Removing foreign material out of Microfiber?

B

Byk

New member
It seems that every time I wash my microfiber towels, after close inspection I always find foreign material in the towels. Little leaves and who knows what else. So after washing the towels I still need to spend a lot of time picking the stuff out with tweezers.



I don't let my towels drop on the floor, but if I wash a car it's usually outside, and stuff always somehow finds itself in the towels needing a close inspection.



What do you do? Is there a better way?
 
Byk- Seems to me that as long as you're working in an environment where such stuff is getting on the vehicle, some of it will end up sticking to your towels. Still, I don't think all *that* much stuff oughta be getting on the vehicle :nixweiss



I'd keep them in a closed container before/after use and maybe blow the vehicle off before using the towels on it.



You could try inspecting the towels *before* laundering and pick out any big stuff. That way it won't come off one towel only to get stuck to another one (in the wash).



But yeah, at some point you simply have to accept that everything might not come off in the wash. No matter what (and I work in a very clean environment) you simply have to inspect the towels after laundering, and some things have to be picked out of the nap.
 
Check the washing machine for anything in it. Check any filters. Wash a load with nothing in it except cold water and see if you can find anything in the machine.
 
MDRX8 said:
Check the washing machine for anything in it... see if you can find anything in the machine.
Click to expand...



Hey, that's a great suggestion :xyxthumbs I'm always having doghair show up if I do certain loads in the wrong order (can't seem to clean it all out no matter how hard I try...just gotta let it find its own way out).
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I use the Maytag Neptune front-loader HE machine, and I'm not aware of any filters - is there supposed to be a water filter in the washing machine?



And I do keep my microfibers in a sealed container they are clean until I use them like if I'm washing a car the ONR way as an example, and use the MF to wipe, somehow some stuff does get into the MF.



Or if I clean my leather (even though it's vacuumed) some stuff always attaches to the MF and doesn't let go! It's like Velcro :)



It's just annoying to have to inspect every MF towel after a wash.



Probably my biggest problem is doing stuff outside as my single car garage makes things awkward to work inside it with the car in it.



Ah, I dream of a 3 car garage one day :)
 
Byk- I have MFs that I don't worry about too much, I just let 'em be contaminated and I keep them separate from my other ones.



On the washing machine, there are often nooks and crannies that can retain stuff. On my Whirlpool front-loader, I pull back the front gasket until I can see the perforated front lip of the drum; there's often some stuff there that needs cleaned out.



Or maybe just do a few "clean washer" cycles with nothing but bleach.
 
Accumulator said:
Byk- I have MFs that I don't worry about too much, I just let 'em be contaminated and I keep them separate from my other ones.
Click to expand...



That's a good point... I generally washed all MFs together (interior, exterior - not the really soiled ones like ones use for wheels) :2thumbs:



I just recently bought 21 new MFs from Chemical Guys so that I can just throw the used paint-safe ones into a bucket and wash them separate from the others once the bucket gets full and not worry about debris transfer. Hope this will make my life easier.
 
I'm right there with all the steps you two take --- my only addition to all that is a "White Vinegar Wipe Down" using a spray bottle in BOTH the washer and dryer. I tend to pick up little pieces of contaminates that I didn't notice with a visual inspection. ACCUMULATOR gets the credit for the White Vinegar in the dryer to get rid of the wifes incessant need to use softener sheets in the dryer :2thumbs: ... I just took it to the next level and do the washing machine too.

Either way, I occasionally find some little thing embedded in the fibers after they're dried and I'm folding them.

I keep an old pair of tweezers in the laundry room, and of course the lint-roller is a great help.
 
This is a problem I have as well. I find it doesn't happen on the really plush mf's that have the longer threads (ex:eshines cookie monster). I usually find small bits of plant debris(needles mostly). This is one of the reasons I'm going to give sponges another shot. Quite frankly, I've always had trouble keeping mf clean. I tried two different brands of specialty detergent, and didn't find it anymore effective than normal laundry detergent. Once an mf towel gets stained, its very hard to get the stain out. I love the plush mf for buffing, I think they're the best. But for washing I use terry towels for non-painted areas and I've ordered a sea sponge and grout sponge. I previously didn't like sponges because I found they'd hit a dry spot and skip out of my hand/They also seemed to fall apart on me. But I'm going to try them again and hopefully I'll find them easier to keep clean and better for releasing debris.
 
I don't get it...how are you folks getting your MFs so contaminated? Sounds like you need cleaner work environments..yeah, I know, easier said than done.





tibbsonaphone- FWIW, the *BEST* thing, with regard to being free-rinsing, is a BHB.
 
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