White Distilled Vinegar and Microfibers

zesty-man

zesty-man

how do ya like it?
ive heard that some people use white distilled vinegar when cleaning their microfibers. ive heard that it takes out the stains and makes the microfiber more absorbant. i was wondering, do you personally use white distilled vinegar? why or why not?



if you do use white distilled vinegar, how do wash your microfibers with it? for example, do you put just a hint of it in, or lots?





thanks
 
I use vinegar in my laundry (that includes my mf towels) as a natural softener. It helps break down the detergents which in turn helps all of your laundry rinse cleaner.



You use it in the rinse cycle, so I just put it in the softener dispenser.



Vinegar (in it's various solutions 5%, 10%, 20%, Apple Cider) has tons of uses besides just cooking and laundry. Do a Google search. Where you been...Hawaii? :D
 
hmm, thanks for the quick reply. what percent do you have? here at home, my mom has the 5% white vinegar, so i was thinking that i may possibly use that. have you ever felt that the vinegar has taken a toll on your microfibers? for example, have they affected the durability in any way?
 
Yes, 5% white vinegar(as opposed to Apple Cider) is exactly what you want for laundry purposes. If your Mom uses a traditional laundry softener, suggest that she try the vinegar for her normal laundry, she'll thank you.



No negative effects on my MFs.
 
thanks, ill test it out tonite, just to see what if it can take off those nasty spots.





would you recommend me using vinegar in washing my microfibers? heres what my regimine will look like..



warm wash, cold rinse

tide free

5% distilled white vinegar

hang dry (hey, i dont live in hawaii for nothing!)
 
Vinegar (acidic, pH=2) works good in the rinse cycle to make your towels softer.



Here is how and why they work. Detergent is an alkaline (pH=12, the opposite of acidic on the pH scale). When you wash your towels (or anything for that matter) there are small amounts of detergent left behind. When your add Vinegar it balances the pH and helps removes the excess detergent from the wash.



My product, Micro-Restore Detergent (ph=12), is specifically designed to break down and emulsify heavy oils, waxes, and heavy elements that are in car care products, and that come off of our cars (break dust, oils, dirt). Elements that normal detergents don't do a good job removing. In its concentrated form it is very alkaline. When it is diluted in the wash water (water is pH=7) it becomes less alkaline (pH=9 or 10). Depending on how much you need to use (which depends on how dirty your towels are), it may be beneficial to add Vinegar to the rinse cycle to remove any extra detergent that has been left behind.



Vinegar itself will not do a good job of cleaning, in fact I think it will make the cleaning process less effective. Think of it as cleaning away the exess cleaner. Kind of funny that you need to clean the cleaner. Don't use to much though because I think it can have negative effects just like bleach (pH=13), which breaks down the microfibers over time.



I hope this helps explain why vinegar is sometimes a good idea in the rinse cycle. It'll make your towels feel softer, and make them more absorbent.



Ian

Autofiber.com
 
hmmm, so using the CH3COOH (acidic), along with the detergent (basic), it should balance the pH out at 7? in other words, you need a neutral solution to efftively remove any left over detergent, and to do that, you need an acid to balance out the base?



thats amazing, i may have actually gotten something out of useless high school chem... hope to see the reply, thanks
 
Zesty-man,



I believe that is correct. I myself am not a chemist, but that is how my chemist friend explained it to me. If you find any more info. or details, I would love to hear it!



Thanks,

Ian

Autofiber.com
 
tnanks, that sounds great for me. im just wondering, how much vinegar would you recommend per microfiber cloth youre washing. as of now, im going at about 1 tsp/microfiber. is that too much/too little? thanks
 
I have a front loader and I just fill the fabric softener dispenser with vinegar to the fill mark.
 
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