How do You wash your MF towels?

93fox

93fox

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I am currently using the DP pad washer to wash my pads along with my MF towels. I have noticed it cleans the pads very well but not that well with the mf towels. It does restore the microfibers and it does leave them feeling like new but it sure dosent take out the dirty spots. What do you guys wash your microfiber towels? Any specific product that really cleans them and restores them?
 
I've Tide. Tide has worked well for me so far, but I don't know about the long term. I've washed some MF towels, a WWMF towel, and a Cobra MF Dogbone sponge with success for the last month and a half.
 
I use Tide (HE) and add a color sheet in case of colors running. I use cold water to wash and rinse. MF cloth comes out great. Toss in dryer and you are good to go.
 
burgundyman said:
I use Tide (HE) and add a color sheet in case of colors running. I use cold water to wash and rinse. MF cloth comes out great. Toss in dryer and you are good to go.
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:iagree:If you have a delicates setting, that would be even better.
 
There's been a lot written about this by some and the more anal-ytical ones go as far as separately washing the towels by use, citing that sealers, for example, are not very water soluble as are most modern water based polishers. They don't want all of their towels, especially the waffle ones use for drying to get contaminated with sealant or grit from polishers.

Except for stuff used for wheel cleaning/tire dressings stuff, which I never machine wash (brake dust is REALLY bad in washing machines), I don't subscribe to this line of thought.

First off, if the sealants are not water soluble they would not come off from those towels in the first place to contaminate the rest of the towels!

I throw everything in the washing machine (including regular towels that I use for some things) as I use them and when I'm done detailing I just put some normal laundry soap (no softeners) and add the extra rinse, all with warm water. Then all of it goes in the dryer at low heat.

I never had a problem with any of my MF towels doing this. I don't know about others washing machines and dryers but mine work as they should and everything comes out perfectly clean and lint free.

That said, like with any other fabric the more you wash them the more they wear. Eventually they all have to be replaced.

Best,

Jose
 
Same here, they all go in the washer with Charlie's Soap which we use for everything. Warm water wash and mild temp setting for the dryer, rocket science it ain't. If some of them are really filthy I'll soak them in a bucket of Oxyclean & water for a day or more. Same with foam pads.......first an Oxy soak then to the washer.
 
While this is a very opinion oriented topic, there are some things that are fact with MF's. Regular detergents, even he types, will require extra rinse in warm water to break down and completely rinse free from mf's. Yes MF's wear just like anything else, but if cared for properly they will last years. I have some that I bought from wally world probably about seven years ago now, and I have just start throwing them out due to use on greasy things. I have a Microtech brand drying towel that is about 7 years old and until recently has been lint free/foam free; an old orange pad and the internal sponge of a chenille wash sponge got mixed into the wash. IMO those wally's MF's and several AG MF's(that are 6yrs old) have last because I have used mostly mf detergent with them. I recently started using DP's MF detergent have been impressed with how well it brought my original WWMF drying towels back to life(6 yrs old). If you ever smell the scent of the detergent that you used to clean your MF's/clothes/anything, that means that there is still particles of detergent in the fabric/material. This means that the detergent can be trapping dirt in the fibers as well as scent and the MF will not be as clean, nor soft. I also started using vinegar in my fabric softener dispenser on my HE front-load washer, and it has resulted in even softer MF's.
You would hope that sealants are not water soluble, otherwise it would was off your paint in the rain even when cured. It takes a good soaking in MF detergent to dissolve sealants/waxes/grease/oils out of MF's and pads. I use MF detergent with my pads and have great results, if not better than with pad specific detergent. I have found that a little scrubbing gets the sealant/wax off pads well, followed by a warm rinsing after soaking. Like getting anything else that is dirty, clean, you have to scrub a sometimes. Think off what we put MF's/pads/applicator through, and then we expect them to just magically come clean after a 15min soak and a quick turn/spin in the washer; and with the same detergent we use to wash our everyday clothes?... Soaking is your friend to get really clean MF's! Even MF specific detergent is recommended on regular cotton towels to get them even cleaner and softer w/o fabric softener. They make detergents for synthetic sportswear, and if you have ever smelt sportswear after washing with a regular detergent(especially sudsing kinds) you will know that the detergent and B.O. didn't rinse out. Use the right tool for the right job is all I am saying I guess; unless you want to go back and do the job over again.:)
 
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Ted S. said:
:iagree:If you have a delicates setting, that would be even better.
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I do. I used the quick wash feature as I wash them as soon as I am through using them (I use about 8 on small jobs). On bigger jobs, I tend to use more MF cloths. If my MF cloth has grease or disgusting oils, I would not wash them in the washing machine. I would soak these in a bucket overnight and agitate with a plunger next day followed by a rinse. Wife very particular about using her washing machine with any of my oily/ greasy rags.
 
