Newbie - Microfiber Lint Question

[wp_913]

Hi

Ok, I' really new at all this detailing, not a pro, just keeping our family cars looking sharp.

Anyway, I have been using a variety of microfiber towels, and they all seem to leave behind a lot of lint/dust.

So, should they be washed first or any other advice be appreciated.

Thanks from a beginner

[dooyaunastan]

A general rule of thumb is to wash any microfiber before you use it on your car. Costco/Sams offer decent microfiber for interior/wheels/jams, and AG carries some awesome MF towels, and they put it on BOGO frequently. I got the pumpkin orange and bright green when they were BOGO and I'll never use any store-bought MF on my paint ever again.

Another thing to consider is a microfiber detergent. It's okay to be skeptical, because I and plenty of other people were too, but it works far better than Tide will, removes grime that Tide couldn't even touch. It's worth it, and the Blackfire MF detergent is on BOGO right now, along with the Chinchilla MF towels. 2 of those for $8's a helluva deal.

[Pureshine]

A general rule of thumb is to wash any microfiber before you use it on your car. Costco/Sams offer decent microfiber for interior/wheels/jams, and AG carries some awesome MF towels, and they put it on BOGO frequently. I got the pumpkin orange and bright green when they were BOGO and I'll never use any store-bought MF on my paint ever again.

Another thing to consider is a microfiber detergent. It's okay to be skeptical, because I and plenty of other people were too, but it works far better than Tide will, removes grime that Tide couldn't even touch. It's worth it, and the Blackfire MF detergent is on BOGO right now, along with the Chinchilla MF towels. 2 of those for $8's a helluva deal.

+1 and you can use woolite if you run out of microfiber detergent.

[wp_913]

Hi

As I mentioned in my original post, I was getting A LOT of lint on my car windows when using a microfiber cloth to clean them, with any brand microfiber cloth, new, old, pre-washed, waffle, whatever. It did not matter what cleaner I used either. I also noticed that the microfiber was actually difficult to wipe across the window, it was if it stuck, seriously. I would have expected the microfiber to glide across a clean window. This was on the windows on my 3 month old 2013 VW GTI. I actually switched to blue huck towels.

Then I made this observation today, I cleaned the windows on the wife's 3 year old Volvo, using the same microfibers that I had used on my VW.

Guess what, NO LINT whatsoever, nad, nuttin' Perfectly clean, lint free glass, and the microfiber towels did glide across the clean glass.

So, any ideas on what's up with the glass on 2013 VW, They certainly get clean using the huck towels, but I am curious why the microfibers are having this problem on my car.

Thoughts, Ideas, Suggestions, Comments Solutions????

[jrs1418]

MF's have static properties.. You might be getting lint from either

a)Laundering your MF's with other laundry that produce lint
b)Storing MF's with other laundry
c)not cleaning out lint lint filter good enough on your dryer.

On a side note, i have noticed that some windows attract lint more than others as well.

[ShaunD]

Are you talking about inside or outside glass? Either way, glass is porous and most have plastic coatings/layers which creates static as well as he pores allow for microfibers to grab. On bare paint microfibers lint as well. You microfibers are possibly linting on your paint too. It is Just harder to see. You neednto wipe your glass with a damp microfiber to prevent this and try using woven(waffle weave)/glass specific microfibers. Also, look at using a glass coating like an anti fog coating on the inside. And at the least a glass cleaner with water repellent on the outside.
This is just my theory as I'm not an expert, but it seems that glass would have to have many more pores per square inch compared to paint. This creates much higher surface tension compared to the surface tension of paint. Therefore the microfibers have more of a bond to the glass. So with uncoated/sealed glass you will always need a lubricant to prevent the linting.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online

[wp_913]

Thanks guys,

All good ideas, the inside of the VW glass also attracts a lot of lint, but not as bad as the outside. have tried waffle MF and still tons of lint, no matter what I tried.

But just explain why the VW glass is a problem with lint, and the Volvo glass has no lint

Very strange.

[KBsToy]

MF's have static properties.. You might be getting lint from either

a)Laundering your MF's with other laundry that produce lint
b)Storing MF's with other laundry
c)not cleaning out lint lint filter good enough on your dryer.

On a side note, i have noticed that some windows attract lint more than others as well.

[ShaunD]

Newer glass in vehicles, especially VWs, is thinner and much softer than glass form just several years back. Also, over the years of cleaning/wiping the Volvo glass has probably polished down any factory coating on the glass, therefore, reducing its static property.
What glass cleaners are you using?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using AG Online

[wp_913]

Hi Shaun

Good point, perhaps it is some kind of coating on the glass, as far as cleaners, the happens with all on them, Maguires, Glassworx, and Invisible Glass.

So, any ideas on how to eliminate my linting problem on the VW?