Washing Microfiber in HE Washer?

Lazzman

Lazzman

New member
Is there anything that people do differently when washing there microfiber towels in a Front loader High Efficiency Washer?



I have been at this for some time and not getting the best results, as in the micro fiber does not seem to come out as soft as it should.



A little back ground: I use about 2oz of Micro Restore per load, which is about 10-12 micro fiber towles, the towels are not excessively dirty since I usually only detail newer cars, they have the usual wax, polish and quick detail residue on them. I use the normal cycle with warm water which lasts about 50 minutes. I am extremely careful not to let any fabric softener near the towels and I clean the detergent dispensar before use. I then air dry them on a clothes line.



One thing I did notice recently, is that I did a wash of micor fiber towels and then overlooked a few microfiber bonnets that were stuck to the side of the wash drum. These got washed again with a load of my laundry, with Tide and Clorox 2. For some reason they came out much cleaner and softer than the first load of Micro Fiber??? Still trying to figure this out.



Wondering if I should send the machine through 2 Rinse cycles in the future. I contacted the reatailer of the Micro Fiber about any special cleaing instructions with an HE washer and they and they were pretty vague saying just wash it the same as a regular washer and use the same amount of Micro Restore as I would with a conventional washer.



Any advice is certainly appreciated :grinno:
 
lazzman- I find that things generally don't get as clean in my HE frontloader as they do in my other, direct-drive agitator-style washer. They don't rinse out as well either, so I'd sure do at least the extra rinse. I almost always do more than two rinses on every load of everything in either of my washers, but with the HE I consider it downright mandatory.



I figure two things are in play here:

-the HE washer is much more gentle

-the HE washer uses less water



IMO neither of those factors is all that great when it comes to getting detailing stuff out of MFs or getting the detergent residue out during the rinse. I often do an extra wash *without detergent* as a sort of "super rinse cycle".



I use hot water and "Heavy Duty" , sometimes even the "sanitary" cycle, and that helps a bit. No, doesn't hurt the MFs at all and since the HE is "so gentle it doesn't even hurt the dirt", such measures are often needed. Eh, I've pretty much given up on my HE for this particular laundry duty as my older agitator-type washer simply does a better job.



I bet that the reason your MF bonnets came out cleaner is that they got washed twice. Note that while some people (myself included) usually do better with specialty detergents, other folks do fine with normal detergents, so maybe that Tide/Clorox2 combo simply worked better for you than the MicroRestore. I actually kinda prefer Dawn for laundering MFs, but don't try that in the HE (voice of experience ;) ).



Oh, and FWIW, all my textiles generally end up softer if I machine-dry them instead of hanging them up, including my MFs. I dry my MFs on "medium" and I've never had any problems from that. For that matter, I didn't hurt them when I accidentally dried them on "high" either, but they dry fast enough on the lower setting so I stick with that.
 
I've been washing my twice with the Extra rinse setting on, and heavy soil level setting. Takes my washer 1h37m per wash on those settings. Thinking about getting another standard washer just for doing towels.



I would avoid using more then the recommended amount of detergent too.
 
Thanks gentlemen for the Excellent information, thinking about it I must say I wholeheartedly agree.



Back in the day when I was afraid my dirty micorfiber would ruin my wifes $1200 washer I would put them in a 5 gallon bucket with Mirco Restore to soak off most of the crap, then throw them in the washer when they were reasonably clean. This seemed to work real well for the most part.



I have not been getting that super soft micro fiber feel after a wash lately and know something is wrong.



I will put the two rinse cycles into effect and use less detergent moving forward. Before I got the micro restore I used All Super Concentrated detergent that was fragrance free and it worked great.



Also that trip through the dryer my Micro fiber bonnets took made them very soft and had no adverse effects- I think I will go this route in the future.



I'm with Rasky, I wish I kept my wifes old top load washer instead of letting Sears haul it away.



Thanks again :rockon1:
 
Yeah, having a "crappy-duty" washer really is handy. And used washing machines (dryers too for that matter) are often available dirt cheap (heh heh :chuckle: ).
 
I've been washing with an HE machine for 6 - 8 years. I probably use the Micro-Restore stuff just a couple times per year. I didn't realize it was intended to be used every wash cycle.



