Marc08EX
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- May 10, 2008
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Product Review: Blackfire Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer
Description: (Taken from AG's website)
Restore your microfiber with every wash!
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer is formulated to meet the unique cleaning requirements of microfiber. It releases oily residues and greasy stains better than an ordinary laundry detergent and leaves microfiber feeling like new! Even better, BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer protects the special characteristics of microfiber - its tremendous absorbency, luxurious softness, and dust-attracting magnetism. Why wash microfiber with anything else?
If you use microfiber towels to detail, you know it's not like any other fabric. Microfiber is engineered from manmade fibers to be softer, more durable, and more absorbent than any natural material. Many microfiber towels and tools have a static charge that attracts dust and lint to make cleaning easier. Cotton can't do that! Because of all these special features, microfiber has some special cleaning requirements.
Never use bleach or fabric softeners on microfiber. Bleach can damage fibers over time and it isn't necessary. Fabric softeners eliminate the microfiber's magnetic charge. BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer contains only emulsifiers, surfactants, chelating agents and water softeners to break down oily deposits and release them from the fabric. Nothing extra goes into our detergent.
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer removes oil, grease, wax and polish residue, protein-based stains like blood and sweat, grass stains, food, and cosmetics!
Mild water softeners in BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer neutralize hard water in the washing machine to maintain the softness of microfiber. No additional softeners or dryer sheets are needed. Microfiber products will come out of the dryer feeling soft and fluffy. Most importantly, microfiber will retain its cleaning properties wash after wash.
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer rinses clean and leaves no residue or scent behind. Our VOC compliant formula is biodegradable and safe on all fabrics. In fact, you can use BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer to clean terry cloth and leather chamois.
Microfiber is unlike any other fabric and it deserves a cleaner unlike any other detergent! BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer releases tough stains and residues while restoring the softness and cleaning ability that makes microfiber the best detailing material.
Price:
$14.99 for 16oz
$29.99 for 64oz
$39.99 for 128oz
Introduction:
I have always used the Micro-restore microfiber detergent. It did its job but there are times where the towels I'm washing felt a little sticky or like there's residue left behind. It really didn't bother me that much but after hearing what other people thought about the Blackfire Microfiber Cleaner/Restorer, I had to give it a shot especially when it was on BOGO.
Photos:
Here's a picture showing the directions behind the bottle:
Here are 2 towels (from a pack of 5) that I used from doing a waterless wash on a 2011 Subaru WRX STi. As you can see, they're really filthy.
If you try to wash this by hand with just water, it will not come out clean. There will be staining left and who knows if all the grit will be washed out. This is where a microfiber cleaner comes in. It will safely clean and restore your microfiber towels to like new condition.
So put all your dirty microfiber towels in your washing machine. Please keep in mind that it's important not to put anything else besides your microfiber towels when cleaning them. They will act as your lint trap, attracting all the fibers from cotton or other fabrics.
Set your wash temperature to HOT. I like it hot because I think it helps break down the dirt more effectively.
Measure out the proper solution to be used. Blackfire suggests using 2oz for small loads and 4oz for big loads. Then mix the measured solution directly on the load of microfiber towels.
For my small load of MF towels and a wash mitt, I used 2.5oz of product. As you can see below, this solution produces a healthy amount of suds.
After cleaning your microfiber towels, dry them in your drier using low to medium heat.
Here's a picture of how the microfiber towels looked like after the wash:
As you can see, it came out looking perfectly new. You can also see that the fibers are fluffed up.
Here's a before/after picture of the wash mitt that I had. This wash mitt couldn't be rinsed out with water nor by rubbing it against the grit guard. I don't think it's really dirt but more of staining from the ONR wash that I did.
Before:
After:
As you can see, it definitely cleaned it very effectively making it ready for my next ONR wash. ONR staining didn't stand a chance.
Opinions and Observations:
Pictures are worth a thousand words. As you saw above, the Blackfire Microfiber Cleaner and Restorer works well and it shouldn't be a surprise given that it's a BF product. It cleans out the dirt out of the microfibers and it seems that it it restores the fluff back in the microfibers. This product doesn't have a problem of making it look like new.
Now let's talk about the cost of this product and compare it with the Micro-restore detergent.
___Blackfire_______Micro-restore____
16oz |___$14.99____|__$7.50 ($14.99/2)__|
128oz |___$39.99___|______$34.99_______|
Now here's another table that shows you the amount of product recommended to be mixed with a load of microfiber towels
___Blackfire_______Micro-restore___
Small Load |____2oz____|_________1oz_______|
Big Load |____4oz____|_________2oz_______|
So if you're going to buy each brand's smallest product size, you'll end up paying 4x as much for the Blackfire when compared to Micro-restore. For the sake of arguement, let's set the price of the 128oz jugs the same. If you're going to buy that big of the cleaner, then you'll still end up paying 2x more for the Blackfire. (It's slightly more than that in actuality)
Conclusion:
So does Blackfire microfiber cleaner and restorer work 4x or heck, 2x as well as the micro-restore? I don't think so. Yes blackfire works better by washing out the dirt and residue more effectively but the Micro-restore works well too. If I know something else is working well at half the price, I think I'll go with that. You really can't go wrong with either. They are both fantastic products. If Blackfire changes their recommended load usage to half, then it'll be worth it to pick up the 128oz jug. I hope this helps.
