Microfiber Towels - How many?

[creaky]

8 x Cobra gold plush Jr, 2 x Cobra gray towels for wax removal, 36 pack of Zwipes for interior/glass/tires, Dry Me Crazy for drying, 2 x Viking waffle weaves for door jambs, trunk, etc. 6 x MF Madness blue/gray towels for ONR rinseless washes.

 

[allenk4]

The only thing I would add, is that if you are going to apply interior dressings with a MF towel...use a cheapie a few times, don't wash it..throw it away

The only problem I have ever had with streaking was when I dis a load with towel that had been heavily dosed with interior dressing that was jot water based

 

[JWilliams.RadiantDetail]

*BUMP*

For polishing about how many towels do you guys normally use on a single car? I'm getting my 1st DA in a week or so and want to get towels for removing polish. I know more's better, I want to get enough to start and buy more later.

I have champagne taste with beer money, meaning I'm going to buy overkill, overpriced quality towels but can't afford to buy a dozen or more at the moment. I just got destroyed by that 40% sale on that other detailing site and UGH! I'm hurting for money lol. Would probably be smart of me to buy a dozen good, regular priced towels. But I rarely do the smart thing Would 5 suffice for a single vehicle?

 

[roguegeek]

IMO, you only need two or three types of towels.

• 360 GSM w/high and low pile side for buffing and product removal.
• 530 GSM w/high and low pile side for rinseless/waterless washes and everything else that requires a gentle touch.
• Waffle weaves for glass and drying.

 

[FUNX650]

For polishing about how many towels do you guys normally use on a single car? I'm getting my 1st DA in a week or so and want to get towels for removing polish. I know more's better, I want to get enough to start and buy more later.

Would 5 suffice for a single vehicle?

5 MF-towels just may be enough for
polish removal from one vehicle. :xyxthumbs:

I have champagne taste with beer money, meaning I'm going to buy overkill, overpriced quality towels but can't afford to buy a dozen or more at the moment.

I just got destroyed by that 40% sale on that other detailing site and UGH! I'm hurting for money lol.

^^^Priorities^^^

Would probably be smart of me to buy a dozen good, regular priced towels. But I rarely do the smart thing

IMO:
If you would buy edgeless and/or rolled-edge
MF-towels...you will never have any regrets.


Bob

 

[jcaustin87]

I to only detail my own cars, and I have a serious towel problem.

4 super huge waffle weave for drying towels
6 16x24 waffle weave for door jams, or what some vendors recommend for waterless washes.
18 800 GSM
5 1100 GSM
18 Grey/Blue Waterless towels coming from Nicks BOGO sale
10 300 GSM edgeless towels for interiors
6 glass towels
8 400 GSM edgeless grey towels I use for sealant removal

 

[roguegeek]

This is a serious problem.

 

[SeanChav]

for my cars I have 26 edgeless 480gsm towels for spray wax, QD, WW and final wipes....10 white 800gsm which I use for RW and drying.....16 365gsm polish removal short nape towels that I use for glass cleaning also....1 great white waffle weave (which I absolutely love)....3 Meguiars water magnets....1 off brand waffle weave I use to get clean wheels dry quickly....20 Costco towels I use for wheel and interior cleaning.... and lastly 24 Meguiars supreme shine towels which I use on my customer cars.

and I still find myself wanting to buy some gold plush jrs and a microfiber madness dry me a river towel

 

[Ricorocks]

Currently I have:

44 good ones

approx. 5 or 6 good ones in a "dedicated" Laundry Bag awaiting wash.

At least that many, demoted to lesser duty!

Plus more coming from Nicks BOGO MF sale.
_______________________________________

I only do one car, so this is plenty for me, if 50 is not enough for a detail, then I've flunked & need to be re-schooled.

_______________________________________

Keeping MF's separate from all other fabric (laundry bag). I find it hard to argue with:

Use and Care Tips

Always wash new microfiber towels prior to first use to remove any loose factory production fibers

Always wash newer black, orange, and red colored towels separately from lighter colored towels to avoid any risk of bleeding

Microfiber Care Instructions

Quick Cleaning: Hand wash in warm water with a mild, clean-rinsing liquid soap; rinse well.