I tend to rotate brands of (HE) laundry detergent. I run just a standard cycle (40 mins). If things are a bit nasty, I might add an extra rinse and perhaps that 1/2 cup of white vinegar. My towels are real not funky when I throw them in. Pretty much light duty stuff. If something was bad, I'd do a pre-wash/rinse with OPC in the slop sink.



I used to wash with (HE) Woolite and the towels seemed a bit softer when done. I can't find that product any longer. I guess I should seek it out.



I had been drying on medium heat forever, sometimes high. I've recently started drying on low and leave the towels just slightly damp.



I think I have nearly all my MF towels. I really can't recall any outright failures except for a small group of WW drying towels which lost their absorbency for some reason unknown to me.
 
tom p. said:
I've been washing with an HE machine for 6 - 8 years. I probably use the Micro-Restore stuff just a couple times per year. I didn't realize it was intended to be used every wash cycle.



I tend to rotate brands of (HE) laundry detergent. I run just a standard cycle (40 mins). If things are a bit nasty, I might add an extra rinse and perhaps that 1/2 cup of white vinegar. My towels are real not funky when I throw them in. Pretty much light duty stuff. If something was bad, I'd do a pre-wash/rinse with OPC in the slop sink.



I used to wash with (HE) Woolite and the towels seemed a bit softer when done. I can't find that product any longer. I guess I should seek it out.



I had been drying on medium heat forever, sometimes high. I've recently started drying on low and leave the towels just slightly damp.



I think I have nearly all my MF towels. I really can't recall any outright failures except for a small group of WW drying towels which lost their absorbency for some reason unknown to me.
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I have been using a HE machine for the past 3 years and I usually wash my drying WW seperate from my polish/wax removal MF and every one of my WWMF, besides two new ones that have not been used much, are not very absorbant anymore. They just push the water around until they are fairly damp and even then they don't absorb much. I dry using the low or medium setting.



I usually use the Woolite HE, but also have used Tide HE and sometimes I add Super Clean APC with one of the HE detergents. The last wash I tried just Megs APC+ to see if it helped any. I am beginning to think using a QD or DG AW 99% of the time I dry and letting the used towels sit for days before washing them has caused them to lose absorbancy. They still feel soft. They just don't suck up water like they used to.



I guess it's time to place a pakshak order. :eyebrows:
 
I have a HE and have found I get the best results washing my towels with Tide HE with bleach alternative it comes out much cleaner and softer then when I use a special MF wash product. I don't even use the MF restore stuff anymore. I use the towel cycle with hot wash/cold rinse (about 1 hour)and when it's done do another rinse cycle with warm water(about 15 minues). The hot water really cuts thru the stuck on dirt/wax. I set the spin to the highest setting. For some reason my washer wont do a hot wash/warm rinse combo??? Then I plop it in the dryer low heat setting with the sensor set to dry, takes about 1 hour. towels come out nice and clean.



I've tried washing my used towels with the MF restore and still had some stains, so I washed again still stains. I figured they were stuck on the towels already so I just used them. The next time I washed them I used the Tide and they came out spotless. After that I've only used the Tide.
 
I use Dawn dish washing detergent and a few oz. of a APC such as purple power. I do a extra "speed was" with no detergent to be sure all is removed. Works for me.....
 
I used to use MicroRestore but have started using our regular laundry detergent without issue. I use the regular cycle with extra rinse and hot water. Also, for soft towels put a tablespoon of white vinegar per towel in the rinse cycle. Seriously, it helps. For drying, 20 minutes on medium heat, let cool and then another 20.
 
detailfanatic said:
I used to use MicroRestore but have started using our regular laundry detergent without issue. I use the regular cycle with extra rinse and hot water. Also, for soft towels put a tablespoon of white vinegar per towel in the rinse cycle. Seriously, it helps. For drying, 20 minutes on medium heat, let cool and then another 20.
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You must use a lot of vinegar if you wash 20 towels. The vinegar is supposed to remove any residual soap so if it is softens it is because you had residual soap.
 
audicoupej said:
I guess it's time to place a pakshak order. :eyebrows:
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Maybe but if you do not figure out what is going on you will have more nice non-absorbent towels. I have noticed a decline in absorbency. I was wondering if the Microrestore has a shelf life. I had been cleaning out my dryer with apc prior to drying to try to remove any dryer sheet transfer.
 
