Wash MF towels before use?

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shagnat

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Is it necessary to wash MF towels before using?

I've always bought lesser expensive MF towels and they absolutely need washing.

What about some of the higher-end towels, cobra, Ammo, Meguiar's, etc., do they need washing before use?
 
do you really need to? NOPE

But I recommend it.......you never know where that towel has been before it got in your possession.
 
I wouldn't take any chances. I always wash my new towels before I use them
 
Definitely - Especially high end towels. You want those to perform commensurate with their cost.
 
New MFs should always be washed before their first use: all residue, lint, debris, etc. that may be present will be washed away and won't swirl or scratch your paint.

Likewise, MFs usually have strong colors that may discolor other items present in your washload: this way you won't risk ruining the appearance of other cherished towels, etc.
 
I do! No matter WHERE they come from.

I've yet to have one that didn't come out softer after the wash than before as well. That would fall under "win-win". :)
 
RMM said:
New MFs should always be washed before their first use: all residue, lint, debris, etc. that may be present will be washed away and won't swirl or scratch your paint.

Likewise, MFs usually have strong colors that may discolor other items present in your washload: this way you won't risk ruining the appearance of other cherished towels, etc.
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:dblthumb2:
 
I always will wash any and every new microfiber product I receive.
I often don't place orders for ONLY MF product.
Many times I'll order it with polish, compounds, waxes, etc.

Couple of reasons as to why I wash:

Often enough I'll find littles bits of the cardboard box stuck on to the towels, I'd spend all day picking these out.
Fluff! So much fluff and fibers from other towels mixing in.
Rarely, but it has happened a few times: spilled product on the towels.
 
I've never washed a new towel before I used it, and have never had a single issue. Probably because I'm lazy and I hate washing towels. I do shake them out quite well.

I figure each time you wash a towel, there is a small percentage of degradation in the fibers. So, why waste one wash on a clean towel? Now, if I ordered some towels and they came loaded with dirt or crap in them - I wouldn't wash them - I'd send them back.

However, if you buy towels from reputable vendors, they always seem to come clean, in a bag, and ready to go. I haven't received towels just thrown in a box with a bunch of other stuff that I can recall - and, I've ordered towels from many places.
 
swanicyouth said:
I've never washed a new towel before I used it, and have never had a single issue. Probably because I'm lazy and I hate washing towels. I do shake them out quite well.

I figure each time you wash a towel, there is a small percentage of degradation in the fibers. So, why waste one wash on a clean towel? Now, if I ordered some towels and they came loaded with dirt or crap in them - I wouldn't wash them - I'd send them back.

However, if you buy towels from reputable vendors, they always seem to come clean, in a bag, and ready to go. I haven't received towels just thrown in a box with a bunch of other stuff that I can recall - and, I've ordered towels from many places.
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Hah, lucky you.
The towels I buy are used for padding/packaging material lol
 
I did my own test. Maybe it's irrelevant, but, I thought it was a decent comparison. So, here goes:

I wear eye glasses which need "cleaning" 3 or 4 times per day. I always use a microfiber cloth/towel. Sometimes I use the MF piece that came with the glasses, sometimes I'll use a very small MF piece that I bought online (ebay?).

If I use one of the cheaper (from China and eBay) to clean I always have smudges or a film on my lenses after "cleaning".

So, I decided to use a pre-washed, but unused, MF towel. After several "cleaning" episodes swapping back and forth between washed and pre-washed but new, the evidence was clear. The pre-washed new towels were flawless, where as the new but non-washed MF pieces always left a film on my lenses.

Now, maybe this isn't conclusive enough for some, but, for me, it's all the testing I need. I'll always pre-wash my towels regardless of brand name or non-brand name.
 
swanicyouth said:
I've never washed a new towel before I used it, and have never had a single issue. Probably because I'm lazy and I hate washing towels. I do shake them out quite well.

I figure each time you wash a towel, there is a small percentage of degradation in the fibers. So, why waste one wash on a clean towel? Now, if I ordered some towels and they came loaded with dirt or crap in them - I wouldn't wash them - I'd send them back.

However, if you buy towels from reputable vendors, they always seem to come clean, in a bag, and ready to go. I haven't received towels just thrown in a box with a bunch of other stuff that I can recall - and, I've ordered towels from many places.
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Interesting. My towels from AG only came in a bag once. Otherwise they are usually just thrown in there.
 
Update to my original post. My experience with my el-cheapo towels (china) and some name brand towels is the Chinese towels are pure crap!! I washed and double rinsed these towels 2 times prior to use. They leave a cloudy haze behind on any and all glass I used them on. This includes interior windows, eye glasses, camera lenses, and even clear drinking water glasses. Soooooo...... I'll (from now on) only use these crappy Chinese towels for tires/wheels/inner fender wells, etc. I don't know if I'll ever wash them again except for a very few for the listed purposes. Maybe for door jams and cleaning/protecting rubber seals around doors, windows, truck, etc.
The amount of time I put into cleaning my interior glass yesterday and the results I got with those towels was a real bummer. My shoulders are still sore and the windows still need to be cleaned with the proper tools.
Maybe your experience is different, but, I'm sticking by my personal findings.
Hope this helps someone else.
 
SYMAWD said:
Interesting. My towels from AG only came in a bag once. Otherwise they are usually just thrown in there.
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:iagree: AG never packs them all nice and tidy in their own bag. :rolleyes:
Now I've never bought but a few at time from AG, (prices are just wAAAAAAAy too high for me) but I'd still say they are at the very least, 'reputable'. ;)
 
cardaddy said:
:iagree: AG never packs them all nice and tidy in their own bag. :rolleyes:
Now I've never bought but a few at time from AG, (prices are just wAAAAAAAy too high for me) but I'd still say they are at the very least, 'reputable'. ;)
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wAAAAAAAy too high? I see where they have a wide variety of prices from almost cheap to quite expensive ($10 for one is obscene IMHO).

So, where do you buy and what kind do you buy?
 
Lots of good posts in this thread with a variety of opinions. I'll add this: Microfiber Madness recommends that you wash the towels prior to the first use, even though it's packaged in an individual sealed plastic bag. I've done it both ways with their products and haven't really seen a difference but they do recommend it.

Since it seems that they are the consensus best towels on the market, I figured it would be prudent add.
 
^^ agreed. I've learned my lesson the hard way.

Still would like to know why cardaddy things AGO has towels too expensive for the masses.
 
shagnat said:
wAAAAAAAy too high? I see where they have a wide variety of prices from almost cheap to quite expensive ($10 for one is obscene IMHO).

So, where do you buy and what kind do you buy?
Click to expand...

MF Tech for one. He'll do bulk pricing as well. :dblthumb2:
His range of towels are as versatile as anyone really needs. The 360's are surprisingly good, and the 400's are very good for what they are. They can even work for LSP removal as long as you wash them first, and they are in *paint grade* condition. The 530's are very similar to the Cobra 530's but feel a bit tougher in the base material (that the pile is attached to). The short side is denser than the Cobra's yet a bit shorter, as well as the long pile side (denser but shorter). They are a serious workhorse of a towel! And of course the 600's or 700's are fantastic towels at an amazing price point. The ones I don't have yet (still don't have actually, for those that know what I'm talking about ;) ) are the "shaggy dog's". I had too many other things going on between Thanksgiving and now to order anymore towels. Plus Ian said he was going to restructure the website for ladder pricing on more items. (Maybe all of them, just don't know.)


I've not bought from them but have read a lot of guys like CG's towels. :dunno: Detailing Supplies has them.

Here is a link to a towel comparison I did a while back. (Most of them are MF Tech towels.)
 
in between them being made at the factory and shipped, there could be some contamination on them. who knows, a worker could of dropped it on the ground for all we know and all it takes is one wipe and scratch city...
 
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