correct way to wash waffle weave mf towels?
- Thread starter 123456789
- Start date
joyriiide1113
New member
Most water used to wash in the machine is not hard, but is not soft water either. After a while the hardness of it takes its toll on fabrics. Add vinegar to the mix and your towels should come out a lot softer.
Use really hot water to wash the MF's and add the vinegar to the rinse cycle. Dry in low low heat.
Use really hot water to wash the MF's and add the vinegar to the rinse cycle. Dry in low low heat.
Eliot Ness
Active member
This info comes from member DFTowel:
"- Keep your detailing fabrics clean from the start by always using hot water and liquid detergent (half what the manufacturer recommends)
- Use white vinegar in the rinse cycle only to remove excess detergent. Using it in the wash cycle will actually degrade the detergents effectiveness. Use about a tablespoon or two per towel.
- Dry on low for polyester towels, on high heat for cotton."
Personally I like to use Micro-Restore, a detergent made for MF's.
"- Keep your detailing fabrics clean from the start by always using hot water and liquid detergent (half what the manufacturer recommends)
- Use white vinegar in the rinse cycle only to remove excess detergent. Using it in the wash cycle will actually degrade the detergents effectiveness. Use about a tablespoon or two per towel.
- Dry on low for polyester towels, on high heat for cotton."
Personally I like to use Micro-Restore, a detergent made for MF's.
atticdog
New member
I wash in the washer with tide and hang dry them
Eliot Ness
Active member
I don't think that is a problem, except they tend to stick together and are a little harder to fold. I take mine out while they are still just a tad damp to eliminate that "static cling".BMWWW said:
Hey Guys!
Just to add, it is better to use liquid detergents versus powders. This is also
one time that using dishwashing liquid is ok to use (in moderation, of course)
when cleaning towels with grease or wax buildup. I also try to keep specific type
towels seperate during the wash; waffle weaves with waffle weaves, Plush with
plush, etc.
Another cool ideea is to toss in one or two plastic whiffle balls; either golf or
baseball type wiffles work quite well to improve cleaning and distrubition of
detergent throughout the wash cycles. This worke well with top-loading machines
as well as front-load machines.
Just to add, it is better to use liquid detergents versus powders. This is also
one time that using dishwashing liquid is ok to use (in moderation, of course)
when cleaning towels with grease or wax buildup. I also try to keep specific type
towels seperate during the wash; waffle weaves with waffle weaves, Plush with
plush, etc.
Another cool ideea is to toss in one or two plastic whiffle balls; either golf or
baseball type wiffles work quite well to improve cleaning and distrubition of
detergent throughout the wash cycles. This worke well with top-loading machines
as well as front-load machines.
Accumulator
Well-known member
123456789 said:
No. I have my garage water heater turned up pretty high, and I wash mine on "hot" every time. No problems at all after years of this.
mbkintner said:
With top-load machines, I had no problem with just putting all the towels together,
since water offered a degree of suspension during the wash. So even though the friction
helped with the wash process, the towels were not rubbing too hard against one
another. Now that we have a front load machine, I sometimes found that things got a
lil knarly; primarily with the waffle weaves. So I began to toss in a wiffle ball, and
that seemed to help, and then I just began to segregate the types of towels I use.
None of this is scientific of course, this is just my odd way of doing things.
Accumulator
Well-known member
usdm said:
Maybe I'll try that in our household washer...it's one of those Sears "Calypso" ones that a) twists up the textiles being washed and b) basically does a crappy job
It's so lousy that sometimes we take the "good" household laundry out to the garage and wash it in the old, direct-drive washing machine I have for the car towels!I've been surprised how much difference the washing machine can make in how clean the laundry gets. After I got rid of my old Kenmore top-load, I did some research and bought a Fisher-Paykel washer about 5 years ago. It uses less water, I can get away with even using half the detergent if I want, but the clothes come out cleaner than any other machine I've used. This thing only has 6 moving parts. Instead of using a transmission to agitate the laundry, it has a 12VDC motor that reverses polarity to change tub direction. I don't remember the whole explaination, but part of the reason it's able to wash better is that it has an additional wash cycle that simulates a front-load machine. Like some other nicer machines, it spin dries at 1000 rpm so things take less time in the drier. And Fisher Paykel has an excellent reliability record. My wife is pushing for me to buy one of their cool top-load dryers, but for now the one we have works well enough that a new one is down the priority list. Fisher Paykel is a lot easier to find for sale now than when I bought mine, I've even seen it at Lowes. I could go on about other cool features on this machine, but suffice it to say I never thought I'd find myself excited about a washing machine, lol. 
123456789 said:
It's my understanding that a big reason that we use fabric softeners is because detergents don't easily rinse out and the softners aid in getting it out. If you follow recommendations NOT to use fabric softeners for your towels, the stiffness may be risidual detergent.
You might pick a different detergent (I'm experimenting with the Oxi-Clean ball as Oxi clean claims to rinse cleaner and not require softeners) and/or use white vinegar in the rinse cycle.
Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
abbeysdad said:
This is absolutely contrary to info that has been previously posted by laundry "experts" and ChemE types. Please research before posting things like this that will confuse other members.
To quote DFTowel from another thread:
"With all the discussion on this site and others on this subject it should be clear: DO NOT USE FABRIC SOFTENER... PERIOD!
Fabric softener in any form (in detergent, rinse additive, dryer sheets) deposits silicone on the fabric to make it appear softer to the touch but reduce absorbency."
__________________
Accumulator
Well-known member
MY oldest BBT was getting stiff so I washed it in hot water with MicroRestore (or whoever's version I had at the time). I then washed it repeatedly with no detergent at all, and I did it many times. I then rinsed it with plenty of distilled white vinegar mixed in. Came out nice and soft. Since then I always wash with a MF-specific detergent (don't know why they work so well for me, but they do) and rinse with vinegar. No more stiff BBT 
I use some softener with certain textiles, but not my MFs and certainly not my WWs, it could seriously affect their absorbency.
velobard- Thanks for the washer recommendation. I do most of the laundry around here and I have a, uhm...significant interest in washing machines. When I don't have anything better to spend my money on that Calypso machine is history.
I use some softener with certain textiles, but not my MFs and certainly not my WWs, it could seriously affect their absorbency.
velobard- Thanks for the washer recommendation. I do most of the laundry around here and I have a, uhm...significant interest in washing machines. When I don't have anything better to spend my money on that Calypso machine is history.
Microfiber towel washing has been a myth for a LONG time now. Hot DRYING is bad, as sometimes gas dryers can heat too much and cause slight melting. So the rumor of this goes out on the net, then some guy also says not to use hot WATER because that must be bad too. Then the next guy hears that hot water and hot drying are bad, so he adds the part where specific cycles are recommended. Some folks even hear that you can BOIL Microfiber because it goes through a 608(F) wash from the manufacturer (No way!) so boiling must be safe. Funny urban legend stuff, pretty much all false.
I've been around a *lot* of Microfiber in my life, from the first rolls imported into the USA to the current stuff we have now. Microfiber you wash just like everything else, except do it on low heat or cool air drying. Just never use fabric softeners and try to use a liquid detergent designed for Microfiber rather than the stuff that gets stains out of underwear.
Hope this helps!
-Ben
I've been around a *lot* of Microfiber in my life, from the first rolls imported into the USA to the current stuff we have now. Microfiber you wash just like everything else, except do it on low heat or cool air drying. Just never use fabric softeners and try to use a liquid detergent designed for Microfiber rather than the stuff that gets stains out of underwear.
Hope this helps!
-Ben