Would you use these towels again?

Use for rims, door jams and engine bay duties

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The answer to your question is definitely yes.
I use those same kind of towels for my waterless wash duties and yes they get dirty.. But that’s what the washing machine is for!

This is what my towels look like front and back after doing a waterless wash with Wolfgang Uber on my car. I always use 2 towels, never more, never less.




Make sure you’re washing your microfiber towels using Hot water and stop air drying them.. From now on dry them on Low heat in your dryer for 35min.

I’ve used these towels on the left for about 2 yrs. and just recently bought some more that are on the right.. [I have a 3rd batch but they’re all dirty right now]

They’re all still good enough to use on the paint and I can guarantee you that because I don’t go around scratching up my paint!

And make sure to get yourself some quality drying towels. I recommend the Griots Garage PFM towels. Get at least 4 small ones. IMO They’re the best towels for waterless/rinseless drying.

When I used Wolfgang Uber as rinseless, my wash media did get stained. I thought it was permanent. I switched to N-914 and not only did it remove the stains, it never got stained again. I just think it has much more cleaning power than the other products.

I'd recommend _not_ washing MF towels in hot water. While some will claim this water is not hot enough to affect MF, I would disagree. If nothing else, it will slowly deteriorate the towel. Modern detergent is made to work just as well in room temp and cold water. Anything that does not come off in the wash is really a stain that won't affect the paint. I use a clear and free detergent and run it through two rinse cycles. You can also use less detergent. I use different towels for different purposes so the towels I use on paint seldom if ever get dirty with anything but clean polish or wax. When drying I use the air dry setting so it is really just to fluff up the nap of the towel.

tcope said:

I'd recommend _not_ washing MF towels in hot water. While some will claim this water is not hot enough to affect MF, I would disagree. If nothing else, it will slowly deteriorate the towel.

the towels I use on paint seldom if ever get dirty with anything but clean polish or wax.

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It would help if you could show or even speak of a valid example to support your beliefs..

Also, how can you really know whether or not washing in hot water makes a difference or not if your towels “seldom if ever get dirty”?

On the other hand, I’ve got the same exact towels as OP that are over 2yrs. old that are still in great shape and paint worthy washing in hot water and drying on low heat. I wouldn’t use them on my own car if they weren’t good.

Eldorado2K,

Just curious, why do you recommend against air dry?

I used to dry my towels on low heat but I've always had some type of linting problem, thinking it had to do with the drying phase. *very faint* So I started to air dry hoping this would alleviate it and for the most part it has.

Plus I've always suspected that maybe residual fabric softener sheet residue left within the dryer tub from drying household clothes may adhere to the towels on some level.

Eldorado2k said:

It would help if you could show or even speak of a valid example to support your beliefs..

Also, how can you really know whether or not washing in hot water makes a difference or not if your towels “seldom if ever get dirty”?

On the other hand, I’ve got the same exact towels as OP that are over 2yrs. old that are still in great shape and paint worthy washing in hot water and drying on low heat. I wouldn’t use them on my own car if they weren’t good.

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I need to back up what I say but those with other points of view don't?

It is debatable if heat from hot water or even the dryer will break down MF. You recommend people use a low temp setting in the dryer. Why? Some have posted that MF can withstand around 300F. As dryer typically goes up to 135F. So why recommend a lower setting?

I recommend not using hot water because modern detergent is made to work just as well in cold/tap water. Most contain enzymes that break down grease and dirt. These work just fine in cold water. Also because higher temps do affect MF and I don't see it as an all or nothing situation. That is, if 300F affect MF, 299F affects it in some way as well. I'd rather just stay away from excessive heat as cold water will clean just as good.

Proctor and Gamble have done testing on washing MF and noted that it does shed. They recommend that MF be washed in cold water to minimize this.

What affects MF more is leaving detergent residue on the material. MF has a lot more surface area (which is one reason why it is used to clean) so it more easily holds onto detergent.

There is also a lot of crap and just "okay" MF on the market. I'd say that cheap MF is not going to show wear as much as a good MF towel.

I'm also just adding my opinion. People do wash in hot water and dry in high heat and they feel it works just fine for them. Nothing wrong with that. It is just not what I'd recommend.

I wash in warm water, not the hottest setting. And I dry on low heat. I used to hang them to dry but just takes too much space and time to be completely dry, in the dryer, low heat, less than 1 hour and it's dry and ready to store. Never had issues with the towels. I use Microrestore but previously used All Free and Clear and that was fine too.

evo77 said:

Eldorado2K,

Just curious, why do you recommend against air dry?

