How Do you Wash MF??

F

Finish Line

New member
I have tried a number of wash prodicts for my micro towels. My most common experience is that they come out...dry??? I know, I know!! But, I don't mean dry from the dryer. I mean dry like, rough and even full of static.



Any good experiences/suggestions??





Thanks!!



Drew
 
I use Tide Free (about 1oz depending on the size of the load) and about 2oz of Griots Garage Microfiber Cleaner. The dryer can really stress the microfiber, so I use minimal dryer time (5 min on low) and instead hang the MF cloths to dry. Less static that way and they seem to stay more soft.
 
Thanks for the feedback, guys! It already seems that the common denominator here is that I keep them in the dryer too long!! Also, I've never used anything in addition to the standard detergent. SO, I'll try some micro soap and pull them out of the dryer a little sooner.



Thanks Again!!!
 
Per Autogeek:



For such a technologically advanced fabric, proper care is surprisingly easy. No fabric softener, no bleach, no heat - that’s all you have to remember!



Wash your microfiber in the washing machine with detergent only. Tumble them dry on low heat or no heat. High heat will literally melt the fibers while fabric softener and bleach will eliminate the electric charge that makes microfiber so effective. Avoid those three laundry habits, and your microfiber will last indefinitely.



The combination of polyamide and polyester is incredibly strong and soft, and microfiber towels absorb 7 times their weight in moisture!You might be wondering which detergent is best. Almost any detergent is suitable, but some are better than others. The primary concern is detergent residue; you want a detergent that is clean-rinsing. Powder laundry detergent very often leaves a soapy residue in fabric, and many liquid detergents contain strong perfumes and fabric softeners right inside the detergent. That’s great for clothes, but bad for microfiber.





Follow this advice, and your towels will be fine. Speaking from experience, the worst thing you can do is add fabric softener and dry on high heat. My girlfriend, bless her heart, tried to help me out once by washing my bag of used MF towels. She added fabric softener in the washing machine and dried them on high heat. Wrecked all of the towels--they sucked in the fabric softener and lost their charge. On the plus side, it gave me an excuse to buy new towels.
 
jdoria said:
What does heat do to the microfiber? I have been drying mine for a while.
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Well low heat doesn't do anything, but high heat over an extended period will (as the Autogeek article stated) actually melt the fibers of the MF and render them pretty much useless. They lose their "bite." I've dried my MF towels on low heat for years, and they work just as good now as the day I bought them. It's drying them on high heat that can (and in my experience will) lead to problems.
 
The MF towel is far more durable than most will give credit for. I've got MF towels that are years old. They really don't look any better or worse when compared to brand new towels.



I wash with the MF detergent every once in a while. I usually do a damp dry and take them out at that point. They seem to become less absorbent when dried all the way.



I do a white vinegar final rinse every now and then. That seems to add an element of softness that's lost over time.
 
Bostonsfavson said:
Well low heat doesn't do anything, but high heat over an extended period will (as the Autogeek article stated) actually melt the fibers of the MF and render them pretty much useless. They lose their "bite." I've dried my MF towels on low heat for years, and they work just as good now as the day I bought them. It's drying them on high heat that can (and in my experience will) lead to problems.
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Sure, excessive heat in the dryer can melt the poly fibers.



But some recommend boiling the towels to extrude all of the solvents and debris that have been accumulated over the towels life.



I try to keep about 200 microfiber towels in circulation. Each one is wahsed with Tide and dried 95% in the dryer after every use. So far, no failures. Maybe I could get a few more uses out of the towels, but at $4.00 per - its too much to focus on.
 
I use a "Wollite-like" detergent and once a month I soak them in vinegar and water to remove any deposits... that softens them right up!
 
havent tried vinegar



i currently us CG's Microfiber wash .. do a small load (like 6 17x24 MF towels) cold water wash with 5 caps of solution, cold water rinse. dry on lowest setting (NO farbric softner), pull the towels out while they are damp, then air dry
 
One of the best purchases I ever made was a front load washing machine. I wash most everything in hot water and use very little detergent (about 1/8 of the recommended amount). It is amazing how much detergent a top loader uses and leaves behind.
 
Adding vinegar really helps to remove whatever detailing product the MF had in it.



I've been washing my MF's in super hot water (sanitary cycle on my front loading washer), then just using the regular (which is medium heat) setting on the dryer. Note that the hot water is against what most MF manufacturers recommend. Guess I'm just a rebel that way.



I do set the washer for an extra rinse to make sure that *everything* (laundry detergent, vinegar, and whatever detaling products the MF"s had in them) comes out.
 
I think I use about 1/2 cup. It's important when it's added during the cycle. I simply add mine to the "softener" dispenser so the machine controls when it goes in. (This may or may not be the correct method of application).



We should see if we can dig up an old thread from a few years ago...it was highly informative on the care and handling of MF. I think the author was the guy in San Diego who mfrs the special MF shampoo. Maybe his name is Ian?
 
Cool. His name is Ian and he is in San Diego - - I'm not completely senile ;)





Autofiber.com said:
Vinegar (acidic, pH=2) works good in the rinse cycle to make your towels softer.



Here is how and why they work. Detergent is an alkaline (pH=12, the opposite of acidic on the pH scale). When you wash your towels (or anything for that matter) there are small amounts of detergent left behind. When your add Vinegar it balances the pH and helps removes the excess detergent from the wash.







My product, Micro-Restore Detergent (ph=12), is specifically designed to break down and emulsify heavy oils, waxes, and heavy elements that are in car care products, and that come off of our cars (break dust, oils, dirt). Elements that normal detergents don't do a good job removing. In its concentrated form it is very alkaline. When it is diluted in the wash water (water is pH=7) it becomes less alkaline (pH=9 or 10). Depending on how much you need to use (which depends on how dirty your towels are), it may be beneficial to add Vinegar to the rinse cycle to remove any extra detergent that has been left behind.







Vinegar itself will not do a good job of cleaning, in fact I think it will make the cleaning process less effective. Think of it as cleaning away the exess cleaner. Kind of funny that you need to clean the cleaner. Don't use to much though because I think it can have negative effects just like bleach (pH=13), which breaks down the microfibers over time.







I hope this helps explain why vinegar is sometimes a good idea in the rinse cycle. It'll make your towels feel softer, and make them more absorbent.







Ian



Autofiber.com
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For those wishing to see a lot more on this topic, search on this string:



Micro*restore



and you'll pull up endless discussion on the various theories relating to the cleaning of MF and pads.
 
Ive used Gain Liquid detergent for years on two rinse cyles and low heat in the dryer. Have yet to lose a towel from this method.
 
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