Drying towel suggestions

[Eldorado2k]

I think it may be the post use care of the drying towels that makes the difference. I do not let the towels air dry after using them with drying aids absorbed into them. Sometimes that means putting them in a bucket of water with an APC in the water and soaking them till im ready to wash them.. Also I always use the double rinse selection on the washing machine and add a cup of vinegar to the second rinse.

I could never see myself putting my good drying towels through that much “abuse”, for lack of a better word…

My Notorious Dry for example is only used to dry vehicles that are in good condition, and once that happens it goes straight to hang dry indoors and is maintained so clean that it can sometimes dry 3-4 vehicles before it needs to be washed again. [in reality it gets washed about every 2 uses due to the rest of the load being washed]

It gets washed with my mitts, other drying towels & glass waffle weaves in hot water w/Tide Free & Clear and dried in the dryer on low heat.

As far as the Gauntlet Towels, I made an investment into them with hopes that they’d live up to the hype.. I’ve got Three 20x30 towels, Two 15x24 towels, and even a 12x12 Gauntlet.

But what I’ve found with these towels is they’re good to wield with 1 hand, making them good for drying off a vehicle during a rinseless or waterless wash, but when it comes to drying a full on wet vehicle after a bucket wash these are the last towels I reach for because they simply don’t glide very smooth along the paint when doing Matador style or any style that involves using 2 hands.

If they weren’t as thick and labeled as drying towels, you’d almost think they’re intended to be buffing towels with as much pressure required to have them glide along paint. Lol.

If look closely you’ll notice the 20x30 Gauntlet on the far right of this picture is still brand new in the bag, it’s been like that for over a year, and at the current pace it’ll probably stay in that bag forever because I really don’t have a burning desire to ever use it. I bought these towels hoping they’d be great drying towels, but TBO they really aren’t. [except for rinseless&waterless drying]

These are my Griots PFM Towels. Now these, along with the Speed Master Notorious Dry Towel are on a whole nother level of drying towel. Comparing the Gauntlet to these and the Speed Master is like comparing a Chevy to a Bentley.

Just my 2 cents..

 

[chilly]

I could never see myself putting my good drying towels through that much “abuse”, for lack of a better word…

My Notorious Dry for example is only used to dry vehicles that are in good condition, and once that happens it goes straight to hang dry indoors and is maintained so clean that it can sometimes dry 3-4 vehicles before it needs to be washed again. [in reality it gets washed about every 2 uses due to the rest of the load being washed]

It gets washed with my mitts, other drying towels & glass waffle weaves in hot water w/Tide Free & Clear and dried in the dryer on low heat.

As far as the Gauntlet Towels, I made an investment into them with hopes that they’d live up to the hype.. I’ve got Three 20x30 towels, Two 15x24 towels, and even a 12x12 Gauntlet.

But what I’ve found with these towels is they’re good to wield with 1 hand, making them good for drying off a vehicle during a rinseless or waterless wash, but when it comes to drying a full on wet vehicle after a bucket wash these are the last towels I reach for because they simply don’t glide very smooth along the paint when doing Matador style or any style that involves using 2 hands.

If they weren’t as thick and labeled as drying towels, you’d almost think they’re intended to be buffing towels with as much pressure required to have them glide along paint. Lol.

If look closely you’ll notice the 20x30 Gauntlet on the far right of this picture is still brand new in the bag, it’s been like that for over a year, and at the current pace it’ll probably stay in that bag forever because I really don’t have a burning desire to ever use it. I bought these towels hoping they’d be great drying towels, but TBO they really aren’t. [except for rinseless&waterless drying]

These are my Griots PFM Towels. Now these, along with the Speed Master Notorious Dry Towel are on a whole nother level of drying towel. Comparing the Gauntlet to these and the Speed Master is like comparing a Chevy to a Bentley.

Just my 2 cents..

I have never lived anywhere that I felt comfortable hanging towels, mitts, etc to air dry, and I am talking about indoors, not out on a clothesline like I have seen suggested a couple of times over the years

Plus the sheer volume of microfiber I can use just on one job would mean towels and stuff hanging all over the house

Momma ain't going for that

 

[Eldorado2k]

I have never lived anywhere that I felt comfortable hanging towels, mitts, etc to air dry, and I am talking about indoors, not out on a clothesline like I have seen suggested a couple of times over the years

Plus the sheer volume of microfiber I can use just on one job would mean towels and stuff hanging all over the house

Momma ain't going for that

It’s just 1 towel at a time. At the most sometimes I’ll use the clip on the hanger to hold 2 towels and they’re bone dry by the next morning.. Otherwise if I were to toss them into the plastic bin hamper they could develop mold.

