Best MF Towel Strategy: Mike Phillips vs Chemical Guys

S

SwedishRider

New member
I just bought "The Complete Guide to A Show Car Shine" book and "Principles of Machine Polishing" DVD by Mike Phillips, and I've been reading through the book since I got it. It's packed with some great, practical information. I do have one question that has already popped up in my head about how to handle microfiber towels.

On page 100-101 in Mike's book, he recommends two things with respect to handling MF towels. First, he recommends sorting MF towels into three physical bins depending on what the towel is used for:

Bin 1- Water-soluble residues (compounds, polishes, glazes, paint cleaners)
Bin 2- Waxes, paint sealants
Bin 3- Everything else (not to be used to wipe polished paint)

He then goes on to recommend categorizing wiping towels into a minimum of 4 categories:

-Good MF towels
-Tatty MF towels
-Good cotton towels
-Tatty cotton towels

Chemical Guys takes a different approach. They recommend color coding MF towels into 3 basic colors:

Green: Exterior
Blue: Windows
Yellow: Interior

And then once they get tatty, relegate them (any given color) to a separate pile for dirtier tasks, like wiping tires or engine bays, etc.

(skip to 1:09 for CG explanation)

I think Mike Phillips implies to launder the three bins separately, but CG specifically says to launder the different colored towels in different loads. And both recommend specific MF detergent.

Question: which method is better (or is there a better option than either of these)? Mike Phillips' method seems a bit more confusing as any towel without a color code would be tough to categorize once laundered and in use. I think that's why CG recommends the color coding. And Mike Phillips says nothing about MF towels for interior or glass use (he focuses only on towels touching the finish). But CG's method doesn't take into account the chemicals used on any given color-coded towel. A green towel could be used to wipe a compound today, and a wax next week, and theoretically would be laundered together. But they would still be separated by use, so a glass MF towel wouldn't get gummed up with wax from an exterior wipe-down.

Anyone follow one of these strategies, or have a solid strategy of their own? Thanks! :)
 
I keep my MF's in separate storage containers. Like Mike suggests, I keep the towels used with sealants or waxes separate from the towels that were used with water soluble products. My third group is for worn or stained towels which I use for engine cleaning, wheels & tires, fender liners, etc. I also keep my cotton toweling separate. I use white, 100% cotton for cleaning leather, and vinyl interiors.

I wash my towels in separate batches in a LG Steam Front loader and use Tide HE with a cup of white vinegar in the rinse. Towels have always come out clean, soft and absorbent.
 
IMO both of these strategies are similar. but not labeled the same. I do keep mine separated and wash them that way as well. I also "grade" them as new/good & Used and move them down the line as they wear.

#1: Water-soluble residues (compounds, polishes, glazes, paint cleaners) - Most of mine are White or light Gray
#2: Waxes, paint sealants - Most of mine are Blue
#3: Windows - I have specific glass towels
#4: Interior - Yellow
#5: Drying - I keep and wash all my drying towels together
#6: Crud, Wheels, Grease - I have Black MF & White Cotton towels
 
Not going to claim this is the correct way to do it, but this works for me:

I use cheap thin towels for interior work and exterior dirty work (wheels, wheels wells, engine, etc....)

blue pakshak towels for rinseless wash, quick detailing, etc...
Green pakshak towels for buffing off polish/compounds/etc...
Yellow pakshak towels for final buffing

I use whatever for windows. I've found that if I use 2 towels (one for "cleaning" the window and follow up with a 2nd towel to buff it) I don't have problems with streaks.
 
IMHO, the color of a towel matters far less then it's weight in grams per square meter g/m² (gsm) /what application it was designed for. Once you understand gsm's, Mike's 3 bin approach will make more sense, why it's good advise to follow. And it will allow you to use mf's from any company regardless of color.

I will say if your only washing a minimum number of towels you can get away with separating your dirty MF's into two wash/ storage categories: paint and everything else ( ie: engine, wheels, exhaust tips, tires etc). Never ever mix the two. Using a dedicated MF detergent is also very good idea and does make a difference in maintaining the softness of your mf's.

As your supply of microfibers grows then you can get more selective on how to wash them. But until then, make your life easier and don't stress over it.

You're off to a great start by getting Mike's books to supplement the great information found here and over on AG.
 
