There are currently 4 different cleaners for microfiber towels

The Woob said:
what is ERA?
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ERA is a brand of detergent (Like Tide, Cheer, Sunlight etc.).

GSRstilez said:
Which OTC detergents are "free" of all of these?
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Tide Free is one example that comes to mind. What ever brand you like, look for a "Free" label and that usually means free of dyes, perfumes, phosphates, etc. If you were to shop in health stores, they sell some lesser known brands (usually expensive).
 
mtodde said:
That's funny. I thought I was the only person that hated the smell of vinegar!
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Now that you mention it, I hate the smell the vinegar too and cannot believe that I considered using it on my finest microfibers. I'm sure it leaves them clean and soft but I do not want to run the risk of that smell getting to my nose. I won't even let a bottle of vinegar be in anywhere in my new house.

IMHO, the only smell worse than vinegar is goat urine.
 
Scam?…No.
Marketing hook?…Yes.
Necessary?…Probably not.
Economical?…Definitely not.
Worth it?…That’s up to the individual.

I wash all my rags together…MF, fleece and terry, including bonnets and applicators. I soak them in the washer for an hour in Dawn, Big Orange and lots of laundry detergent. Then I run the washer. Then I run them through another complete cycle without any soap to completely rinse them. They come out pretty much spotless. The only thing this process won’t get out is heavy-duty engine grease.

Even though I use three products it’s still cheaper than the specialized stuff and I know for sure that they are totally clean of all wax, polish and silicones.

You know what they are oing to promote next? Microfiber combs, to properly align and separate the fibers. :lmfao Wait...that could be my millon dollar idea! :jump
 
GSRstilez said:
Which OTC detergents are "free" of all of these? I'm running low on MF detergent and I'd like to give these a try.
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Sean, I'm experimenting the "Gentle Cycle Woolite" and the "Dark Laundry Woolite" at the moment, so far the results have been good. I've also used Tide and All "Free N Clear" detergents with no apparent effect on my MF's :)
 
mtodde said:
That's funny. I thought I was the only person that hated the smell of vinegar!
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If your MF's smell of vinegar after using it as a rinse aid, you are either using too much white vinegar or you are putting the vinegar into the final rinse, instead of the first rinse cycle (use as you would a normal fabric softner).

Someone made a point about it being too much hassle to use vinegar? Just put the vinegar into the fabric softner dispenser or one of those little fabric softner balls you put in with the wash, it takes like 15 seconds! LOL

Anyway, its something that some of you might like to try for yourself, it will either work for you or it won't! :)
 
RedondoV6 said:
If your MF's smell of vinegar after using it as a rinse aid, you are either using too much vinegar or you are putting vinegar into the final rinse, instead of the first rinse cycle (as you would a normal fabric softner).
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I do not own vinegar so I've never used any with my towels. I just hate the smell period. It seems that I'm not alone.
 
mtodde said:
I've also used Charlie's Soap and really like it too - so much that I now use it for my regular laundry needs. I also use it for smaller mf loads
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Agreed...............
 
When i use viniger in the rinse cycle i put it in the first one and then rinse again with just plain water. When my towels are dry and ready to be folded there is no viniger smell on them at all and they are nice and soft. I agree that there may be designated cleaners for microfibers but i just havent used them yet and i am happy with the results i get so far. I would like to use some microfiber cleaner just to see how it works but i forgot to order it on my last order so i will have to wait untill i order some more stuff.
 
mtodde said:
I do not own vinegar so I've never used any with my towels. I just hate the smell period. It seems that I'm not alone.
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You are not alone dude. Gagging from that atrocious smell is not smooth at all.
 