P.s. I don’t hang wash mitts or window towels. Only the drying towel.

 

[Eldorado2k]

That's in the Autogeek store?

I did buy that towel here on Autogeek when they 1st released them. However when I said I checked just now I checked Amazon because it’s many times faster for me to get on there vs. the AG store menu.

I’m not sure if they’re still selling that towel here on AG.

 

[Setec Astronomy]

I’m not sure if they’re still selling that towel here on AG.

They are; Speedmaster is a PBMG brand.

 

[BLM]

I could never see myself putting my good drying towels through that much “abuse”, for lack of a better word…

I mostly use Griots PFM towels and I use a drying aid the majority of the time. I wash them after each use with the method I described earlier. They are probably 3 years old or so and I can see no degrading of the towels. I wouldn't reuse a towel without washing it. Everything that I use to clean my vehicles gets washed after one use.
Just different strokes for different folks.

 

[DFB]

I guess this question here would be, how do you dry your car? As in, are you using the towel to fully remove water, or are you using some form of a blower before towel drying?

If you need bulk water absorbency, then you need a twist loop towel. If you are only using the towel to finish off the drying process, then twist loops are not as important.

I have a set of 38 x 60 TRC Gauntlet's for drying after a rinse-less wash. I like these because of the hybrid weave, I find pure twist loop towels too grabby. These offer the absorbency of a twist loop, but with a smoother feel across the paint. I also have the 12 x 12 for wheels.





In most cases, I'm using a drying towel to mop of any remaining water after blowing the car down first. As such, I don't like or need a larger towel, a couple of 16 x 16 towels are my preference. After trying a variety of towels, I concluded what I wanted was a 16 x 16 Gauntlet. Sadly, TRC don't (currently, wink wink) make a 16 x 16 Gauntlet. This led me to Microfiber Madness and their Chipmunk Junior. A very, very nice towel!

 

[KirkH]

I bought a case of TheRagCompany Dry Me a River 26 X 59 that I use daily for drying, or really any other purpose on fleet cars. Many years later, not a single one has degraded, frayed, or stained. They always wash clean.

 

[Eldorado2k]

I mostly use Griots PFM towels and I use a drying aid the majority of the time. I wash them after each use with the method I described earlier. They are probably 3 years old or so and I can see no degrading of the towels. I wouldn't reuse a towel without washing it. Everything that I use to clean my vehicles gets washed after one use.
Just different strokes for different folks.

We agree more than you’d think as far as what you say regarding not using a drying towel more than once… Only reason I make an exception is due to the fact that I never allow that towel to dry any sort of beater vehicle. That towel mostly only touches my Cadillac and select other vehicles which are usually maintenance vehicles in pristine condition. That’s the reason I consider it a cleaner towel than normal.

 

[DFB]

I bought a case of TheRagCompany Dry Me a River 26 X 59 that I use daily for drying, or really any other purpose on fleet cars. Many years later, not a single one has degraded, frayed, or stained. They always wash clean.

I use them for glass, but they are a fantastic drying towel. And yes, very durable too.

 

[Eldorado2k]

I have never lived anywhere that I felt comfortable hanging towels, mitts, etc to air dry, and I am talking about indoors, not out on a clothesline like I have seen suggested a couple of times over the years

Plus the sheer volume of microfiber I can use just on one job would mean towels and stuff hanging all over the house

Momma ain't going for that

This from today. The most recent casualty, due to forgetting to hang it up to dry after use.

 

[chilly]

This from today. The most recent casualty, due to forgetting to hang it up to dry after use.

 

[Coatingsarecrack]

I think it may be the post use care of the drying towels that makes the difference. I do not let the towels air dry after using them with drying aids absorbed into them. Sometimes that means putting them in a bucket of water with an APC in the water and soaking them till im ready to wash them.. Also I always use the double rinse selection on the washing machine and add a cup of vinegar to the second rinse.

Yeah I got a PFM that I use all kind of drying aids since 2019 and it still drys great. No soak. Wash while there still wet. I think what works for me is I wash on warm or hot. Since 2019…. My EE, Pluffles and PFM’s haven’t melted yet are as still as soft as day one.

Infact my 16x16 from 2019 out performed the 16x24 Gauntlets I got in 2023 when they gauntlets were new and never seen a drying aid.

