There are currently 4 different cleaners for microfiber towels

I have only used micro restore and no I don't notice any difference in it's ability to clean over the woolite I was using previously. I will not repurchase this product again and will go back to using woolite.
 
All vinegar has a smell to me. I won't eat any thing with any vinegar in it and there is no way in Hades I'll wash any of my microfiber in it either!

I drank about half a quart of distilled white vinegar, yes I said DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR!!!! not any other kind, when I was 5 years old. I guess you could say I was traumatized by vinegar, because I get physically ill when I smell any sort of vinegar...yes even DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR!!!! :hurl :ranton

A lot of the results of washing anything depend on your water & your washing machine. I have found that a second rinse, regardless of what is being washed, just makes my clothes so much softer. It is really funny because washing my microfiber has made me more aware of my regular laundry.

I've sent out 4 or 5 samples of Charlies and specialty detergents...each persons results were different. :dunno Like I said there are other variables than just the detergent or towels (the cheap crap I bought from Target still bites no matter how you wash it, but the good stuff is noticeably softer after washing with Sonus, MicroRejevantor or Charlies...I used Woolite & All Free & Clear and they just didn't compare).

Thank you for listening to my rant.
 
Charlies will clean just about anything, they acutally recommend running a empty load in your washer just to clean out the contaminants....
 
<By the way, someone earlier said they use "lots of detergent." This is counterproductive.>

Not if you rinse it all out. :-p

<Only use what is needed as per the bottle instructions, in fact, use a little less.>

There are no instructions for washing detailing rags with waxes, silicones and other chemicals on them. :dunno

This whole vinegar thing sounds like an old wives tale. Is there any chemical data that states vinegar releases detergent from cloth fibers?
 
thefitter said:
<By the way, someone earlier said they use "lots of detergent." This is counterproductive.>

Not if you rinse it all out. :-p

<Only use what is needed as per the bottle instructions, in fact, use a little less.>

There are no instructions for washing detailing rags with waxes, silicones and other chemicals on them. :dunno

This whole vinegar thing sounds like an old wives tale. Is there any chemical data that states vinegar releases detergent from cloth fibers?
Click to expand...

Vinegar being an acid will break down calcium and other "base" ingredients. Vinegar may or may not actually break down the detergent, but it will break down the calcium and other minerals commonly found in hard water. This is why many coffee maker manufacturers reccomend running vinegar through the machine once in a while. It does work, but stinks like crazy.
 
I got some free Pinnacle micro-rejuvinator from Autogeek. Tried it according to the directions, using 4 capfuls for a small load (about 8 or 10 small MF towels). When they came out, they still had a fair amount of dirt on them. Re-washed in Tide free which got them cleaner than the Pinnacle. I will use up the Pinnacle, but after that will stick to a regular detergent with vinegar in the rinse. As others have stated, your towels don't come out smelling like vinegar. Haven't tried the pre-soaking, but sounds like a good idea.
 
Where can I get this "Charlie's Soap"? It sounds like an APC? Would I be better with something like that or do you feel the Charlie's leaves the towels soft as when washed with an MF dedicated wash.


mtodde: I think the Pinnacle makes the towels softer, but the Sonus makes em thirstier. I could be 100% wrong, but those are the findings I've noticed.
 
GSRstilez said:
Where can I get this "Charlie's Soap"? It sounds like an APC? Would I be better with something like that or do you feel the Charlie's leaves the towels soft as when washed with an MF dedicated wash.

http://www.charliesoap.com/
They have an APC too, but I haven't tried it.


mtodde: I think the Pinnacle makes the towels softer, but the Sonus makes em thirstier. I could be 100% wrong, but those are the findings I've noticed.
Click to expand...

I haven't noticed my towels being thirstier after Sonus, LOL, but I still have a little left so I'll check that out! Pinnacle definitely makes them super soft. I won't say that Charlies makes them that soft, but it is awfully close. A lot of the results depend on your water and how well your washing machine rinses. Charlies Soap does seem to rinse better than All, Tide & Woolite in MY experience. Just like the specialty detergents it isn't perfect, but I'm getting ready to order my first gallon.
 
For those that dopn't care for the initial vinegar smell you can make a solution of homemade fabric softener. This solution uses distilled white vinegar which dissolves the detergent and allows for less residue but also uses baking soda for freshness:

1 part white vinegar
1 part baking soda
2 parts water

Keep the well mixed solution in a sealed container and use it in the final rinse cycle, about a cup for a normal full load.

The use of acidic white vinegar is not an old wives tale. It is an established method of getting detergents and soap to release from the fabric. Modern softeners are an attempt to imitate the vinegar although they don’t work the same, all they do is coat the fabric with silicone.

Here's another trick! Toss half a lemon in your wash, it is a mild substitute for bleach and is especially effective for outdoor line drying in the sun. It also works like white vinegar by not allowing detergents to adhere to the fabrics.

I'll make expert washerwomen out of you guys yet! :rolling
 
This whole vinegar thing sounds like an old wives tale. Is there any chemical data that states vinegar releases detergent from cloth fibers?
Click to expand...

Hehehe .. I never thought the idea of using white vinegar would lead to such a passionate debate!

I understand why some might be skepical about using a readily available, very cheap liquid such as white distilled vinegar as a fabric softner but this is a well known use for white vinegar and in my experience it works very well.

Do not just take my word for it. A quick google search will net you numerous web sites which refer to using white vinegar as a fabric and water softner, infact if you research well enough, you will find some companies that SELL the active agent in white vinegar, acetic acid in concentrated form for use as a rinse aid!

The chemistry involved in using vinegar as a rinse aid is also well known. As Kim stated, the acetic acid contained in white vinegar reacts with calcium and magnesium softening the water. Acetic acid also reacts with the alkyls contained in some detergents and with the salts produced as a by product of some surfactants, all of which can accumulate on MF towels over time, making them stiff and less absorbant.

One last thing, check out DFtowel's posts here and on other detailing forums such as Autopia, this man knows his MF's and towels better than most. If white distilled vinegar works for him, I reckon it is at least worth giving vinegar a try, at least then you can decide for yourself if it is an effective rinse aid.

PS: White vinegar is also useful for removing water spots and concrete splashes from paint, but that's another story! :lol
 
<white vinegar reacts with calcium and magnesium softening the water.>

I knew about this. :headbang

<Acetic acid also reacts with the alkyls contained in some detergents and with the salts produced as a by product of some surfactants.>

But I did not know about this. :dunno
 
IMO, the pre-soak is the most important thing you can do, and it's easy too. What I do is have a third bucket when I'm washing. As I am done with MF's, I toss them in that bucket. When I'm done, I wash out my original wash bucket and put about two gallons of very hot tap water in with about 1/4 cup of wash detergent and about a half cup of the distilled white vinegar. I put all of my MF's in there and stir them around with a long handled spoon (HOT water). I let those soak for about an hour, and then I pour all of that in to the washing machine. I use the hot water setting on the washer, agressive cycle (my washer sucks a lot), and run that w/ half of the recommended detergent (already in the bucket). In the first rinse cycle, I add another 1/4 cup of vinegar. Once they've been spun out, I run the final rinse cycle again. Spin cycle twice, if they're not dry, too bad. It's a bit labor intensive, but it leaves the towels soft, fluffy, thirsty, and clean.

For reference, it's easier than it sounds, I'm just a wordy writer.
 
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