Thank you all for the responses! And yes, Mike's book and DVD are a great place to start- he has A LOT of practical, useful info for the beginner to get up and moving quickly. Looks like Mike's method is the more popular method, and now that I've read your posts, I more fully understand why. But what do you do with "specialty" towels that don't touch the paint at all?

For example, if I use a MF towel to clean windows with an auto glass cleaner, which of Mike's 3 bins would I put that towel into? Water soluble maybe? Or what about an oversized waffle weave MF towel for drying after a wash? Water soluble as well? Would they be safe to launder with any other group of towels? Or do those need to be laundered alone? It looks like Troy Scherer does indeed separate those specialty towels into separate loads, but Angus is correct that I don't have a lot of towels at the moment (nor a lot of towels used), and so having that many categories would lead to laundry loads with 1 or 2 towels.

The reason I ask is because before I ever thought about how to handle MF towels, I routinely washed mine together after use. I recently used a MF towel to clean my windows, and it streaked and smeared like crazy. I ended up needing to clean the windows again using paper towels. I suspect paint sealant got into the towel from cross-contamination, which is why I'm trying to keep my MF system simple, but effective. What a mess on the windows I had to clean after I thought I was done. :(
 
Keep in mind that a lot of recommendations (not just about MFs) come from people who are in the business of selling products.

While I definitely have my preferences and, uhm...foibles...concerning towels, IMO it's easy to over-complicate the whole thing.

But SwedishRider's problem with the smearing on windows does go to show how if you don't launder detailing textiles *THOROUGHLY* you can suffer from issues that a more strictly segregated system would quite possibly elimiate.

E.g., that fits with that smearing issue- I use cotton towels for the initial passes on (non-aftermarket tint) autoglass. I use the same cotton towels for this that I might've previously used to wipe tires, or undercarriages, or [whatever sonds nasty to ya]. No problems because I overkill the laundering.
 
I'm not a pro either but I try to combine a little bit of both. My microfiber collection is still pretty small so laundering differently delegated towels separately is not feasible to me.

However, I do have different color towels for different tasks and, as long as I have enough dirty (try not to wash until my clean towels are pretty much all gone) I try to wash them separately (by dirtiness).

I like using different colors because it helps me keep organized and I don't have to worry about getting towels mixed up in the middle of a job. It also helps, though doesn't eliminate, cross-contamination.
 
RDKC- That's a good example of finding a system that works for *you*.

I do something similar with the color-coding, using one for the "first pass" and something different for the second.

I *do* keep my Glass MFs separate though, just *so* paranoid about MF lint.
 
Accumulator said:
RDKC- That's a good example of finding a system that works for *you*.

I do something similar with the color-coding, using one for the "first pass" and something different for the second.

I *do* keep my Glass MFs separate though, just *so* paranoid about MF lint.
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I won't lie. I don't always wash my glass towels after every use. I have one for exterior and one for interior and, if they're not that dirty, I'll use it a second or third time. They're pretty large so there is always another side. Plus, I scrub and then both with a regular MF.
 
RDKC- No criticism from me on that! I don't launder my Glass MFs until I have a (functional) reason to. Note that I use one for dog-slobber on the inside windows virtually every day...been using the same one since last week and it doesn't need laundered yet.

And I too use different Glass Towels for different applications.
 
SwedishRider said:
Would they be safe to launder with any other group of towels?
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Yes, for now keep everything simple and toss your glass towels and ww drying towels in the washer with your paint safe towels. As long as you use hot water and an extra rinse cycle you should be fine. Depending on the size of the load, you can add up to a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle. The vinegar will help soften and break down any remaining residue. Towels with extra build up can be pre-treat in a bucket of water mixed up with an ounce or two of your microfiber soap. Let the towels soak for a minimum of an hour to overnight before washing.

Just remember to:

  • Wash new towels before using them
  • Never use bleach, fabric softener, or dryer sheets
  • Never dry on high heat
  • Never Iron
  • Never wash with non-microfiber textiles

Looking forward to your first "show and shine" thread!
 
Angus said:
Yes, for now keep everything simple and toss your glass towels and ww drying towels in the washer with your paint safe towels. As long as you use hot water and an extra rinse cycle you should be fine. Depending on the size of the load, you can add up to a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle. The vinegar will help soften and break down any remaining residue. Towels with extra build up can be pre-treat in a bucket of water mixed up with an ounce or two of your microfiber soap. Let the towels soak for a minimum of an hour to overnight before washing.