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The reason I’m against air drying is because when I used to do it I noticed that the towels would dry a bit crispy/leaving the fibers less soft. I see a noticeable difference when the towels are dried in the dryer. They come out softer.. Maybe it does have something to do with residual fabric softener, I dunno.

As far as the linting, I’ve never experienced linting with my dryer. I’m pretty anal about the lint trap being cleaned after every load no matter what it is.

For the record: My brother once thought he would do me a favor and through a whole load of microfibers in the dryer for me on high heat with 2 fabric softener sheets, for a full 60min... I was so frustrated that I was set on throwing them straight in the garbage just to show him how disappointed I was..

However as I got a close look and feel of the towels I couldn’t find anything wrong with them. They even worked fine when I put them to the test. Those same towels are my 3rd batch of Kirklands, which I still use today. They survived just fine.

Since everyone regards Kirklands as “disposable” towels... I challenge anyone who has a batch to dry them on high heat and add a fabric softener sheet and post their results. Based on my experience the whole thing is damn near a myth!

I’m willing to take 1 for the team. So today I’m going to wash this batch of microfibers in hot water and dry them on high heat with a fabric softener sheet. I’ll even toss in 1 of my perfectly good PFM towels in the mix. Lets see what happens.




I’ll post the complete facts. You have my word.

Eldorado2k said:

I’m willing to take 1 for the team. So today I’m going to wash this batch of microfibers in hot water and dry them on high heat with a fabric softener sheet. I’ll even toss in 1 of my perfectly good PFM towels in the mix. Lets see what happens.

I’ll post the complete facts. You have my word.

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The label says it all. Do not wash using water at more than 40 celcius or 105 F. That means warm and not hot water as normal household hot water exceed 105F. Dry at low temp.

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Eldorado2k said:

I’ll even toss in 1 of my perfectly good PFM towels in the mix. Lets see what happens.

Click to expand...

It's interesting to note that Griot's themselves recommend using a hot water wash for their MF towels.

That said, everyone's definition of hot water may differ depending on their hot water heater setting. I've seen some people set their thermostat to as high as 140 F ... not good.

wash in warm water with an extra rinse cycle, and then dry on the lowest heat setting with dryer balls (i snap each towel out before putting them into the dryer). been doing that for years with no problems...

•Of course I’d use those towels again.
-And again; and again.

•Stained towels are not bad towels.


Bob

FUNX650 said:

•Of course I’d use those towels again.
-And again; and again.

•Stained towels are not bad towels.


Bob

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Here, here!

This is why all of my towels are black.

Just one less worry.......

Update: So I went ahead and washed microfiber towels.. 1st I washed my batch of wash mitts and drying towels as usual because I wanted to get temperature readings for a normL wash/dry cycle. The results are as follows:

Water temperature for Hot water setting = 114 degrees




I like to turn the water to the warm setting for a bit when I add the detergent because it shoots out stonger and creates better suds.
Temperature for Warm water setting = 94 degrees



Next is the temperature I got within a second of opening the dryer after towels had been drying on Low heat for approximately 40min.
Low heat dryer = 135 degrees [this number drops fast within seconds of the door opening]



Next wash load was the test load in Hot water / High Heat Dry Cycle. Wash...

Time for the dryer. High Heat Cycle. 40min.



New dryer sheet. Check.



PFM towel, inside. High Heat. Lets rock.




Within a second of opening the dryer after 40min. I got a temperature of 147 degrees. It changed to 144 degrees in the split second before I snapped this picture.
Official High Heat Dry Cycle Temperature = 144 degrees



Here’s the PFM Towel after drying in high heat with a dryer sheet. IMO it looks and feels better than ever. Super Soft.





Now it’s time to do a waterless wash and find out the truth. Has the towel been adversely affected by the high heat + dryer sheet? Can it still dry like it once did? Or has it been ruined?



It actually worked absolutely perfectly. Dare I say better than before, because for a bit my PFMs were seeing slightly diminished results from using alot of hydrophobic drying aids.

I used No drying aid during this test.







Completely done with the waterless wash.




Final conclusion. I used nearly an entire 1.5 liters of WW and not only did the towel do the job, but it actually exceeded expectations...




So much so that just to prove a point of how great it worked I dried the entire vehicle with only 1 side of the towel. How bout that for a towel that according to the gospel should’ve been ruined? Lmao.




I feel like I should re write the Detailing Bible right about now.
I might just continue using dryer sheets just to cement this proof forever. Lol.