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My wash mitts....over time, they just don't feel supply soft...
Just for the helluva it, I put my wash mitts on fairly hot water from the pot, did a MF wash in the washer and even threw it in the dryer which I rarely do with the mitts....I generally just put them on the gritguard and they are dry by the next wash session.
Is it shampoo/buildup in the MF that I'm not not realizing. Granted the MF mitts are pretty -soft- once wet, it just have that nice fluffy softness when dry these days.
Are you saying you machine wash them after use, but don't usually put them in the dryer? Or you DON'T usually machine wash them, and just let them dry after the (car) wash?
What are you washing with?
I always wash my MFs on cold with something like Rags to Riches to help breakdown any sealants and prevent them from becoming hydrophobic. If they’re really dirty I’ll use a free and clear detergent and dry on low heat or air dry. It’s my understanding that drying with high heat causes the fibers to melt which leads to the crunchiness.
Mitts get machined wash with the MF's used, etc. I normally don't put the mitts in the dryer as the towels dry *faster* without since there is no inner core of the mitts that have more water and extend drying times, etc....
The fibers on the mitts ain't exactly hard, it's just not as super soft. I posted I just put them into the -dryer- as IME, drying via the dryer does make the MF more supple and fluffy vs air dry
I use mostly MF wash pads like "the bone" so I hear you on the drying since they have a sponge core, but I have a lot of them so I just pile them up (after they've dried out on the grit guard) until I have enough for a load of laundry. That way I don't have "mis-matched" items in the dryer, even so I just dry them until they are warm, then let them dry for a few days on a rack. They never get "crunchy" for me, but I do have a water softener which I'm sure helps with that.
I’m a believer that drying microfiber in the dryer promotes softness while air drying doesn’t.
All that tumbling around breaks the crunch.
There also comes a time when it might be a good idea to buy some new mitts. How many years have you had them?
Some Paper Napkin Math
Per car or by day...
52 Weeks in a Year
+ another 34 Weeks
That puts us at 86 Weeks
X 2 Cars + Mixed Garage Queen Usage
In the summer, I might have done 2-3X washes in a single week (Yikes)
So 86x2+another 40Times for Good Measure. It has seen 212 Car Washes since I flipped for a fresh sponge circe July, August of 2022
Wait a minute--you only have 1 MF wash mitt that you have 212 washes on?? What kind of 'Geek are you, I think I have about 212 pieces of wash media that have less than 1 wash on them!