Just remember to:

  • Wash new towels before using them
  • Never use bleach, fabric softener, or dryer sheets
  • Never dry on high heat
  • Never Iron
  • Never wash with non-microfiber textiles

Looking forward to your first "show and shine" thread!
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if hot water is good why is high heat drying bad? Just curious.
 
I store 3 of the same microfibers per zipper lock bag and I don't mix different color or brand towels in the bags. Each type of towel I own is purpose specific (Glass polishing towel for glass in their own bag, bags of orange edgeless for LSP, bags of borderless blond's for polish and compound, bags of cheap blue and green towels for interior, bags of borderless white towels for waterless/rinseless, and bags of cheap yellow and orange towels for wheels and engine bay).

I try my best not wash any towel type with another towel type, E.G. I wouldn't wash my LSP towels with my Engine bay towels. I also wash each of my mitts totally separate without soap as there's soap soaked in the fibers from washing the car that comes out in the washing machine nicely (green is for wheels, yellow is for paint).

So I have seven (7) different distinctions or storage/wash group's of microfiber towels:

  1. Glass/Drying (baby blue and white)
  2. LSP (orange edgeless)
  3. Compound/Polish (blond edgeless)
  4. Interior (blue and green)
  5. Waterless/Rinseless (white edgeless)
  6. Wheels/Engine (Orange and Yellow)
  7. Mitts (green and yellow)

Keep in mind I don't wash every towel after using them. A lot of towels just go into a big dirty bin that I sort when I'm running low on towels. The only towels that get washed right after use are: drying towels, wash mitts, and waterless/rinseless towels.

I use the smallest load setting on my washing mechine using hot water. I only use the rinse and presoak options if the towels are visibly dirty. I hang most of my towels or dry on low heat without issues. My wash mitts are always hung to try as the cuffs fail quickly with dryer heat.

Not that friends and family haven't done me the favor of washing all the towels together or even with their clothes! ...grrr
 
jrock645 said:
if hot water is good why is high heat drying bad? Just curious.
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It's a very good question. The dryer's high heat and accompany electrical charge produced will reduce a towels life expectancy by hindering its ability to absorb liquids. Obviously this isn't a concern with washing machines.
 
My dryers never get even *close* to hot enough to negatively affect my MFs even on their highest setting, but I do try to remember to use "low" anyhow.
 
Angus said:
Yes, for now keep everything simple and toss your glass towels and ww drying towels in the washer with your paint safe towels. As long as you use hot water and an extra rinse cycle you should be fine. Depending on the size of the load, you can add up to a cup of distilled white vinegar to the rinse cycle. The vinegar will help soften and break down any remaining residue. Towels with extra build up can be pre-treat in a bucket of water mixed up with an ounce or two of your microfiber soap. Let the towels soak for a minimum of an hour to overnight before washing.

Just remember to:

  • Wash new towels before using them
  • Never use bleach, fabric softener, or dryer sheets
  • Never dry on high heat
  • Never Iron
  • Never wash with non-microfiber textiles

Looking forward to your first "show and shine" thread!
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I think this is great advice that I will heed. One question though... Mike Phillips recommends drying MF towels on medium to high heat. Here's the link to his post about it: How many microfiber polishing cloths do I need to detail my car? - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

Why would he advocate for high heat when I've read in so many places to only dry with low heat?
 
I do 3 different loads. Whether it is right or wrong is up to you.

1) Paint/Polish
2) Interior/Glass
3) Engine/Wheels

Sometimes I wonder if I create a fourth for metal polishing towels.

And all of my towels vary in color.
 
SwedishRider said:
I think this is great advice that I will heed. One question though... Mike Phillips recommends drying MF towels on medium to high heat. Here's the link to his post about it: How many microfiber polishing cloths do I need to detail my car? - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum

Why would he advocate for high heat when I've read in so many places to only dry with low heat?
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Its a good observation, and I'm sure Mike has a reason for it. But I'd rather follow his best advise and start by taking the least aggressive approach first. To me that means the lowest heat possible in order to get the job done.
 
For me it is mostly keeping the glass and paint drying towels separate from everything else. I do wash the grungy stuff (usually what I do not use on paint) separate too.
 
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