Snuggle in the Dryer with MF's

M

MorBid

New member
K, I know all about the big no no of using Fabric Softner when washing MF towels but I had this box of Snuggle Dryer sheets laying around that I don't use and decided to try it last week.



Well I'm here to say that not only do my MF's come out softer, but they have less lint and are not marring up the finish with embedded objects.



Say what you want, I don't care :nana: :nana:. I was just looking for a way to keep the lint from driving me nuts when using my towels.





MorBid
 
MorBid said:
K, I know all about the big no no of using Fabric Softner when washing MF towels but I had this box of Snuggle Dryer sheets laying around that I don't use and decided to try it last week.



Well I'm here to say that not only do my MF's come out softer, but they have less lint and are not marring up the finish with embedded objects.



Say what you want, I don't care :nana: :nana:. I was just looking for a way to keep the lint from driving me nuts when using my towels.





MorBid
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Well, I believe PakShak explicitly states to NOT use dryer sheets.



I'm no genius but I bet they say that for a reason.
 
Dryer sheets....wow these things are bad. For the last year or so, I have not used any kind of fabric softener in the wash or dryer sheet in the dryer. Why? Because these things are honestly bad for us, and we dont even know it. If you read a box of Bounce dryer sheets, it explicitly states right there on the box to not allow the product to come into direct contact with clothing......huh? Yes, you read this correctly, it says it right on the box. The same goes for liquid fabric softener. I think it was Snuggle that I looked at and it actually states on the bottle to not use with cotton.....???



Anyway, I have stopped using all products like that, and am now using these spiked balls that go into the dryer, and find that they work just as well as the dryer sheets and fabric softeners by "fluffing" the clothes, and I'm not exposed to all these harmful chemicals.



Here's a test you can do to see what's going on in your dryer when you use dryer sheets. Take a mirror, any mirror, and spray it with water. Then take a dryer sheet and wipe the wet mirror like you would a paper towel to dry it off. Watch and see what happens to the mirror. The dryer sheet releases its chemicals and your entire dryer and all of its contents get coated with these chemicals, not good.



There are a lot of reasons why mf towels shouldn't be dried with dryer sheets, I'm sure, but the one that sticks out in my mind is the fact that every time you expose them to these softening chemicals you are reducing the amount of liquid they can absorb. That's right, you are effectively ruining your towels. They will eventually start to just smear water around, and what's the point of that?



I suggest drying your towels on the lowest heat setting, and finding some of these dryer balls, and throw some of those in there. I don't even dry mine completely. I let them get about 80-90% dry and then take them out to air dry the rest.
 
I put mine in the dryer on extra low heat. I find the tumbling action softens them and the low heat builds static (which is good for capturing dust on the car).
 
There is a very simple reasomn why liquid fabric softeners and dryer sheets are not good for your automotive towels... they don;t really soften, what they do is deposit a coating of silicone onto the yarns and this reduces the fabriucs ability to bite or remove excess wax as well as it's ability to effectively buff and absorb. The fabric will also deposit these chemicals onto you vehicle's surface.



Simply stated, don't use them! If you're getting a lot of lint then you need newer or better towels.
 
using dryer sheets/fabric softner is a :nono , as the mf's streak and leave residue behind :hairpull
 
well I've done it a few times and towels aren't streaking when I use them. Like I said I've read all the stuff about why not to use the fabric softner (sheets or in the wash).



But to tell you the truth I've got like a kizillain towels I've brought them from all over the internet. I wash mine very carefully (I now use All free and clear but was using Micro Restore and the like) and dry on low but after a few washes they all get hard as a brick and streak polish or product when I'm using them. None of them stay as plushy and soft as the day I took them out of the packet.



So I decided to try this to see if I can get more life out of my investment.
 
Wow!!! I never knew that about fabric softners and I do the luandry in the house. I just always used luiqid softner(lavender.....calms me(hehehe)). I'll have to check this out! Man this just ruined my day!



Although, never used FS on my MF's!
 
MorBid said:
But to tell you the truth I've got like a kizillain towels I've brought them from all over the internet. I wash mine very carefully (I now use All free and clear but was using Micro Restore and the like) and dry on low but after a few washes they all get hard as a brick and streak polish or product when I'm using them. None of them stay as plushy and soft as the day I took them out of the packet.
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I know we've had many towel-washing discussions here, and Accumulator has postulated some theories about water being different, etc., but I never have any trouble with my towels getting hard. I have a water softener and I use Charlie's Laundry Liquid, and the worst I get is some lack of absorbency (like if you spray some QD or other liquid directly on the towel and it seems to want to run off rather than soak in), but I'm not sure a new towel doesn't do that, and I always write it off to wax or PDMS dressing residue.
 
