Washing really dirty Microfiber question.

[thedoc46]

Hi,

Weekend warrior here, and first time cleaning a bunch of MF's.

Some of which are FILTHY black, from being used to clean inside the wheels.

I have about 30 or so to throw in the wash with about 7 really dirty ones. I have bought a gallon of Towel Kleen.

I was wondering, is it a mistake to throw in my really dirty filthy microfibers in with my moderately dirty ones. Or should i just discard them. I don't want to sacrifice the entire collection over a small handful of filthy MF's.

Also, is it safe to throw in my Meguiars Water Magnet drying towels in the same wash, or is there a risk it'll mess with the fibers..

Should the water magnets just go in the regular wash, that my missus does ?

Thanks in advance.

[wdmaccord]

I would soak them in a gallon of water with an ounce or two of APC. Let them soak for an hour or two, then wash them separate from the rest of the MF's.

[Lost Highway]

I suspect you'll find quite few different MF wash "systems" here but this is what I do:
I separate washing and drying towels/pads/mitts from anything that has had contact with sealants, coatings or wax. If there are some exceptionally dirty towels in this group they go in a separate pile. The only moderately dirty washing and drying towels go into the washer with MF detergent on a warm or hot, gentle/delicate cycle as my first load. The really dirty towels go through a pre-soak in a bucket. I usually use an APC solution like OPC or 1Z Blitz but I've used Oxi Clean Free in the past. Once they have soaked for 30 minutes to an hour I give them a quick rinse and then toss into the machine as a separate load. Sealant/coating/wax towels get the same treatment but also are treated as separate load.
Swanicyouth reports good results with Persil Proclean (a WalMart product) getting really stained MF cloths clean. I haven't used it but I would consider him a reliable source.
MF towels get down graded over time and use and I do eventually toss them. I also buy cheap, but not complete garbage, towels to use for the worst jobs along with the down graded (formerly) good towels.
As always no fabric softeners or chlorine bleach and don't let your towels get too warm in the dryer, hot drying is a towel killer.

[thedoc46]

Thanks, I know this cannot be answered with total accuracy.. But roughly how many times can a 'moderately' dirty MF be re-used ? using a regular quality MF, such as the Costco 36 for $16 type.

[VISITOR]

as mentioned you can pre-soak them before washing them all together. I wouldn't mix the good microfiber towels that you use on paint with the microfiber towels that you use on wheels in the same load. there should be two different loads, one for your good microfiber towels you use that on paint (and anything else important), and then the other for the non-paint related tasks such as wheels/rims, engines, etc.

[Souldetailer]

:iagree:
Exactly, I keep the like used towels together. I use Tide free with a 1/4C splash of vinegar in the rinse cycle. The really nasty ones I'll give double treatment. All in tap cold water, hot water sets stains. I try to keep them all in the "good" pile but you'll know when it's time to relagate them to the Tire only pile. Good luck.

Peace,

Darrin

[MI Mike]

Pre-Soak '7 really dirty ones', avoid cross contamination of your good towels.
You might want to use these for other dirty jobs, etc.

[ski2]

Recent post from Autopia that may help:

Found Good Towel Stain Remover (http://www.autopia.org/forums/product-reviews/180929-found-towel-stain-remover.html)

[Lost Highway]

Thanks, I know this cannot be answered with total accuracy.. But roughly how many times can a 'moderately' dirty MF be re-used ? using a regular quality MF, such as the Costco 36 for $16 type.


That is a question that can't be answered with any accuracy. I've never used Costco towels but I'm dubious that I'd let them anywhere near paint. The vast majority of my good towels are Korean or German from PakShak, The Rag Company, CarPro-US, etc. They can see dozens of uses or be quickly relegated to non-paint given some uncommon but not inconceivable situations. My cheaper towels are from the PRC but I only use them for the engine bay, wheels, door frames, exhaust system, etc. If I'm careless or lazy they could be single use but for most of them I would guess ten to twenty uses, too many variables in play to really estimate.

[The Guz]

Larry just posted this.


How to Wash Microfiber Towels PROPERLY - YouTube

[willtothewong]

Larry just posted this.

How to Wash Microfiber Towels PROPERLY - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9W-mMJicSM)

Just watched this. I really enjoy all his videos. Just another great detailer that provides what works best for him which only gives me more information to how I approach how I detail my cars.

[Riff]

My wheel and wheel well towels never go in the machine. I lay them flat on the concrete and blast them with the hose, squeeze them out and lay them flat to dry for next time.

[jmsc]

My w & ww MF towels are tossed. One use only 'cause they contain brake dust. Buy the cheap ones at Target and WalMart, test them on a CD, use them 1X and get rid of them. That's what I do.

[RTexasF]

Although the filthy ones may never look new again a soak in a 5 gal bucket with two scoops of Oxyclean will produce amazing results. Put a little water in the bucket, two scoops, then use the hose to foam it up totaling about 3 gallons water. Soak for 24 hours and wash separate from the really good towels.