covered up about 98% of my swirls. Enough to make me happy. But...I have some smears on the top of my trunk and hood:mad: Z6 is not removing it, maybe it will when the car cools down though :confused:
 
Something we suffer from is Water hardness:( I'm sure that different areas throughout the world have different levels of Chalk, Lime etc in their water.

So although a standard mantra of 'No Detergents & softners' is right, it may sometimes improve the towels quality as stated by accumulator.
 
Sorry but I can't agree about the softeners, all they do is cover up the problem. As K1 said, hard or heavily chlorinated water could be the problem. Try investing in a water filter for the washing machine and see if that helps.
 
I had hundreds of dollars in towels from Fieldcrest, Meguiars and Zymol. I had the same problems you are seeing and it was just too much work. Luckily I stumbled onto PakShak.com and I have never looked back :bow My Fieldcrest towels now see bathroom duty and the rest are for interior only ;)
 
I think the key is to dry them on LOW heat and remove them when they are still SLIGHTLY damp. Allow them to air dry the rest of the way. Give it a try. Sometimes the heat will cause the cotton loops to become stiff, removing early and drying on low should help this.
 
Accumulator said:
...OK, enough of my contrarian views on this topic! Good thing we have MF's!
Click to expand...



I WILL add that I'm using a conditioner (potassium chloride) and twin 5-micron filters. Helped a bit, but not enough, as did drying them on "ultra low heat" with the final air-dry as recommended by others. Could very well be my water- end of the street, downstream from the closest flush-out box. The conditioner and filters WERE/ARE a great thing, though. When you see what gets trapped in the filters it's pretty :scared



Thank goodness for MF's, like rjstaaf, cotton seldom touches my paint any more.



FWIW, I have no doubt that if I shipped my Charismas to DFTowel he wouldn't have any of my problems. Now I WILL shut up ;)
 
Even with a water softener the water is aweful here :( . No doubt that has alot to do with it. Also the water pressure is crappy too. I live right beside a big water tank. LoL I think a stream of urine is more forceful than what I spray the car with. J/k but the pressure does suck.
 
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