MorBid said:
well I've done it a few times and towels aren't streaking when I use them.
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if it works for you, that's all that matters :up . i personally like a mf towel free of any residue/matter, that's why i add vinegar to the final rinse to help aid that...
 
Yeah, made the mistake of drying our old microfiber cloths with dryer sheets over the course of a few months (used weekly) and they got to the point where they would just end up smearing stuff all over the place.
 
MorBid said:
well I've done it a few times and towels aren't streaking when I use them. Like I said I've read all the stuff about why not to use the fabric softner (sheets or in the wash).



But to tell you the truth I've got like a kizillain towels I've brought them from all over the internet. I wash mine very carefully (I now use All free and clear but was using Micro Restore and the like) and dry on low but after a few washes they all get hard as a brick and streak polish or product when I'm using them. None of them stay as plushy and soft as the day I took them out of the packet.



So I decided to try this to see if I can get more life out of my investment.
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If you were having problems keeping your towels soft & clean here are a few suggestions . . .



1. buy high quality towels (I find the really cheap ones just die really quickly)

2. wash with warm or hot water

3. add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle

4. throughly clean your lint trap before putting your towels in the drier (I vacuum mine)

5. dry on medium or high heat



I don't know why people think you are going to melt the fibers in the drier. Personally, I feel the reason why your towels are not coming out nice and fluffy is that you are being too gentle with them. So, not all the old product is releasing from the fibers. I'm on board with what a lot of others are saying about dryer sheets. IMO you are slowly killing your towels.
 
MorBid said:
well I've done it a few times and towels aren't streaking when I use them. Like I said I've read all the stuff about why not to use the fabric softner (sheets or in the wash).



But to tell you the truth I've got like a kizillain towels I've brought them from all over the internet. I wash mine very carefully (I now use All free and clear but was using Micro Restore and the like) and dry on low but after a few washes they all get hard as a brick and streak polish or product when I'm using them. None of them stay as plushy and soft as the day I took them out of the packet.



So I decided to try this to see if I can get more life out of my investment.
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Sounds like the soap isnt releasing in the rinse..try white vinegar in the rinse cycle.
 
JDookie said:
Here's a test you can do to see what's going on in your dryer when you use dryer sheets. Take a mirror, any mirror, and spray it with water. Then take a dryer sheet and wipe the wet mirror like you would a paper towel to dry it off. Watch and see what happens to the mirror. The dryer sheet releases its chemicals and your entire dryer and all of its contents get coated with these chemicals, not good.
Click to expand...



You sound the like the infomercial for the dryer balls on QVC! The guy did the same experiment!



I never liked fabric softener and do not use it. Sometimes I'll use the dryer sheets for my jeans BUT I place the dryer sheet in the washing machine with the wash. When I dry the jeans, I find them to be soft, almost as soft as if I used the dryer sheet in the dryer. This way I get the effect without most of the chemicals coating the jeans.



As far as MF's, I believe the chemicals in the dryer sheets release and coat the MF making them less absorbent and can smear on glass. Also, maybe they may adversely affect the structure of the fibers in the towel?



For softness I found that an extra rinse with vinegar does very well. As long as you are absolutely sure all the detergent is out of the towels before you dry them, the towels should be soft. Most of the time I do 2 rinses and the water is crystal clear indicating no residual detergent.
 
Spilchy said:
You sound the like the infomercial for the dryer balls on QVC! The guy did the same experiment!
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LOL! That's probably because I saw the very same demonstration in person at our local Home and Garden Show. All of the points I mentioned were pointed out at the demo. :xyxthumbs
 
Setec Astronomy said:
I know we've had many towel-washing discussions here, and Accumulator has postulated some theories about water being different, etc., but I never have any trouble with my towels getting hard. I have a water softener and I use Charlie's Laundry Liquid, and the worst I get is some lack of absorbency (like if you spray some QD or other liquid directly on the towel and it seems to want to run off rather than soak in), but I'm not sure a new towel doesn't do that, and I always write it off to wax or PDMS dressing residue.
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Setec:



I know I have some really funky water here. I have to use a filter on the shower and DI water for washing the car. The water coming out of the faucets smells like pool water.



I must run my towels through 2 or 3 rinses until there's no soap in em. I think I saw some water softner at the supermarket and maybe I'll grab a bottle.



I don't expect the towels to last forever and I do like you and rotate them down the ladder as they loose the plushyness or get loaded up with crap.



But I should get more than 4 or 5 washes out of them before that become needed.
 
MorBid,



Use vinegar like they have recommended, it really works. Also, try not to use regular laundry detergent, find a mf cleaner/conditioner and use that instead.



Back when we had a regular agitator type washing machine, we used powdered detergent and that alone made everything harder from some reason. Using too much detergent will have the same effect too.
 
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