Trouble with washing Towels- 3D Towel Kleen

[emmjay]

Hello all,

I have been using 3D Towel Kleen as my towel detergent. I wash my towels after every wash (2bm) and after every Rinsless Wash as well.

During the 2bm method:

1 Mitt
2 Plush Towels
2 waffle glass towels.

I use around 1 oz.

Now...During the Rinsless method I use:

10 Eagle edgeless towels
2 Plush towels
2 Waffle glass towels
1 cobra waffle for jambs (thats all its good for as it scratches my Honda Paint).
ONR

For the rinseless towels I use 1.5-2oz in a front loader machine and I run a 1 hour power wash with an extra rinse at 40 degrees Celsius.

Rinseless towels show plenty of dirt so I can get a good indication of how clean they are getting. Even after all that washing when its done, I still have the brown color on my towels where I did my pass....It is not as pronounced but its clearly there, sometimes theres more sometimes less. I fold my towel during each pass so I get 3 uses out of each side. Each side of the towel has 3 "lines" of dirt when done.

People who use 3D Towel Kleen, any opinions? What am I doing wrong?

Note: I just collect all my towels after washing the car and toss them into the machine. They are still wet after the car wash ofcourse.

[David Fermani]

Unfortunately, towels used for this duty aren't going to remain perfect. Sounds to me like they're stained. Still totally safe to reuse, just discolored. Towel Kleen is a great detergent, it just may not be able to lift a stain such as this. No cleaner really will.

[ski2]

As David mentioned no detergent will remove all the staining -- especially from ONR. My ONR towels and mittts (even though clean) always look stained. Since I've switched to UWW+ my mitts and towels come out perfectly clean with no staining using 1.5oz of 3D Towel Kleen.

[emmjay]

Unfortunately, towels used for this duty aren't going to remain perfect. Sounds to me like they're stained. Still totally safe to reuse, just discolored. Towel Kleen is a great detergent, it just may not be able to lift a stain such as this. No cleaner really will.

Thank you David. It really does help getting an answer direct from the manufacturer! So I can sleep easy knowing that its clean right? I just hope the stains I see are not trapped dirt and/or un removed dirt.

I was a bit concerned so I washed them again and they came out cleaner. But, that is not really effective in both time and cost to do everytime.

[emmjay]

As David mentioned no detergent will remove all the staining -- especially from ONR. My ONR towels and mittts (even though clean) always look stained. Since I've switched to UWW+ my mitts and towels come out perfectly clean with no staining using 1.5oz of 3D Towel Kleen.

I agree about the staining - my microfibre chenile yellow mitt has a hint of blue from the ONR. The stain I refer to is one that looks like dirt.. We can see in the pic below right in the center, this is after wiping....just imagine the same brown stain just a bit lighter in color.

50470

[David Fermani]

Thank you David. It really does help getting an answer direct from the manufacturer! So I can sleep easy knowing that its clean right? I just hope the stains I see are not trapped dirt and/or un removed dirt.

I was a bit concerned so I washed them again and they came out cleaner. But, that is not really effective in both time and cost to do everytime.

You're totally fine. The more you wash them, the more the stain will fade.

[emmjay]

You're totally fine. The more you wash them, the more the stain will fade.

Perfect, thank you! :)

[dmayer]

I have never had a front loading wash machine, but it seems to me that the newer, higher efficiency wash machines do not clean as well as the old style with the full size agitators inside that were used for so many years. I think you give up some cleaning ability with the new washers. How do you feel about your front loader?

[emmjay]

I have never had a front loading wash machine, but it seems to me that the newer, higher efficiency wash machines do not clean as well as the old style with the full size agitators inside that were used for so many years. I think you give up some cleaning ability with the new washers. How do you feel about your front loader?

This just maybe the case.

I am just 25 so I've never ventured into home washing machines let alone wash anything. When I was at university in Australia we had communal washers that were beasts lol, no where near like the home washers.

I don't even wash my own clothes right now as I now live at home....but I wash my microfibers, the car, my towels etc. religiously (and my folks think i'm crazy) :laughing::laughing::laughing:

The machine I use right now (i took my folks old washer when they were buying a new one) has a silver drum inside. Thats about it...not like the top loaders which have the little plastic blades attached to the centre thingamajig and such.

[Whitewater25]

Maybe a bucket with a very diluted apc to throw them in as you use them and soak for a little while prior to washing might help get some of the stubborn products out.

[emmjay]

Maybe a bucket with a very diluted apc to throw them in as you use them and soak for a little while prior to washing might help get some of the stubborn products out.

I was thinking the same before, would 1:10 be mild? Or more? I have only used APC on tyres thus far.

[Setec Astronomy]

The ONR is your problem here, not the Towel Kleen. ONR for some reason stains wash media unlike (most?) other rinseless washes. I like to tell myself that ONR must have some difference that makes it a better wash that also makes it stain media, but I'm never able to convince myself.

One thing that does seem to help, as Whitewater25 suggested, is APC. I usually use "bone" type MF wash media, and I had some other kind of stain on one and sprayed that spot with some straight APC as a pretreat...when I washed it as normal, it was still all "gray" as usual, but the one area that got sprayed with APC was like new.

[Whitewater25]

I'm not sure what the ratio should be. I would just put a quick splash in a 5 gallon bucket and fill it 3/4 full. Maybe hand agitate it a few times during the soak. If it works but not as well as you like,add a bigger splash next time until you find a ratio that works. I think less is more with the apc. Don't want to take away from the towel clean.

[emmjay]

The ONR is your problem here, not the Towel Kleen. ONR for some reason stains wash media unlike (most?) other rinseless washes. I like to tell myself that ONR must have some difference that makes it a better wash that also makes it stain media, but I'm never able to convince myself.

One thing that does seem to help, as Whitewater25 suggested, is APC. I usually use "bone" type MF wash media, and I had some other kind of stain on one and sprayed that spot with some straight APC as a pretreat...when I washed it as normal, it was still all "gray" as usual, but the one area that got sprayed with APC was like new.

I was under the same thought. I have just received my (rather expensive) shipment which has some Uber rinsless :D. I shall give it a try and see where that takes me.

Thank you :)

[emmjay]

I'm not sure what the ratio should be. I would just put a quick splash in a 5 gallon bucket and fill it 3/4 full. Maybe hand agitate it a few times during the soak. If it works but not as well as you like,add a bigger splash next time until you find a ratio that works. I think less is more with the apc. Don't want to take away from the towel clean.

I shall give that a shot and I agree about less is more. 1:10 does wonders for my tyres and wheels. So i would definitely think its a lot less than that :P

Thank you :)