Hey Fuzz, Love the Avator
I have used the Micro Restore and didn't get any different results that when using my old method:
Soak in a bucket of hot water and Dawn ... this breaks down the greases, silicones, oils, etc. that Dwayne mentioned, which the laundry detergent doesn't seem to do.
My basis for this is that if I do not soak in Dawn first, then there is a scum ring left in the washing machine. If everything had broken down then it would have been washed completely away in the rinse.
Anyway, I then wash in the machine, using warm water and ALL Free and Clear and set the machine for an extra rinse.
Throw them in the dryer at the lowest setting and they are as good as new.
FWIW ... I have softened water and that makes a difference too.
 
mtodde said:
I do not own vinegar so I've never used any with my towels. I just hate the smell period. It seems that I'm not alone.
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:hurl :hurl Me also I cannot stand the smell of vinegar. The only Vinegar I like is the one on fish n chips. :hah :hot :beat :bow :dancin
 
Kim and others right about the pre-soak. It really does help to break down compounds and waxes and helps to keep the washing machine much cleaner...not to mention it gets more of the chemicals out of the towels.

I still use a specialty detergent or Charlie's after that and always do a second rinse (even on clothes - it really helps!). Not everyone is going to go to that extreme, but it makes a difference for me.
 
Pre-soak in a bucket of water with Dawn

thefitter said:
Scam?…No.
Marketing hook?…Yes.
Necessary?…Probably not.
Economical?…Definitely not.
Worth it?…That’s up to the individual.

I wash all my rags together…MF, fleece and terry, including bonnets and applicators. I soak them in the washer for an hour in Dawn, Big Orange and lots of laundry detergent. Then I run the washer. Then I run them through another complete cycle without any soap to completely rinse them. They come out pretty much spotless. The only thing this process won’t get out is heavy-duty engine grease.

Even though I use three products it’s still cheaper than the specialized stuff and I know for sure that they are totally clean of all wax, polish and silicones.

You know what they are oing to promote next? Microfiber combs, to properly align and separate the fibers. :lmfao Wait...that could be my millon dollar idea! :jump
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This sounds like a good idea as I have done this before with terry applicators and sheepskin washmitts that got dirty from the lower part of car and also the terry applicators were full of Zaino. I just wonder will Dawn ruin the microfiber towels? :huh :dunno :headbang
 
To be honest I’m not sure how you could ruin a MF rag.:confused:

Other than getting something incredibly greasy or abrasive in it that you just can’t get out.

Or maybe melting the fibers.:flamed

What else could happen? :dunno
 
I just saw a story on TV about the waterfowl that are turning up soaked in oil somewhere in California. The birds are a mess & the environmental group trying to save them is using Dawn to clean them. They soak the birds then gently rub them down with the soapy solution & the birds are good as new.

My point (finally) is that I soak my MF in warm water & Dawn as soon as I'm through with them. I'll aggitate the water (now cool) when I walk past the bucket so I probably let them soak for a day or two. When they go in the wash I notice a lot of the residue on the MF has been released & precipitated to the bottom of the bucket.

I wash warm with ERA, rinse cold twice, and air dry. I've haven't tried any of the MF cleaning solutions yet but it would have to be proven to me that I'll get results that are better than my current method.
 
The Woob said:
...Leo what is ERA?
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It's a laundry detergent just like Tide or All found in the supermarket.

Listen guys, you are all going a little nuts over soap! Just use a good detergent without additives in hot water and you and your towels will be fine.
 
abc said:
:hurl :hurl Me also I cannot stand the smell of vinegar. The only Vinegar I like is the one on fish n chips. :hah :hot :beat :bow :dancin
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No no no, good Lord, you need to use Distilled White Vinegar NOT SALAD VINEGAR!! Use about a tablespoon per towel in the final rinse to help the fibers release excess detergent. Believe me, no vinegar smell.

By the way, someone earlier said they use "lots of detergent." This is counterproductive. Only use what is needed as per the bottle instructions, in fact, use a little less. Excess detergent does nothing to clean any better and, in fact, will remain as residue in your towels and cause problems down the road such as stiffness and streaking.
 
Charlies Soap works really well in my experience. I have not tried the PakShak product but Pinnacle and Sonus both do a better job than Tide HE in my front loading machine.
 
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