Thorough Cleaning: All microfiber towels from The Rag Company are machine washable. In general, microfiberloves hot water which enables the fibers to swell and release trapped dirt and other matter. However, do not exceed 140⁰F at the risk of damaging the fibers leaving them much less effective

- Machine Wash in Warm or Hot Water with a Mild, Clean-Rinsing Liquid Detergent that is as Free of Dyes and Perfumes as Possible
- Tumble Dry Low Heat / No Heat or Hang to Dry
- Do NOT Iron
- Do NOT Use Any Fabric Softener as this Clogs the Microfibers and Reduces Performance
- Do NOT Use Chlorine Bleach as this Prematurely Breaks Down the Fibers and Reduces/Eliminates the Valuable Dust & Dirt Collecting Electrical Charge of Microfiber
- ONLY Wash with other Non-Linting Materials (NO Cotton!) to Maintain Proper Water and Dirt-Gripping Properties and Lint-Free Characteristics
- SORT Microfiber Towels Similar To Your Regular Laundry Process: DON'T Wash Brightly Colored (Red, Orange) or Black Towels with Lightly Colored (Light Blue, Yellow) or White Towels as Bleeding May Occur with Newer Towels
- ADVICE: Keep used/dirty microfiber towels in a seperate bin from your regular laundry to reduce the risk of accidentally damaging your valuable microfiber by washing them together

Folks these guys are experts! It's there business to advise correctly, deviating from the above, results in lesser results or added expense. Mike's business is about many products, note "vinegar" not mentioned for MF's, someone in the business of MF's does not mention "vinegar."

For me this is akin to adding an oil additive & expecting results, far from reality.

The argument about which detergent to use: 3d, wolfgang, cg, all free, tide free etc etc.

Is like stereo systems, where decibels above human hearing, becomes the argument, yes but this brand plays to a higher decibel (you can't hear) therefore, pay more. This is about ego & psychology.

If your not impressed:

Purchase two or three different MF detergents:

then wash 10 or so MF's new + old in one detergent

then repeat for the other detergent(s)

(wash exactly the same), dry the same way!

Then have others (men & women) evaluate the results. It's important that you do not evaluate, so as to eliminate bias. And judges do not know what detergent was used.

It's exhausting, several washes several drying, + others to evaluate.

My experiment following the above protocol. I compared Wolfgang Mf to All free + vinegar. Toss up, I had three judges 2 female, 1 male. I did not vote!
_______________________________

I'll go out on a limb here, free ball:

Polish, wax, dirt, & other contaminants, because of the nature & properties of MF's, become 'bonded' to MF's. The crude from your car, is transferred to the MF.

Renewal process:

Heat always accelerates chemical reactions!

Hot water, more so than warm water, loosens the bond btwn, polish, wax & dirt, between the MF's fibers & the crud. Weakened bond btwn MF fiber & crud, HELPS detergents to encapsulate crud for removal in rinse. Hot rinse, helps insure that re-bonding does not occur btwn. crud & Mf.

It's important for 'clean' to achieve the highest temperature, that does not damage MF fibers. Industry standards (avoid liability) dictates that domestic hot water (DHW) not be more than 120F, or you can be liable for scalding. Think about that next time your in a public building.

If you look at your water heaters thermostat, the recommended setting, will not scald skin. Exceeding can cause 'scalding' where Water Heater Mfg, can avoid liability, as you/they exceeded recommendations WITH WARNING. Ever wonder about the large or bold type, it's for court. Your honor we bolded & large typed the warning, but plaintiff, ignored.

Wash your MF's on hot, water heater set to normal, you will remove more crud form MF's than warm or cold, & won't be scalded. Regardless of detergents.

Imagine you sue for damages to your MF's, your water heater temp (setting) will come into play, exceeding what is normal, ( going water heater DANGER ZONE), would be case dismissed.


Heat accelerates bond "breakage" allowing detergents to work/remove better than warm or cold. Trick is do not heat so much as to damage fibers.

