Microfiber questions/advise needed

[GrantLagasse]

Hi all. Been detailing for a couple years now and starting to think about my microfiber collection. I've been using gold plush jr.s for everything on the paint; wiping compound/polish off, removing wax, drying, QD, and claying. White waffle weaves and Adams green glass towels (both strictly for glass), cobra guzzlers for drying sometimes and just some cheap Autozone towels for wheels.
My questions and concerns regarding washing and using my towels...

1. I hate to put all my glass towels in a separate load to wash (5 towels total). Seems like a waste of water and time. Can I mix them with my guzzlers or gold plushes? Or will I be cross contaminating?

2. The gold plush towels... I know they're good for just about everything but obviously you can't keep track of what each individual towels job is. I'll use them for all different purposes and then throw them all in one wash load. (I have 24 of them) should I designate these towels to one job or continue my routine?

3. If #2 is a bad habit, should I buy different towels for each task? One color for wax removal, another for polish/compound, another for QD, etc?

4. I don't detail for a living, just a hobbyist and do some friends/family so I don't need many of each towel. Any way of avoiding washing small separate loads of towels to avoid wasting water?

Any input would be greatly appreciated, thanks!


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[detailsbydennis]

Separate the towels.


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[Rsurfer]

Separate in 4 categories: Grunge, polishing, finishing and glass.

Use a bucket with detergent and warm water.

[detailsbydennis]

I like white vinegar and hot water to wash the glass towels


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[GrantLagasse]

Separate in 4 categories: Grunge, polishing, finishing and glass.

Use a bucket with detergent and warm water.

So by separating finishing and polishing you mean I should use use something different for the two AND wash them separately? How about wax towels and sealant towels? Can I wash them together?

What's your process on bucket washing? Soak, wring, repeat, and rinse in clean water?Something similar?


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[VISITOR]

two piles. one for the good microfiber (paint) and the other for the tatty (wheels, interior, etc.) tasks...

[PaulMys]

two piles. one for the good microfiber (paint) and the other for the tatty (wheels, interior, etc.) tasks...

I'll go one further with 3.

As you say Allen, 1 for good, and 1 for tatty. But now I do a 3rd for drying towels.

I'm still convinced (maybe just in my own mind) that my Cobra Guzzlers lost a bit of drying power after a romp in the wash with my AIO removers.

After doing them (CG's) separately, I think they are working just fine now. JMO

[derass]

I seperate into 2 loads as well:

Paint - Mostly Gold and Super Plush towels, and includes my wash mitts and drying towels as well

Other - low GSM, general purpose MF's: Interior, Glass, tier 2 washing and drying, and door jams

[VISITOR]

I'll go one further with 3.

As you say Allen, 1 for good, and 1 for tatty. But now I do a 3rd for drying towels.

I'm still convinced (maybe just in my own mind) that my Cobra Guzzlers lost a bit of drying power after a romp in the wash with my AIO removers.

After doing them (CG's) separately, I think they are working just fine now. JMO

i have a couple of large microfiber drying towels but don't really use them since i mainly do traditional washes and use the mckee's turbo dryer to dry the car and follow up with a microfiber towel... :)

[Crispy]

I seperate.
1. Wax removal plush towels
2. Good and tatty microfiber towels
3. Drying towels
4. Glass polishing towels

How I clean
1. In the sink with Dawn Dish Soap left to soak for 10 hours and then rinsed until no soap bubbles appear-air dried.
2. Machine washed with Wolfgang Detergent and tumble dry in dryer.
3. Same as number 1 right after used.
4. Same as number 1 but after 8 uses-when it is dirty.

After I wash the regular microfibers I seperate them based on texture.

[Rsurfer]

So by separating finishing and polishing you mean I should use use something different for the two AND wash them separately?You can use the same detergent, but wash separately to prevent cross contamination. How about wax towels and sealant towels? Can I wash them together?Same as the above answer.

What's your process on bucket washing? Soak, wring, repeat, and rinse in clean water?Something similar?Yes, unless you are using a heavy detergent for extra soiled towels..then I would rinse until the water is clear.


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[Rsurfer]

two piles. one for the good microfiber (paint) and the other for the tatty (wheels, interior, etc.) tasks...
Wheels and interior in the same pile? Maybe wheels and door jam towels.

[kkritsilas]

In my mind, I have always wondered about the towel separation idea. Not so much the greasy/dirty wheel/engine cleaning vs. the paint type, but the compound vs. the polish vs. wax type (i.e. the "good" (touches paint) vs. the "grungy" (exposed to grease/mud)). I have no issue regarding the separation of good vs. grungy;

The reason used for separating the various "good" towels is product transfer. That is the part that I have an issue with. If the detergent/soap/cleaner is good enough to get whatever product is in the microfiber to start with, then that product has been dissolved and is in the wash water. No matter what product, it has been dissolved. That is basic detergent/soap/cleaner action. The part that I don't get is why then, it would magically be more likely to be deposited on a towel that was used for a different product (as in a compounding towel and a wax towel), and not onto another towel that used the same product, and how likely it is for it is for cross contamination vs. how likely it is to contaminate a towel that used the same product.

What I am saying is, if the detergent/soap/cleaner is doing a good enough job of cleaning a microfiber towel that was used with first product (polish, compound, or wax), it is as likely to not contaminate other towels in the wash that used a second product, or at least to the extent that it wouldn't be any more prone to contaminate the towel with the second product any more than it would be prone to contaminate other towels using the first product. If the detergent/soap/cleaner isn't good enough to dissolve the first product, it will not only not clean the product out, all of the towels would be contaminated.

Conclusion is, the essential factor in this is how good is the detergent/soap/cleaner that is being used, and is it getting all of the product out, or not. If it is, the possibility of cross contamination between "good" towels is overstated and probably nonexistent. So separation of "good" towels is unnecessary if the detergent/soap/cleaner is doing it job. If it isn't, then find another detergent/soap/cleaner.

[VISITOR]

Wheels and interior in the same pile? Maybe wheels and door jam towels.

if the tatty towels are really dirty, you can always run them under water (or soak them in a bucket) and clean as much debris out as possible before washing them. if they get to that point where i feel they aren't safe to use again, they get tossed. i don't over complicate things and just get them wash/dried and ready to use again.

[fightnews]

You should seperate towels BUT how about this. Wash the glass towels in the sink then throw them in with the other towels.