(HE) Washing Machine Maintenance



Modern high-efficiency washer’s use less water and seal more tightly than older, less-efficient machines, these washers are more prone to residue build-up. To address this issue, Whirlpool pioneered the development of Affresh tablets, a simple, powerful and universal solution. All brands of HE washing machines have the potential for mould and mildew stains if not properly cleaned on a regular basis.



To ensure maximum performance, appliance manufacturers recommend a monthly maintenance and cleaning routine. Many cleaning products currently on the market with ingredients such as bleach adequately maintain the washer, but results may vary and are not always consistent.



Used every 4-8 weeks (dependent upon machine usage) it will prevents odour-causing residues from accumulating, although heavily soiled washers may require repeated treatments to remove traces of odour and residue. In this case, Whirlpool recommends running three successive washer cleaning cycles with an Affresh tablet in each.

 
Bunky said:
You must use a lot of vinegar if you wash 20 towels. The vinegar is supposed to remove any residual soap so if it is softens it is because you had residual soap.
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At a tblspn per towel, even 20 towels doesn't add up to a lot of vinegar and it does make a difference regardless of the amount or type of soap used.
 
detailfanatic said:
At a tblspn per towel, even 20 towels doesn't add up to a lot of vinegar and it does make a difference regardless of the amount or type of soap used.
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I guess it depends if 10 ounces of vinegar is a lot. It is not that expensive and do not disagree that it will help strip any residual soap. If you use more than a 8 ounces I would recommend adding to 1st rinse and then do a second rinse. It will reduce the vinegar smell.



Obviously the more soap you add the more cleaning possible but it can get more difficult to rinse out.



What I do not like about He washers is that the machine decides how much water will be used. It will dispense a fixed amount based upon the load so adding too much soap makes rinsing more critical.
 
bill57 said:
Related to the inefficiency of "High Efficiency" washing machines, from the Wall Street Journal:

Sam Kazman: How Washington Ruined Your Washing Machine - WSJ.com
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The writer quotes old resources. CR has always said that He washers clean better.



Yes, we did take 1910 technology (the top loader) and make it a lot more complicated but I think most people believe it cleans better, it uses less water, quieter, etc. but you could argue the same about the telephone to the iPhone but then it is no surprise that some do not think energy efficiency is important as long as they can afford it. The problem is the industry seems to want to push higher function (profit) models over bare bones units.
 
The HE washers do not clean as well as the "old" (before the government got involved) top loaders. According to the article, CR rated the 1996 top loaders as excellent, and by 2007 (after the government got involved) top loaders were terrible. So, to answer the original poster's question: to best clean your dirty microfiber towels (as well as the rest of your laundry), wash them in a pre-1997 top loading washer. Works for me!
 
I'd expect anybody who's done some loads of really dirty laundry in both an HE and an agitator-style to agree that the HE model doesn't clean as well. BTDT, most every week for the last however many years.



But OK, there will be diffs between various makes/models and maybe my Whirlpool Duet is simply a bad one (though it was the top-rated HE when I bought it). Guess you can only generalize so much so maybe other HE washers are a lot better than mine.



But in my first-hand experience, there's simply *ZERO* comparison. I mean...with the HE one, I end up with dirt in the dryer after doing "prewash + heavy duty cycle + extra rinses" when I wash filthy work clothes (let alone dirtier stuff). Yeah, I'm talking about actual *dirt* that I have to clean out of the dryer! So I've learned my lesson; anything *really* dirty gets washed in the old washer instead (which simply gets stuff *clean* first time, every time).
 
This is sort of a timely thread for me, because somewhat recently my HE washer appears to no longer be able to run the self clean cycle, which I would use after washing detailing MFs. Last run, I just did a regular wash cycle, but with nothing in it. I don't know what's going on, and I don't know anything about these machines. Is a regular wash almost as good as a self clean cycle? I don't use many different modes/cycles (really the only other one is probably "sheets"), but the self clean is the only one that doesn't appear to work. It will start, and maybe in 10 minutes or something it will just stop in mid cycle (it's normally 60 minutes, with the use of bleach).



So, now I'm thinking of going to a laundromat to do my MFs. I hope they will have a self clean cycle of some sort (I haven't used a laundromat in a very long time), because I would feel bad for someone else who is washing their clothes in the machine, immediately after my dirty stuff was in there.
 
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