Microfiber Absorbancy

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ptaylor_9849

New member
Can anyone shed some light on this? I bought some very nice, plush microfiber towels from Pakshak a few months ago which have quickly become my favorite. I wash them in hot water in the washing machine using a little Dawn and a splash of white vinegar in the final rinse. Although they are still soft, they are not very absorbant any more. Am I wrong to wash them in the machine? Is there a chance that they are picking up fabric softeners from my laundry detergent? I seem to be chasing my quick detail spray around the surface which is leaving streaks from insufficient absorbancy. Your thoughts please.



Patrick
 
I think the fabric breaks down over time, after multiple washes. You can always try the boiling method, or rewash the clean towels in vinegar.
 
ptaylor_9849 said:
Am I wrong to wash them in the machine? Is there a chance that they are picking up fabric softeners from my laundry detergent?
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No. You are not wrong for washing them in the washing machine as long as you are washing them with no other fabrics (which I assume you are doing) and/or additives.



You are also correct in washing them in Hot Water (DFTowel is an expert on this stuff, read some of his posts), but that is usually debated on here alot. The possiblity of the Fabric Softner being picked up is also true. I use Charlie's Soap (only because it works for me), but in the directions the first thing it tells you to do is to run a cycle with just rags to get all of the excess fabric softner and/or soap out of the washing machine. I also had a person tell me to run a cycle with Cascade Liquid and Vinagar (50/50) to clean out the washing machine (I believe that they sell this mixture at Sears, however I do not remeber the name). I have an HE washer where I have to do this Cascade clean anyway every three to six months.



Try to clean your washing machine out by running a econo cycle (quick wash, ect) with just the cascade/vingar mixture and hot water. Then try to wash the towels again with Tide Free, or equilvelent. I am not sure if Dawn was the correct choice of detergent here, because it sounds as if you may not have added enough for it to get old products clean from the towels, and also, too much Dawn causes a lot of foam; which is not something you want alot of in the washing machine. Try just a regular laundry detergent without perfumes or dyes. You can also add a laudry detergent/degreaser, or an APC (but it is most likely not going to be necessary).



Again this is just my view and the success that I have had. Others of course have many different views on this subject.
 
My MF's have never been really good at absorbing water. They do 'ok' for QD but they are not the best.



They suck bad for cleaning glass.
 
I probably should have included this in my OP. I wash all my MF towels ALONE in the machine. There are no other items in the wash. My gut feeling is that they are picking up fabric softener or something from a previous load of laundry. Without absorbancy, my towels are almost useless to me. I need them to absorb my QD spray. Otherwise, I get streaks all over my black car from the spray that didn't fully dry or get absorbed. Please know that these towels are only a few months old and maybe washed 12 times.
 
Clean your machine and re-wash with the method I have given above, or boil them.



Boiling has given some members great results. If you re-wash then use a FREE laundry detergent.
 
i wash my mf's in warm water with liquid tide, and add some vinegar to the last rinse cycle. then off into the dryer on the lowest heat setting with NO fabric softner. never had an issue...
 
BlueLibby04 said:
Just make sure you dont fall asleep if you boil them!



I boiled mine outside on the side burner of our grill.
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Boiling just means the water is at 212 F. Why not heat the water to boiling and then soak after turning off the heat. The water should stay hot long enough to do what you want it to do. Typical washing machine water hot cycle is like 120 to 140 depending on what you set your water heater for most people.
 
Aloha all...



“white vinegar� is a natural fabric softener which could be the reason why the towels are loosing it’s absorbency. Too much of a good thing “vinegar� in this case might be the root of the problem. Over time (few months) with frequent washes, the residue left behind by vinegar in the towel is most likely repelling the water instead of absorbing it.



Always wash your towels with a "plain" liquid laundry detergent without fabric softeners or bleach alternatives. Such as Tide or Era. Then line dry or put the towels in the dryer set at low heat. Do not put in any dryer sheets.



For the reasons above, we don’t recommend vinegar as part of your maintenance and care of your towels.



Happy Holidays!



Thank you & Aloha,

Ranney :)
 
Thanks for clearing that up, Ranney. Vingar should not be used as often as it seems. I tried vinigar once becuse it was suggested, but usually I wash my towels on an extra rinse cycle to make sure that I got all the soap out.
 
I wash hot in Era, tumble dry on low setting and I\'ve never had a problem.



I picked up some cheap Wal-Mart MF kitchen towels and experimented by washing them with the other common laundry. There were no problems drying my hands, drying dishing, or drying the counter top but when I tried to use one to clean a mirror I couldn\'t believe how much lint the towel was holding and then deposited (dumped??) on the mirror.



I have since washed these towels separately (but not with my detailing MF\'s) and the linting problem is gone.
 
I've decided to make a slight change in my detailing technique. I going to dedicate certain towels for certain jobs. For example, I'm no longer going to use my nice, plush towels from Pakshak to remove any more wax residue. I'll keep the plush ones for quick detail sprays that will not cake up the pores. I think my towels may have been repelling water more so because of the wax buildup than my wash technique. Thanks everyone for your input. Special thanks to Ranney from Pakshak who wrote me personally at my home.



Patrick
 
For starters, I boiled them for 15-20 minutes. Be careful if you decide to do this. The bubbles that rise from the boiling water get trapped in the towels and when you stir the pot, the towels release the trapped air and poof. Here comes an escaping bubble of boiling water. However, I do notice a difference now. Remember when you first touch a new MF towel it grabs your skin and feels like you have very dry hands. Well, my towels feel like that again after boiling them. Moreover, I sprinkled a little water on each towel after it was dry and it absorbed water quickly. Before, the water drops would sit on the surface and not absorb into the cloth. In short, boiling seems to work.



Patrick
 
This may be just me, but I find that my Viking drying MF dries water pretty well, but has a lot of trouble with ONR. Does anyone else have a problem drying ONR?
 
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