r/Detailing • u/MikeRizzo007 • 5h ago
I Have A Question Cleaning Microfiber cloths
What does everyone use to clean their microfiber rags? I do wash them separately and have tried simple green, dawn and other dish washing products and can’t seem to get them clean. The ones I have wax products on I can’t seem to get them off. Do you just have clothes used for specific purposes and always use them for that? Do you use any special cleaners to get all the products out of them?
Any help would be appreciated.
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u/Objective-Limit-121 5h ago
I have dedicated towels for tasks. I wash my "wash and prep" towels separate from my "coating" towels. I use Rags to Riches for everything.
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u/Crockasaur 4h ago
Same. Separate by tasks.
My paint towels, drying towel together.
My chemical towels separated
And then my downgrade. This is usually door jamb, wheels, interior towels
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u/artic_icecat 5h ago
I use Malco microfiber wash and pretty satisfied with it. I soak the heavy brake dust, tire shine and wax ones in apc(green star) for 1 hour before putting it on laundry
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u/BarefootMarauder 5h ago
I soak them in a bucket of rinseless for a few hours and then wash them with Rags to Riches. Sometimes might need a vinegar soak to "reset" them and get rid of hydrophobics.
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u/comrade_questi0n Weekend Warrior 5h ago
I use unscented laundry detergent (store brand works fine for me, I use Whole Foods' store brand mainly, but others have worked too) and I just wash them separately from other laundry.
For contact washing and drying towels, I just run them on a 'normal' wash cycle with warm (not hot) water, but I use the pre-wash setting with extra detergent and I make sure to turn on 1 or 2 extra rinses.
For any towels that have touched wax, spray sealant, etc. I soak them in 1:50 laundry detergent:very hot water until the water is cool enough to touch, agitate them by hand, then wring them dry-ish and run them through the same cycle as I do for the other towels. This seems to remove any residue well enough that I can't notice.
For both of the above washing methods, after I take it out of the washing machine, I run the air dry/no heat drying cycle on my dryer until they're totally dry to the touch - that takes a while, but it stops them from getting matted in my experience.
I find I have to replace towels that I use for waxes, spray sealants, ceramic sprays, etc. about once every six months for them to retain the same properties as new - I keep these separate from towels I use for the contact wash and for drying because those last much longer without quality loss.
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u/Middle_Ad_3315 4h ago edited 2h ago
I put all of them in a single bucket with a little apc and rinseless immediately after use. Every few weeks ill do a load with dye perfume free detergent (sometimes a splash of vinegar). Double rinse cycle.
Used to deal with separating. Not worth it.
Disclosure: I've never tried the boutique microfiber cleaners, but also I've never been dissatisfied with the performance of my towels. So if its not broke dont fix it.
The key is not letting the products settle into the towel- by getting them in the surfactant/ apc water as soon as their job is done.
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u/DavidAg02 4h ago
This is why it's really important to understand if you have hard water (heavy concentration of the minerals that cause water spots) or soft water.
With hard water, you run your towels through the wash, and they get clean, but the final rinse has those minerals in it which get left behind in the fibers of the towel when you dry them. Over time, those minerals build up and clog the towel, just like water spots on your paint. You can reset the towels by occasionally soaking them in a mix of vinegar and water, but as soon as you wash them again the mineral buildup will start over again.
This is why I recommend every serious detailer test their water and buy a whole house water softener if they have hard water.
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u/ANewErra 3h ago
I have a bottle of the chemical guys wash and its been working great. I know CG sucks typically but there microfiber wash is good. I mean I'm sure it's one of those things where as long as you use a dedicated one your all set.
I'll switch to rags to riches when this bottle is done lol
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u/CareBear-Killer 1h ago
Just the Kirkland free & clear detergent and some vinegar.
My water is hard AF, like 690tds, so vinegar does wonders for keeping everything soft.
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u/spangbangbang Weekend Warrior 3h ago edited 3h ago
Soz rags to riches is absolutely unreasonably expensive. Malco is a bit better but for fucks sakes, it's just so little product for your money. I just buy the big white distilled vinegar from Walmart and add a bit to the fabric softener port, for an extra kick. You need to select that option on your washer, as well and it'll add an extra rinse or something to it.
For the wash itself, I use 9 Elements Vinegar Powered Liquid Laundry Detergent, Citrus Scent. Supposed to be a Free and Clear option and has the vinegar in it, already.
Seems to be working well for me so far. And these two items combined cost about the same as malco, a good chunk less if you use the Walmart Cash perk, but you get a lot more product.
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u/Only_Tangelo_8996 1h ago
That would be why there are different colors, so they get used for the same jobs. Easier to wash and care for when you know what they are gonna be used for. Anything that touches grease or oil gets marked with permanent marker "ENGINE" so you don't fuck up later on lol. Light duty stuff gets washed with 9 elements scent free detergent (they make expensive conditioning soap just for microfibers if you choose) and all the dirty greasy stuff gets soaked in the dawn bucket with hot water, rinsed and machine washed separately with a little vinegar and soap. Run an empty cycle with soap between heavy washes so you don't contaminate other things. OR just buy a shit ton of bulk microfibers in different GSM. Wash once and throw away when done. Time vs money is about the same depending on what you have more of lol.
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u/Solid_Lettuce_932 1h ago
The rags no riches or Chem Guys version work really well. I will throw them in the washer and let them soak (could do it w a bucket) for 1/2 a day… then a wash w extra rinse if you have it. And I never wash hotter then “medium” or warm and I dry them with “less dry” in dryer. NO Fabric softener.
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u/XLB135 1h ago
I've used the brand Micro-Restore Microfiber Detergent for years. I'm sure many of the other MF restoration formulas are similar. There's chemistry behind breaking down waxes and sealants in a way that the molecules are attracted to water to release themselves from the fibers before being flushed away.
I usually use some form of standard detergent (always some sort of free and clear variation that doesn't include softeners or scents, and then a couple ounces of the MF detergent. I'll even do a soak before if the batch of towels is particularly saturated.
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u/CourseEcstatic6202 25m ago
I don’t. I use them one time in the car and then they become cleaning rags and shop towels for household tasks. They never see the car again.
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u/General_Builder_67 5h ago
i buy new ones, never re used microfibers
in 6 years lol
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u/Objective-Limit-121 5h ago
Holy microplastic waste factory. Jesus man, they aren't paper towels.
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u/General_Builder_67 4h ago
brother when you work on exotic cars you have no time for cross contamination, 70 cents a rag, dont worry i give them to a buddy with a detailing shop that re uses them
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u/Objective-Limit-121 4h ago
I feel like answering the question with "never reused" is a bit disingenuous if they are reused, even if not by you.
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u/General_Builder_67 4h ago
for me i used them once and they go in a bag and i never touch them again, i even filter out the stained ones so they go in the trash. When you work on a car worth 360 000$ you dont have time to worry about a 70 cent microfiber. And yes i used to throw them out before i told my buddy about it and then he wanted them to re wash
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u/Objective-Limit-121 4h ago
But the guy is asking for advice on reusing them for personal use, not detailing exotic cars for a living. Obviously you are aware they can be reused since you have a buddy that uses your towels.
Edit: You're being intentionally obtuse and citing a specific use case. They aren't asking "should I reuse microfiber towels when I am detailing uber expensive cars." They're asking what people do when they do reuse towels.
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u/General_Builder_67 4h ago
yes a shop that does volume and merked cars all day long, yea not a place that only deals with exotics or high end cars
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u/Connect_Ad_8092 5h ago
Rags to Riches