The OCD Method of Washing Microfiber Towels

[Bruno Soares]

I have a newer HE front loader washer that works wonders! It washes clothes much better than any other old washer I've used in the past. This thing literally shakes the floor so hard when its spinning that you can feel it everywhere in the house. Its a beast. Maybe they're not all so good, I don't know. But mine works fine for me and I use it to wash microfibers all the time, although I do that on a gentle cycle - maybe I should change to a heavy duty cycle???

They all spin like crazy to remove as much water as possible and require less time in the dryer. Shaking excessively doesn’t mean it’s better, it’s just not balanced properly. Front loaders require a decent amount of weight at the bottom to keep them from shaking too much and they need to be very level or the machine will stop and give an error that indicates out of balance.

 

[Mangavideo]

Had a front load Maytag HE combo at one time but it had issues draining moisture completely and constantly stank of mildew. Switched back to a old agitator style

I usually hang dry my MF towels (and most clothes for that matter) then lightly brush them out while hanging before folding them into storage totes with a silica gel and moth ball packet in the bottom.

Maybe I’m OCD after all . . .

 

[Jacob Harrod AUTOCLEAN]

How to Clean Your Microfiber Towels Utilizing The OCD Method And An HE Washing Machine

Mike I think this is an awesome way to clean your microfiber towels. After reading this thread I decided to come up with a way for those of us with HE machines to clean our towels by tweaking your techniques a little.

Measure out your soap just as you described above

I must say that these squeeze bottles are genius! I love them, and it's so easy to measure out your desired level of product. This load was really small so I just used 1/2 ounce.



Then add your microfiber towels into the machine





Then after you add your towels to the machine press the start/pause button and allow the machine to sense the load



Here's where you have to cheat a little

Allow the load to sense and pay close attention because as soon as you hear the water begin to fill you need to quickly press the pause button



Then take your towels out and put them back into your clean dirty towel bucket



After this shut the lid and hit the start button and let it fill

Once again you will need to pay attention here because as soon as the washer begins to agitate you will need to...

It's all a matter of timing...



Pause the washer and when the lid unlocks lift the lid and pour your soap in



One thing I like to do is to make sure I put the lid back on the soap container immediately. This way if the bottle gets knocked over unintentionally there's no unintended mess




Now using your stir stick you keep on you all of the time, as Mike P. says, stir the soap into the water



Then add your towels to the machine again



Dunk your towels so they don't just float on the top

I like to make sure I do it a few times, just to be thorough.



Then start the washer again and let it finish the cycle

Note my settings on the washer.
Deep wash - this means the washer will fill up with more water, flushing out contaminants and soap. If you have this option it's nice.
Temp - Warm - Warm water cleans better than cold and it's my believe that warm over hot is less likely to cause damage to your expensive MF towels.
Soil Level - Heavy - I want the machine to work harder so it will clean my towels better. I'm not sure if this means that it washes longer or agitates harder. If you can shed some light on this it would be much appreciated.
Extra Rinse - I want all of the soaps to be completely flushed out so that the towel is as sterile from soaps and contaminates as possible.



After the load is finished I like to hang dry my important towels

I believe that microfiber towels are one of the most important tools in the shop, and they are expensive.

For this reason I hang dry on hangers and then AIR FLUFF for 20 minutes. This way the fibers won't become damaged and the MF towels will last much longer.

I throw my crappy interior towels in the dryer on low heat for about 30 - 40 min.

Caring for my microfibers this way has enabled me to keep them in very good condition.





Moving forward this is the way I will wash my microfiber towels in my HE machine. Though I must say I typically go to the coin op laundromat and wash my towels there as the machines are front loaders, and have those blades that agitate really well. I pay a little extra and use the, "extra wash" option. I factor in the cost of the laundry into the price of the detail.

After I wash them at the coin op I then bring them home and run them through the rinse cycle on my HE machine.

Then hang dry and air fluff as described above.

After I dry them I put my microfibers into military style laundry bags until I'm ready to inspect, fold and place them into their designated containers.

In closing I must say that this way is more manually labor intensive, but in my opinion its worth the extra work if you have the time.

 

[Jacob Harrod AUTOCLEAN]

And don't forget to keep the bucket clean too. A simply wipe with any APC once in a while keeps your bucket clean.

I like to wipe mine out with Sonax Glass Cleaner. I just love the stuff!:dblthumb2:

 

[Craig Encinitas]

Has anyone found that even after a proper thorough OCD level of washing, that their “high quality non-shedding” microfiber towels will still shed lint?

 

[PaulMys]

Has anyone found that even after a proper thorough OCD level of washing, that their “high quality non-shedding” microfiber towels will still shed lint?

What brand(s)?

 

[Me Time]

Has anyone found that even after a proper thorough OCD level of washing, that their “high quality non-shedding” microfiber towels will still shed lint?

The only real issue I have ever had was maybe during the first wash. After that I have not noticed any. And that includes the cheapy's I have gotten from Sam's Club or Meijer's for grunt work.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike I think this is an awesome way to clean your microfiber towels.

