Microfiber towels 101...

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caudleej

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Ok Guys, Trying to learn a little about the microfiber towels. I have always been told that you should not wash the towels after purchase especially if you want a true "virgin" towel. However I have found that brand new towels always shed a ton of lint all over the paint surface which leaves the effect of micro marring. If I wash my brand new towels with a light detergent prior to use I don't have this problem.

What are your opinions.

Additionally I have recently discovered these towels at my local Walmart and love them. I use the grey side only the slick side is supposedly for wax removal but I won't use it for fear a dirt particle will get stuck on it a mar the paint.


Any one else use them?View attachment 41549
 
And those edges!

Those are best left for wheels. I wouldn't use them anywhere near my paint.
 
1. Always wash new towels before use. Who knows what they picked up during shipping and shelving. May have even been dropped on the floor a couple times.
2. There are better and cheaper alternatives to Walmart towels.
 
Store bought towels can be seconds, blemishes etc .... it is usually best to consider paying a bit more and securing the best of towels. As offered those open towels at big box stores can be touched, tossed, and used prior to purchase.

Autogeek offers very good towels ... I often find myself feeling the ones at local retailers and saying "wow my Jr's or ??? feel better". It also important to understand not all towels work well in all situations. I can show you the thickest, softest towel and used to remove polishes for example often fail.

Car Care Microfiber Towels, Microfiber dusters and microfiber Detailing tools
 
My thought is why waste time perfecting paint if all you're going to do is use some cheap junky mf towel to just emaciate it all over again.
 
I always inspect and wash new towels, most Walmart's I go to are disgusting and every time I run down the car care isle looking to see what they carry. Every time I see mf towels on the ground, unwrapped.So I'm not sure what a virgin towel is but I'd wash them anyway Even the yellow cheap towels at Costco are wrapped in plastic.
 
caudleej said:
Ok Guys, Trying to learn a little about the microfiber towels. I have always been told that you should not wash the towels after purchase especially if you want a true "virgin" towel. However I have found that brand new towels always shed a ton of lint all over the paint surface which leaves the effect of micro marring. If I wash my brand new towels with a light detergent prior to use I don't have this problem.

What are your opinions.

Additionally I have recently discovered these towels at my local Walmart and love them. I use the grey side only the slick side is supposedly for wax removal but I won't use it for fear a dirt particle will get stuck on it a mar the paint.


Any one else use them?View attachment 41549
Click to expand...

I always wash MF towels before use. The only exception to that rule was the CarPro Suede towels.

That tag looks dangerous.

I don't shop at Walmart.

I don't know the GSM of those towels, but they look like a candidate for cleaning a tire or undercarriage of a vehicle; not paint.

Here is a good chart and related info about MF's.
Microfiber Towels Comparison Chart
 
Mr caudleej,

The white one looks like sandpaper...... the black one, that tag.... 'Sword of Damocles', just a matter of time before it strikes your paint.

Makes sense to wash new microfibers ( with themselves of course, no other clothes or whatnot ) just to make sure no lingering lint or foreign contamination came with the towel in the packaging during shipping, also if it sat on the shelf without packaging dust will sure to have settle onto its new 'home'.

Buying microfibers turns out to be a process, in the beginning were not entirely sure why we should care for the expensive ones, after usage it becomes plain.

Personally I have a small stable of premium towels, as I dont require alot of them, however I have a bunch of 'decent' grunt work mf towels for the heavy lifting, that is, until the final steps when it becomes more critical to be gentle on the paint finish.

I also have the lowest rung of the ladder trash towels that get to enjoy brake dust removal and tar/adhesive residues, etc. I typically cycle out the more soiled towels for cleaner ones and 'retire' them to the incinerator.


Steve
 
zx10r nailed it.

My advice is to invest in high quality MF Towels like the Eagle Edgeless mentioned. You won't regret it. I have a set for washing and a set for polishing and waxing. They aren't cheap but when cared for they last forever.

Use the cheap Autozone/store ones that have nearly no wieght to them for the grunt work like wheels, windows, interior, etc. These are the ones that stick to dry skin and garner lint from other towels. In fact I keep a couple clean ones in the laundry and use them to do just that. I must have 100 of those and clean my tailpipes, etc with them and if soiled they go right to the trash.
 
I cut the tag off and wash them. I don't use the white side.
 
I noticed these too
I'll prob get the leather ones since it's like a leather color.. And color code it to something other then paint

This one description on the label made me laugh

Scratch Removal Towl!! Haha

PS they're all same Towl..just different dyes..felt them all
 
All advice being given in this thread is being ignored
 
The towel in the first post looks like the 2xl drying towel they sell.
They are usually 360 gsm..85 polyester/15 polyamide
Before I got more serious a few years ago I bought one for drying. I gave it to my brother after buying some waffle weaves.
At over 8 dollars someone could have had a better towel.
They are a useable but questionable proposition
 
Question about washing new towels. I have 6 new 16" x 16" Eagle Edgeless Orange Professional Korean 70/30 Super Plush 480gsm Microfiber Detailing Towels, 2 Supreme 530 Microfiber Towels, 16 x 16 inches and a bundle of other towels purchased from Auto Geek. Can these be washed together the first time and should I separate them when washing after I use them?
 
Darker colored towels will bleed into the lighter ones so separate the darker ones from the lighter ones just like regular laundry. Also should probably wash glass towels separately.
 
What about the cheap microfiber towels from Target or another name brand store that are unopened and wrapped in plastic? The towels that you buy in packs of 3, 6, 9 etc.?
 
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