Once I saw this I will never buy another brand of drying towel.


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[Coatingsarecrack]

Since I use a multi mitt bucket wash I toss the used mitts in their own clean bucket and after the last mitt leaves the shampoo bucket I toss any towels I use in the shampoo to start soaking since the shampoo stays clean

I also wash everything that touches the paint together and use MF detergent, a pre-wash setting, an extra rinse setting, and white vinegar

Wheel, engine, exhaust, etc towels get washed separately

Smart idea with empty wash bucket….


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[Coatingsarecrack]

I could never see myself putting my good drying towels through that much “abuse”, for lack of a better word…

My Notorious Dry for example is only used to dry vehicles that are in good condition, and once that happens it goes straight to hang dry indoors and is maintained so clean that it can sometimes dry 3-4 vehicles before it needs to be washed again. [in reality it gets washed about every 2 uses due to the rest of the load being washed]

It gets washed with my mitts, other drying towels & glass waffle weaves in hot water w/Tide Free & Clear and dried in the dryer on low heat.

As far as the Gauntlet Towels, I made an investment into them with hopes that they’d live up to the hype.. I’ve got Three 20x30 towels, Two 15x24 towels, and even a 12x12 Gauntlet.

But what I’ve found with these towels is they’re good to wield with 1 hand, making them good for drying off a vehicle during a rinseless or waterless wash, but when it comes to drying a full on wet vehicle after a bucket wash these are the last towels I reach for because they simply don’t glide very smooth along the paint when doing Matador style or any style that involves using 2 hands.

If they weren’t as thick and labeled as drying towels, you’d almost think they’re intended to be buffing towels with as much pressure required to have them glide along paint. Lol.

If look closely you’ll notice the 20x30 Gauntlet on the far right of this picture is still brand new in the bag, it’s been like that for over a year, and at the current pace it’ll probably stay in that bag forever because I really don’t have a burning desire to ever use it. I bought these towels hoping they’d be great drying towels, but TBO they really aren’t. [except for rinseless&waterless drying]

These are my Griots PFM Towels. Now these, along with the Speed Master Notorious Dry Towel are on a whole nother level of drying towel. Comparing the Gauntlet to these and the Speed Master is like comparing a Chevy to a Bentley.

Just my 2 cents..

The letting air dry vs washing right after using is were we probably differ with drying aids. I always have enough MF after a wash to f
Do a load.


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[chilly]

Smart idea with empty wash bucket….


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I should have mentioned that I will run the washer on a separate Rinse and Spin cycle first to get all that shampoo out of the towels/mitts before I run my actual wash cycle or you run the risk of over sudsing the washer

 

[DFB]

One of the first things I learnt when I landed on this forum was Mike's "Clean, Dirty Bucket" concept. As in, a clean bucket used to hold "dirty" (ie used) towels. After each detailing session, that bucket goes inside and straight into the washing machine. In effect, it's a laundry basket. If for some reason I can't get them in straight away, the gamma seal lid prevents the towels drying out too quickly.

 

[Eldorado2k]

One of the first things I learnt when I landed on this forum was Mike's "Clean, Dirty Bucket" concept. As in, a clean bucket used to hold "dirty" (ie used) towels. After each detailing session, that bucket goes inside and straight into the washing machine. In effect, it's a laundry basket. If for some reason I can't get them in straight away, the gamma seal lid prevents the towels drying out too quickly.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t sealing up wet towels in an air tight bucket result in even faster mold? Wash mitts in soapy water is fine, but damp towels in a dry air tight bucket?

It does, actually, because I have an empty rubber trash can that I use as a makeshift towel hamper, but if I leave wet towels in there and the lid happens to be even slightly closed for too long my towels develop mold.

I’ve ruined many towels & pads in this thing…

 

[chilly]

Put a grit guard in your "laundry bucket" so excess water can drain from towels and you have some airspace to keep damp towels from sitting in water and getting manky

 

[Eldorado2k]

Put a grit guard in your "laundry bucket" so excess water can drain from towels and you have some airspace to keep damp towels from sitting in water and getting manky

That’s how I keep my wash mitts from getting messed up. But it’s not a good idea to seal the lid on them air tight.

Or actually I usually rinse my wash mitts and leave them clean in soapy water. If I do the grit guard thing they haven’t been rinsed because I sometimes get lazy to do that and just leave them to dry in the dirty bucket and rinse them prior to the next wash.

[I only have 1 Grit Guard]