After reading this thread I decided to come up with a way for those of us with HE machines to clean our towels by tweaking your techniques a little.

Thank you for taking the time to share your HE or High Efficiency technique for getting your towles really clean.

I can tell after reading your write-up - you are WAY MORE OCD than me. :laughing:


:cheers:

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I kinda miss the old style washers... they were rougher on the clothes and wasted a bunch but sure cleaned better.

I've used all three styles,

1: Old School Front Loading with Agitator

2: New School Top Loading with VANE

3: New School Front Loading High Energy
​

Here's my thoughts and experience - the only washing machine that was able to REALLY get my towels and buffing pads clean is the,

#1 Old School Top Loading Agitator models.



The original top loader washing machine that was here when I came to work at Autogeek finally broke down by leaking. After checking with the local Appliance Repair store, they deduced that it was the tub rusting out and it would cost more to fix than it was worth. In hindsight, it would not have cost more than it's worth because any top loading agitator style washing machine is worth its weight in GOLD to a DETAILER.

The company purchased a new washing machine, somewhere on my hard drive I have pictures of it. I ran about a dozen loads of towels and buffing pads through it. At first it was hard to tell if it was really getting the towels clean or not. But when I washed the RUPES Wool Buffing pads AFTER the February (2020) car detailing class - that's when I knew 100% for sure the VANE style washing machines are absolute JUNK when it comes to getting anything clean. I washed the wool buffing pads THREE TIMES before they finally looked clean. This was after the class used them for compounding to remove sanding marks in the wetsanding class.

Here's what I did, knowing appliance repair businesses tend to have used units for sale, I called A & J Appliance Repair Service, here in Stuart, Florida. I explained to them what happened, the old washing machine wore out and after trying a new style the new vane style washing machine just wasn't working.

Here's what the owner told me,

We get phone calls like this all the time


Surprise surprise! It wasn't just me, and some of you, it's the rest of the world. This takes place all over the country. Old agitator style washing machines wear-out and/or break so us Joe Consumers go to Lowe's and buy the new model only to find out we've been duped by progress.

So here's what you do - find your local Appliance Repair stores and find out if they have an old Whirlpool, or Kitchenaid, or Maytag top loading agitator style washing machine and buy it. Save it for when you'll eventually need it. If you're reading this and you have a brick-n-mortar detail shop - heed these words. You don't have time to waste trying to get towels and pad clean with any VANE style top loading washing machine or any of the HE types. Sometimes old school is simply better. Like the say goes,

If it ain't broke - don't fix it...

Or like my wife says about me,

If it aint' broke - fix it until it is....


And for what it's worth, the owner of A & J Appliance Repair told me if I really want to go all in - find a Maytag SpeedQueen. He says the build quality is commercial grade and they are built like a Tank. He also said the problem is - anyone that has one knows what they have. Good, used models go for $1,500.00 easy.



FWIW

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

I'm triggered by your "clean dirty towels" label on the bucket.

I know it can be confusing because it confuses me. I have to THINK about it for a few seconds to remember what I mean by it.

It's a CLEAN bucket for my DIRTY towels.

Not all buckets are clean. In fact, most buckets I've seen and or used have crud on the bottoms of them from past use and lack of cleaning. So I keep THIS bucket clean by wiping it clean. Then when I put a used towel into it - I know at a minimum - the towel won't get any dirtier or contaminated once in my clean, dirty towel bucket.

It's all about keeping your towels from becoming contaminated and thus SCRATCHING paint.


Technique Tip

Here's another tip that will help you to keep our towels from getting contaminated during use. Have a CLEAN bucket handy and as you work your way around the car, place your dirty towels in the clean bucket. This keeps them off the floor where there's dirt, dead bugs, sticks, rocks and leaves. All of these thing will contaminate and ruin your fluffy microfiber towels.


CLEAN on the INSIDE

Continue placing your used towels into the Clean Dirty Towel Bucket - as I like to call it as you work around your car.

IF you haven't already, click the link below and watch my video and look at the pretty pictures.

How, why & when to inspect your microfiber towels when detailing cars


Also - a full 5-gallon bucket is the MOST I would ever put into a top loading machine to wash and usually I wouldn't put that much in. So it's also a MEASURING tool. If it's about 3/4 full, I simply pour the towels into the washing machine. Keep in mind that I also only wash like-towels, with like towels. This means same type of towel used with the same products.


The Clean Dirty Towel Bucket Method

By using a bucket to hold dirty towels as you work around a car - the towels NEVER touch the floor and can go right from the bucket to the washing machine. It's all about doing the thing you can do to prevent your microfiber tools from becoming contaminated.

I use larger Lake Country Buffing Pad Boxes for my detailing classes due to the VOLUME of towels and pads we go through - BUT I make sure these are clean before the class and during the class. (ask Andre)

I completely agree. Our old Whirlpool bit the dust a few years back and the only true old style I could find was a SpeedQueen. They are not cheap compared to the generic vain/agitater machines, but it does the job very well.