RTexasF said:
Same here, they all go in the washer with Charlie's Soap which we use for everything. Warm water wash and mild temp setting for the dryer, rocket science it ain't. If some of them are really filthy I'll soak them in a bucket of Oxyclean & water for a day or more. Same with foam pads.......first an Oxy soak then to the washer.
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If I let my MF's/pads soak for hours I always change out the water after an initial 15-30min soak, as well a ring the out and maybe a quick rinse, If the water is black/dark after 15min I don't think it will be any more productive for another 23hrs. I think my best results have come from extended soakings, along with my stated pre-soak-soak.:)
 
ShaunD said:
While this is a very opinion oriented topic, there are some things that are fact with MF's. Regular detergents, even he types, will require extra rinse in warm water to break down and completely rinse free from mf's. Yes MF's wear just like anything else, but if cared for properly they will last years. I have some that I bought from wally world probably about seven years ago now, and I have just start throwing them out due to use on greasy things. I have a Microtech brand drying towel that is about 7 years old and until recently has been lint free/foam free; an old orange pad and the internal sponge of a chenille wash sponge got mixed into the wash. IMO those wally's MF's and several AG MF's(that are 6yrs old) have last because I have used mostly mf detergent with them. I recently started using DP's MF detergent have been impressed with how well it brought my original WWMF drying towels back to life(6 yrs old). If you ever smell the scent of the detergent that you used to clean your MF's/clothes/anything, that means that there is still particles of detergent in the fabric/material. This means that the detergent can be trapping dirt in the fibers as well as scent and the MF will not be as clean, nor soft. I also started using vinegar in my fabric softener dispenser on my HE front-load washer, and it has resulted in even softer MF's.
You would hope that sealants are not water soluble, otherwise it would was off your paint in the rain even when cured. It takes a good soaking in MF detergent to dissolve sealants/waxes/grease/oils out of MF's and pads. I use MF detergent with my pads and have great results, if not better than with pad specific detergent. I have found that a little scrubbing gets the sealant/wax off pads well, followed by a warm rinsing after soaking. Like getting anything else that is dirty, clean, you have to scrub a sometimes. Think off what we put MF's/pads/applicator through, and then we expect them to just magically come clean after a 15min soak and a quick turn/spin in the washer; and with the same detergent we use to wash our everyday clothes?... Soaking is your friend to get really clean MF's! Even MF specific detergent is recommended on regular cotton towels to get them even cleaner and softer w/o fabric softener. They make detergents for synthetic sportswear, and if you have ever smelt sportswear after washing with a regular detergent(especially sudsing kinds) you will know that the detergent and B.O. didn't rinse out. Use the right tool for the right job is all I am saying I guess; unless you want to go back and do the job over again.:)
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So you are saying that a dedicated MF detergent is the best way to go? I believe you, i mean if its dedicated to do what it says i believe you! The thing im concerned about is will it actually clean them? I hope Anthony(B & B Tennesee) can chime in and say how we washes his 300+ microfiber towles he uses!
 
I've used Pinnacle, DP Microfiber Cleaner, and Micro-Restore, all work very well.

I'll pre-wash in a bucket of solution and hot water then they go in the regular washing machine. Once they're clean I toss them in the dryer on low heat and they come out perfect.

Always wash separately.

Follow the washing instructions on the bottle and you'll be fine! :props:
 
93fox said:
So you are saying that a dedicated MF detergent is the best way to go? I believe you, i mean if its dedicated to do what it says i believe you! The thing im concerned about is will it actually clean them? I hope Anthony(B & B Tennesee) can chime in and say how we washes his 300+ microfiber towles he uses!
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Yeah 93fox. I have used dish detergents, APC's, and some pre-wash pre-treatments during the soaking process along with 1oz/gal for soaking process. But, as far as washing, I only use MF specific detergents. I used the pads detergent at first(whatever AG supplied w/ pad kits back in 2005), but feel like the MF detergent get into the foam/fibers a lot better, and may even be gentler on the foam/fibers. There was a short time where I ran out of MF/pad cleaner and was using whatever method I could to clean my MF's and they stayed stained. Then recently I got my order of DP MF detergent and it rejuvenated my MF's and pads, but most noticeably my WWMF Cobra Guzzlers. They HAD black spots from me drying too close to still dirty spot(wheel wells/undercarriage). But, after I soaked them in DP's MFD and scrubbed a little with a reg MF, the came out of the wash/dry looking 4 years younger!(have had them since 2005) And they don't come out smelling like anything; which lets me know they have been completely rinsed. As far as the pads I still have to work a little at getting the wax/sealant completely out. But, I don't know if the pad specific detergent will do much better. I have a packet I will use soon on an only pads soak/wash and will see/post if there is a noticeable difference in cleanliness.
I hear you about Anthony and his hundreds of MF's he washes at a time. I mentioned something to him in his last thread about his dry-wash method. That's when I asked how many MF's he goes through in a typical day of dry-washing. And I asked who gets laundry duty. At that time it made me wonder if any of the laundry services out there, like Cintas, offer MF specific laundering:dunno:?.. And maybe that is a service worth offering to detailers and such. Hummm?....:dunno:
 
I like the micro-restore detergent. I have some pinnacle microfiber detergent too but I don't find it cleans as well as the micro restore.

Some stains you won't be able to remove with any detergents, but the faster you act, the more of the stain you can remove.
 
I just used DP microfiber cleaner for the first time and must say I was really impressed! I had about 15 towels to wash, went with a small cycle and 1.5oz of chemical, let them soak in warm water for an hour on accident and just pulled them out of the dryer and I must say they feel fuller and fluffier than my previous Tide regimen!
DP FTW!
 
spot treat them with shout it out and then I put my good towels in the washer with a little bit of tide and take my ones that are not for paint and put them in a bucket with the shout it out and let them sit.
 
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