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer
Description: (Taken from AG's website)
Restore your microfiber with every wash!
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer is formulated to meet the unique cleaning requirements of microfiber. It releases oily residues and greasy stains better than an ordinary laundry detergent and leaves microfiber feeling like new! Even better, BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer protects the special characteristics of microfiber - its tremendous absorbency, luxurious softness, and dust-attracting magnetism. Why wash microfiber with anything else?
If you use microfiber towels to detail, you know it's not like any other fabric. Microfiber is engineered from manmade fibers to be softer, more durable, and more absorbent than any natural material. Many microfiber towels and tools have a static charge that attracts dust and lint to make cleaning easier. Cotton can't do that! Because of all these special features, microfiber has some special cleaning requirements.
Never use bleach or fabric softeners on microfiber. Bleach can damage fibers over time and it isn't necessary. Fabric softeners eliminate the microfiber's magnetic charge. BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer contains only emulsifiers, surfactants, chelating agents and water softeners to break down oily deposits and release them from the fabric. Nothing extra goes into our detergent.
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer removes oil, grease, wax and polish residue, protein-based stains like blood and sweat, grass stains, food, and cosmetics!
Mild water softeners in BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer neutralize hard water in the washing machine to maintain the softness of microfiber. No additional softeners or dryer sheets are needed. Microfiber products will come out of the dryer feeling soft and fluffy. Most importantly, microfiber will retain its cleaning properties wash after wash.
BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer rinses clean and leaves no residue or scent behind. Our VOC compliant formula is biodegradable and safe on all fabrics. In fact, you can use BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer to clean terry cloth and leather chamois.
Microfiber is unlike any other fabric and it deserves a cleaner unlike any other detergent! BLACKFIRE Microfiber Cleaner & Restorer releases tough stains and residues while restoring the softness and cleaning ability that makes microfiber the best detailing material.
Price:
$14.99 for 16oz
$29.99 for 64oz
$39.99 for 128oz
Introduction:
I have always used the Micro-restore microfiber detergent. It did its job but there are times where the towels I'm washing felt a little sticky or like there's residue left behind. It really didn't bother me that much but after hearing what other people thought about the Blackfire Microfiber Cleaner/Restorer, I had to give it a shot especially when it was on BOGO.
Photos:
Here's a picture showing the directions behind the bottle:
Here are 2 towels (from a pack of 5) that I used from doing a waterless wash on a 2011 Subaru WRX STi. As you can see, they're really filthy.
If you try to wash this by hand with just water, it will not come out clean. There will be staining left and who knows if all the grit will be washed out. This is where a microfiber cleaner comes in. It will safely clean and restore your microfiber towels to like new condition.
So put all your dirty microfiber towels in your washing machine. Please keep in mind that it's important not to put anything else besides your microfiber towels when cleaning them. They will act as your lint trap, attracting all the fibers from cotton or other fabrics.
Set your wash temperature to HOT. I like it hot because I think it helps break down the dirt more effectively.
Measure out the proper solution to be used. Blackfire suggests using 2oz for small loads and 4oz for big loads. Then mix the measured solution directly on the load of microfiber towels.
For my small load of MF towels and a wash mitt, I used 2.5oz of product. As you can see below, this solution produces a healthy amount of suds.
After cleaning your microfiber towels, dry them in your drier using low to medium heat.
Here's a picture of how the microfiber towels looked like after the wash:
As you can see, it came out looking perfectly new. You can also see that the fibers are fluffed up.
Here's a before/after picture of the wash mitt that I had. This wash mitt couldn't be rinsed out with water nor by rubbing it against the grit guard. I don't think it's really dirt but more of staining from the ONR wash that I did.
Before:
After:
As you can see, it definitely cleaned it very effectively making it ready for my next ONR wash. ONR staining didn't stand a chance.
Opinions and Observations:
Pictures are worth a thousand words. As you saw above, the Blackfire Microfiber Cleaner and Restorer works well and it shouldn't be a surprise given that it's a BF product. It cleans out the dirt out of the microfibers and it seems that it it restores the fluff back in the microfibers. This product doesn't have a problem of making it look like new.
Now let's talk about the cost of this product and compare it with the Micro-restore detergent.
___Blackfire_______Micro-restore____
16oz |___$14.99____|__$7.50 ($14.99/2)__|
128oz |___$39.99___|______$34.99_______|
Now here's another table that shows you the amount of product recommended to be mixed with a load of microfiber towels
___Blackfire_______Micro-restore___
Small Load |____2oz____|_________1oz_______|
Big Load |____4oz____|_________2oz_______|
So if you're going to buy each brand's smallest product size, you'll end up paying 4x as much for the Blackfire when compared to Micro-restore. For the sake of arguement, let's set the price of the 128oz jugs the same. If you're going to buy that big of the cleaner, then you'll still end up paying 2x more for the Blackfire. (It's slightly more than that in actuality)
Conclusion:
So does Blackfire microfiber cleaner and restorer work 4x or heck, 2x as well as the micro-restore? I don't think so. Yes blackfire works better by washing out the dirt and residue more effectively but the Micro-restore works well too. If I know something else is working well at half the price, I think I'll go with that. You really can't go wrong with either. They are both fantastic products. If Blackfire changes their recommended load usage to half, then it'll be worth it to pick up the 128oz jug. I hope this helps.
rops:
