Microfiber care, make your towels like new!!

OK. So, I'm about to hit the road to go down to the Nor'Easter (best damn meet ever!!), but I can't resist sharing this tip with you guys before I leave. So, here it goes . . .

So, I hope everyone knows that you should never use bleach, frabric softener, or wrinkle releaser when washing your microfiber towels. I know, I know "who would use wrinkle releaser on a towel?" I only mention it because sometimes it's built into the laundry soap. Softener & wrinkle releaser leave a residue on the towel which can clog the fibers making the towels less effective for polish/wax/sealant residue removal and eventually less absorbent as well. So, always wash your MF towels with plain laundry soap or a microfiber detergent like Pinnacle, Sonus Dur Wunder Wasche, or Micro-Restore. Now that we've got that out of the way on to the tip . . .

Well, I've always properly cared for my towels, but I noticed they weren't quite as soft as they had been or as absorbent. My hunch is that there is fabric softener residue in my washing machine from when I wash my clothes. So, I've seen many times on the detailing board where people will put 1/2 cup of white vinegar in with their MFs during the rinse cycle. So, I tried it and WOW!! My towels are noticeably softer and MUCH more absorbent.

Sorry for my long windedness but try it for yourself. You'll be impressed and you won't feel like you need new towels!

Good point, I will try that Mike

I just got a bunch of MF towels and did that the first time I washed them. I didn't know what the purpose of the vinegar was but my towels look and feel great also. Thanks for the info.

Yeah, the vinegar basically helps the towel to release any chemical residues left in the fibers. At least that's my understanding. However, I have been told that using too much vinegar at once can be harmful to the towel. 1/4 to 1/2 should be sufficient to do the job without hurting anything.

A couple of the towels I washed the other day were probably 4 years old. They really made a great come back.

Thanks for the tip!

nice tip mikeyc!

gonna add this to our how to thread...
how to maintain your mfs

I use Dreft or Woolite and my towels seem to be fine. I think some of the heavily perfumed soaps leave residue.

how do you dry them? do you put them in the dryer, or hang them on a clothes rack/line?

hang dry, dryer ruins them i think?

Had the same towels for two years now regularly dry them in the tumble and they are fine

Putting them in the dryer is fine. Just make sure your lint trap is clear of lint. Otherwise, you'll get lint all over your towels.

WOW i was just about to ask this question thanks mikey

ive always known to never put your mf towels in the dryer cuz the microfibers are made of nylon and it melts in the heat. making them from micro fibers to regular fibers

I used to wash my towels in cold water and dry them on the delicate cycle until I ran across some postings by a guy named Leo (alias DFTowel) who sells towels and seems to know what he is talking about. His advice from a recent post on Autopia:

So I now use hot water. I also pour in some vinegar during the rinse cycle. But I still dry on the medium setting ...

Just remember that vinegar is an acid, even though you are mixing it with water, it might have some... negative effect.

back from the dead with awesome advice i c....

i use micro restore with warm water, no dryer sheets and tumble dry on low (takes two times to get them to dry fully). i dry like this because i find it lowers static and keeps the fibers from bunching allowing them to stay in a like-new state

I wash mine with Micro-Restore, warm wash and warm rinse. I also use the 2nd rinse cycle feature. Dry in dryer on Delicates setting.

good post i just got a bunch of MF towels

great tip, i was noticing mine where getting hard. gonna try it for the next load!

If your towels are getting hard or if they are no longer absorbing water as they used to, then it may well be that they are chock full of silicone, wax, and grease. The best way to "persuade" the towel to release all of this gunk is to use hot water with simple detergent. If this doesn't work, you might even want to boil your towels. See these threads, especially the comments by DFTowel:

Boiling Microfiber Towels

Washing Microfiber Polishing Cloths

How to Clean Microfiber Towels

It's always hard to figure out who has the best knowledge on matters such as these. As you might guess, I have tentatively decided that the hot water guys are probably right--but I could be wrong.

Cheers,
Al

Is it good to throw dirty towels straight into the wash? I normally hand wash it first. would the wax or chemicals cling onto the walls of the washer?

No wonder why my MF towels are always full of lint! Imma do this tonight!

Great tips here! always wondered if those microfiber detergents were worth the money vs. tide...

Excuse me, but how much the Micro-fiber towels cost in the US?

Just to give you an idea....

Detailers Domain, the forum sponsor, has a great MF line-up. (www.detailersdomain.com).

These are a couple that I have purchased, Phil has other towels in the line-up.

$3.75 / e2.74 for "Uber" All Purpose Microfiber Towels
$4.95 / e3.61 for "Uber" Microfiber Towel 16x16
$6.95 / e5.07 for "Uber" Microfiber Towel 16x24

If you buy more, the cost goes down due to volume discount. Phil also offers SKI members a 10% discount on top of these prices.

1 Euro = 1.3708 U.S. dollars