Note Temperatures that MF fibers are 'destroyed' are well known & documented. Thus recommendations

Happy New Year

 

[vanev]

Washing, cleaning, and drying.

Auto Glass:

Interior:

Interior Steam Clean:

Initial Buff:

Final Buff:

Tires, Wheels, and Wheel Wells:

Miscellaneous:

 

[cardaddy]

How many???
Generally, you can get by with 8~12 for COMPOUND wiping.
Another 6~10 (if not 12) for POLISH wiping.
Another 3~4 for LSP like say SEALANT wiping.

All those can be a quality 360 GSM towel.
They can also be a good 530 GSM towel.

If you LIKE... you can use a nice 500 GSM Korean edgeless for LSP (and/or polish removal).

Are the best place to buy microfiber towels is a place that we all know about but can't talk about. There are two places both go by three initials.

Best place for 360, 400 & 500 Ultra Fine, as well as 530 GSM standard dual-nap AS WELL AS 500 GSM Korean edgeless towels is out near San Diego.

The other place (on the east coast) has a good selection of Korean towels, but not NEAR as many dual-nap units.

Can't mention the name(s) here anymore, but the prices are WAAAAAYYY less than towels named after a snake spreads its head, spits, and does a dance.... and "Jr's".



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

 

[Ricorocks]

Size matters:

Since I have small hands:

I prefer the 16 x16 MFs < I cannot hold a bskt ball, one hand>

Kind a important here, for equal wipe

 

[Ricorocks]

Can't mention the name(s) here anymore, but the prices are WAAAAAYYY less than towels named after a snake spreads its head, spits, and does a dance.... and "Jr's".

"Once bitten, twice shy"

Ian Hunter 1975, covered by Great White

 

[cardaddy]

"Once bitten, twice shy"

Ian Hunter 1975, covered by Great White

Yeah.... Wasn't me that got "bit"... and it won't be either.

Let's just say it's not a rattle snake, not a viper, not a cotton mouth, not even a rat or corn snake! Let's think more of a snake that you'd see a guy sitting in front of a basket, playing a flute, whilst the snake dances... swaying back and forth to the amazement of people all around. :laughing:

OTOH.... " Ian" is the owner of (at least) one of the three letter suppliers who name we won't mention.

 

[cardaddy]

Size matters:

Since I have small hands:

I prefer the 16 x16 MFs < I cannot hold a bskt ball, one hand>

Kind a important here, for equal wipe

Absolutely!!!! And neither can I. (Palm a B-ball that is.)

Truthfully.... I *MUCH* prefer 16" silk edge towels over edgeless and/or rolled edge.
Easier to control (when wiping compound and polish) than edgeless and CHEAPER than the same exact material with a rolled edge!

 

[Ricorocks]

___ o ___ ___ a Something that can hurt you

I'd like to buy a "vowel" Pat



Should've/meant to put Ian in: what are you listening to, also what can happen for playing the game you can become Once bitten...shy.

 

[Ricorocks]

Is it:

The Soft Parade has now begun,
Listen to the engines hum
People out to have some fun,
A ----- on my left
Leopard on my right, yeah
The deer woman in a silk dress,
Girls with beads around their necks
Kiss the hunter of the green vest,
Who has wrestled before
With lions in the night


I really like MF's from the bird of prey or the band that did Desperado, One of These nights, etc. edgeless.

 

[Ricorocks]

Why warm or hot water works better than cold, on MF's

 

[cardaddy]

I really like MF's from the bird of prey or the band that did Desperado, One of These nights, etc. edgeless.

Truth be told...
The "470" from Ian, in a side by side test, then measured for thickness, softness, and WEIGHT is the winner. (With the "470" ending up being closer to a 513 GSM towel.)

GREAT post on why we should wash in hot water btw! :thumbup:

 

[Ricorocks]

Thanks! Tony

Curious how do you measure softness? Softness is linked to scratching? I've also seen here about drying (after wash), using a 'damp' mf to dry. So the damp or moisture acts as a lubricant, avoiding scratching?