Maytag Speed Queen for the win!

Feeling grateful for my top loading, agitating old school washer that came with my house in 2012.

My wife is all into kitchen appliances but I’m pretty sure I can convince her to go old school washing machine with our next house too (that’s cause I’m the main laundry person, yay!)

Good for you! :xyxthumbs:

Yes, our 29 year old Maytag with agitator finally went to the scrap heap (I was actually having a difficult time finding parts).

A sad day....

Now we have one of these new fangled ones without an agitator

Consider making it a QUEST to find and obtain a Maytag Speed Queen.

Had a front load Maytag HE combo at one time but it had issues draining moisture completely and constantly stank of mildew.

Switched back to a old agitator style

Us too....

 

[Me Time]

Maytag Speed Queen for the win!

Wow, either that is a really old picture, or there's a very old green washing machine (to the right) still running in the world.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Wow, either that is a really old picture, or there's a very old green washing machine (to the right) still running in the world.

If you look at the word WIN in the sentence I typed above - it's BLUE. It's also clickable. It will take you to a discussion forum for vintage washing machines as well as other appliances.

You guys think you have and OCD hobby....

Here's link to their pictures collection.

Photos of Vintage Washing Machine Collections


:_

 

[Me Time]

The first guy on the list has a nice little collection. He even has the old washing powder boxes.

But the one from Mike from Chester UK looks like a converted ice maker.

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

The first guy on the list has a nice little collection. He even has the old washing powder boxes.

But the one from Mike from Chester UK looks like a converted ice maker.

He does have some interesting stuff. When you look at the washing machine's from the past - can't help but to think no matter what you have today - you've got it made!

:bolt:

 

[Jacob Harrod AUTOCLEAN]

Thank you for taking the time to share your HE or High Efficiency technique for getting your towles really clean.

I can tell after reading your write-up - you are WAY MORE OCD than me. :laughing:


:cheers:

Ha ha ha ha

I put a book on the shelf just to take it back off and make sure the pages weren't wrinkled and then repeat again.

It's just the way the Army made me. I think it drives people crazy sometimes. It works for detailing though.

If you have any car buddies in Oklahoma don't forget to tell em about me.

:cheers:

 

[Me Time]

He does have some interesting stuff. When you look at the washing machine's from the past - can't help but to think no matter what you have today - you've got it made!

:bolt:

So true, so true.

I think back 31 years ago when I started at Ford, almost everything was done by hand, very few robots. My little 136# body would wrestled weld/rivet guns that weighed more then I did and the old guys would tell me how I had it made.

So in the long run do you think it has hurt us or helped us. There will never be another "Great Generation".

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

So in the long run do you think it has hurt us or helped us.

Do you mean,


Do I think advancements in technology have hurt us or helped us?


For sure - helped us.

It's still up to each individual to take responsibility for themselves and also apply themselves to whatever they end up gravitating towards for a profession. Advancements in technology naturally take a lot of the grunt labor out of work, but that's still a blessing. I would much rather drive a Tractor to plow a field than to hook up some Horses to a plow and then control the reins as I manage them to plow the field. And I certainly wouldn't want to do it with a pick and shovel.

I have ran rototillers - mostly crappy ones for home gardens for YEARS growing up - talk about a workout. These things will yank you around 9 ways to Sunday.

There will never be another "Great Generation".

That is probably both sad and true. Time will tell.


:cheers:

 

[Me Time]

Do you mean,


Do I think advancements in technology have hurt us or helped us?


For sure - helped us.

It's still up to each individual to take responsibility for themselves and also apply themselves to whatever they end up gravitating towards for a profession. Advancements in technology naturally take a lot of the grunt labor out of work, but that's still a blessing. I would much rather drive a Tractor to plow a field than to hook up some Horses to a plow and then control the reins as I manage them to plow the field. And I certainly wouldn't want to do it with a pick and shovel.

I have ran rototillers - mostly crappy ones for home gardens for YEARS growing up - talk about a workout. These things will yank you around 9 ways to Sunday.

That is probably both sad and true. Time will tell.


:cheers:

I totally agree with you on that end, but I wonder about technology and our kids. How many times have you gone somewhere and the cash register is down and they have to mentally count out your change? To many have the deer in the headlights look then.

We both agree it has helped our life's, but it has hurt it also. After watching your video where you hand compound a section of the hood and then used the Porter Cable, it has helped a LOT. I'm not sure who was more winded after watching you rub that section by hand, you or me. If you did the whole hood I think one of us might of had a coronary attack.:laughing:

Mike if you don't mind, I'm just curious to how old you are.

Thanks, Greg

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

Mike if you don't mind, I just curious to how old you are.

Thanks, Greg

59 - I'll be 60 in February.

Me digging my grave --> :dig:

 

[Me Time]

59 - I'll be 60 in February.

Me digging my grave --> :dig:

You have me by a year. Be 59 in December. I figured with some of the things you type or say in your videos we were close.

No need to dig that hole yet, we still have plenty of time left. It's just that we have peaked the hill.:dblthumb2: