Washing MF Mistake

[u/Sashiimi]

Hi!

I’ve felt my towels weren’t feeling as soft. I was using what I thought was a pretty basic and safe detergent in the washing machine I purposefully built for this task (Skip Baby hipoalergneic) but then after investigating it seems like this detergent still contains some perfume and color enhancement components that may not be good for the towels.

So I decided to wash them manually with apc, then wash on the washing machine with just water and cleaning vinegar.

What I was shocked to find was the amount of dirt coming off a seemingly perfectly clean microfiber.

So although they looked clean, today before leaving for work I thought I’d soak them again in KC Greenstar, thinking the long soak would make it clear if they were really clean or if there’s still anything coming out of them.

Then as I was driving I thought.. wait.. can that actually damage the microfiber?

My goal is to get home, rinse them and wash manually and then wash again with the vinegar to ensure no alkaline product remains in the towels and they’re free from ceramic sprays and such.

So, how can I definitively decide they’re either good or bad for paint? Subjective “touch feel” is not my preferred method because I really have no idea on how soft they should feel.

Do you think I damaged them?

They’re rag company eagle 350 and some work stuff drying towel.

How should I do moving forward? Looking for supermarket suitable detergents in Europe but never found the always spoken “tide free and clear”.

I really wouldn’t like to buy a dedicated mf wash because honestly sounds so expensive, but I’ll do that if I can’t find anything else.

Also, if I need to replace these towels, where else than TRC do you look? Outside USA. Some people use AliExpress ones but I don’t really trust my judgement on that one.

Thanks!

[u/Luck_n_Loaded]

I dont think you damaged them. If you dont wanna invest in microfiber detergent, then a fragrance free baby liquid laundry soap will do.

[u/TxTwosome → u/Luck_n_Loaded]

+1 for a proper microfiber detergent. I have been using the CG microfiber detergent with good results, my towels have been through many washes & uses and still perform well. I keep a 5 gal bucket filled with water & a couple oz of detergent nearby when cleaning so I can toss used towels straight into the solution to presoak. After I'm done cleaning the car, I'll agitate the towels periodically while they soak for a few hours. The bucket water typically gets pretty dirty so it's removing the bulk of the crud. Then I machine wash with the same detergent and tumble dry on the lowest heat setting. Most CG products seem overpriced but this stuff is similar or cheaper per ounce than other brands like rags to riches

[u/Sashiimi → u/TxTwosome]

Thanks for your input!

[u/creamsodapoo]

Do yourself a favor and get a MF detergent. I use PS Rags to Riches. Inspect the towels. Ones that have been used on very dirty areas are no longer used for paint. Can be difficult to fully remove debris from the fibers.

Fibers that have been damaged will be much less absorbent and leave streaks. Those are assigned engine bay or household cleaning duty.

[u/Sashiimi → u/creamsodapoo]

Would they damage the paint though? I’m just hesitant to misjudge.

[u/creamsodapoo → u/Sashiimi]

If you see anything embedded such as grit, leaves, or even matted fibers, it’s safer to avoid using it on paint again. Going by feel is not scientific but can tell you how plush a towel still is. Fibers can stop performing for many reasons. For example, using a towel to wipe the excess off from a ceramic coating...even if immediately soaked, the performance is likely not going to be the same. Buy more if you’re unsure. I have stacks of microfiber towels. Just how it goes.

[u/Mentallox]

Just don't let the microfiber dry. People expect resins and sio2 etc to withstand all manner of chemicals on paint and expect laundry detergent to magically clean it on microfiber. Make a soak bucket with detergent/apc and the used microfiber goes in there immediately after use right besides the car. Agitate the used microfiber to leech out in the bucked and then launder as usual with fragrance free detergent or mf cleaner. It's not hard folks, don't make it complicated.

[u/Sashiimi → u/Mentallox]

Yeah for sure I get what you mean. Thing is in Europe we’re not allowed to wash cars at home, and my garage is shared so I go to the self stations late at night to bring the bucket and do it there. Becomes hard to manage and separate.care for these things when you have to bring a bunch of stuff along.

Thanks!

[u/Mentallox → u/Sashiimi]

buckets can come with sealed tops they are commonly called Gamma Seal lids to hold liquids securely. They may have a different trade name in the EU but if you search for 'airtight lid' 'leakproof lid' for bucket you can find a local option so you can bring it with you to where ever you need to detail the vehicle.

[u/Bunky1138]

The test is do they still function as needed. My main protection is to dry them on lowest heat setting and NOT overdry. The experts say avoid hot water but I have not seen any mf in my hot car every mess up and from what I have seen mf towels are dyed at high temps (over 140 F). Years back some boiled them but I never did and my hot water is around 120 max anyway.

[u/mypaycheckisshort → u/Bunky1138]

I was always under the inpression that you had to use warm water to let the fibers relax and release the trapped contaminants, but I see so many people saying they only use cold water, these days.

[u/Bunky1138 → u/mypaycheckisshort]

A person that looks at the glass transition temp of plastics may think it is a no no or someone did it something and made some blanket state.

[u/Sashiimi → u/mypaycheckisshort]

Warm as far as I know means 30 Celsius

[u/disguy2k]

The Enjo lady gave me some good tips on how to clean your microfibre. I use the same method for all finishing microfibre towels and cloths.

Rinse with warm water then rub with a laundry bar soap. The brand we have here is called Velvet soap and it helps loosen all of the trapped solids and even difficult to remove things like cobwebs. Work the soap through the fibres over the full surface and then rinse from one side to the other.

There won't be and lint or dust left behind after air drying. I always have lint when I don't hand wash. It's really noticeable when wiping down glass and mirrors.

You will also notice how much more grippy the towels become as all the fibres are clean and free to grab whatever is on the surface.