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HELP! Towels washed with regular soap and softener!!!

falcaineer

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falcaineer

falcaineer

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Thanks, Wyatt. I panicked, started boiling them, lost patience - what the %#×! do you do with a boiling hot DST?! Impossible to ring out - and so washed in MRB. Anyway, they're soaking now in APC and I'll rewash tomorrow in MRB. Fingers crossed.

 

I about freaked when I found them! OK, not "about." I did. Did I mention two brightly colored, non-MF towels also found their way in the mix? :willy:

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Liralen

Liralen

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On ‎2‎/‎18‎/‎2018 at 5:55 PM, falcaineer said:

Thanks, Wyatt. I panicked, started boiling them, lost patience - what the %#×! do you do with a boiling hot DST?! Impossible to ring out - and so washed in MRB. Anyway, they're soaking now in APC and I'll rewash tomorrow in MRB. Fingers crossed.

 

I about freaked when I found them! OK, not "about." I did. Did I mention two brightly colored, non-MF towels also found their way in the mix? :willy:

Be careful about using too hot of water or drying cycle.  They can cause issues with the fibers binding and no longer being as efficient.  I also have had the issue with someone washing my detail towels in error (usually my glass towels for my household use) & that person uses fabric softener (I do not like fabric softener - it is a touch/feel issue)...so good to know about using APC to get that artificial softness out of the fibers so that they will do their job properly.

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Rich

Rich

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I agree about using a hot dryer, but not the water. We boil towels. Doesn't get much hotter than that, and it wouldn't be recommended to boil them if it harmed the towels.  But you don't want to put your towels in a hot dryer and over dry them for sure. 

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Liralen

Liralen

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30 minutes ago, Rich said:

I agree about using a hot dryer, but not the water. We boil towels. Doesn't get much hotter than that, and it wouldn't be recommended to boil them if it harmed the towels.  But you don't want to put your towels in a hot dryer and over dry them for sure. 

Thanks Rich...I stand corrected on the boiling ;)

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mc2hill

mc2hill

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11 hours ago, Liralen said:

Be careful about using too hot of water or drying cycle.  They can cause issues with the fibers binding and no longer being as efficient.  I also have had the issue with someone washing my detail towels in error (usually my glass towels for my household use) & that person uses fabric softener (I do not like fabric softener - it is a touch/feel issue)...so good to know about using APC to get that artificial softness out of the fibers so that they will do their job properly.

 

10 hours ago, Rich said:

I agree about using a hot dryer, but not the water. We boil towels. Doesn't get much hotter than that, and it wouldn't be recommended to boil them if it harmed the towels.  But you don't want to put your towels in a hot dryer and over dry them for sure. 

 

Lenore is correct about the hot water. 

I attended a 'Microfiber 101' class at Mobile Tech Expo taught by Levi from The Rag Company.  They recommended to skip the Hot setting, as MF can melt at 140F, and some hot water heaters may be set to that, or higher.  I use the Hot setting for my white polishing towels without issue, but results may differ.  Not sure if the towels do not heat up to that temp when they are boiled, but I know that can work to 'revive' them sometimes.

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Rich

Rich

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11 hours ago, Nickfire20 said:

What about towels that leave lint behind on the vehicle?    Any recommendations on how to fix a linting issue?

 

That's a good reason to boil.  And be VERY careful not to wash your micros with anything terry cloth.

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Liralen

Liralen

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On ‎2‎/‎22‎/‎2018 at 7:07 AM, mc2hill said:

 

 

Lenore is correct about the hot water. 

I attended a 'Microfiber 101' class at Mobile Tech Expo taught by Levi from The Rag Company.  They recommended to skip the Hot setting, as MF can melt at 140F, and some hot water heaters may be set to that, or higher.  I use the Hot setting for my white polishing towels without issue, but results may differ.  Not sure if the towels do not heat up to that temp when they are boiled, but I know that can work to 'revive' them sometimes.

Woohoo....thanks for the confirmation.  The key in this is like you stated, the overall temperature.  Most people will not have their hot water set that high, as it is not recommended and can actually burn you.  I kind of go with the rule, if I can put my hand under the water and it don't think "crap that is hot" and don't think "crap is this water ever going to get hot', then the temperature setting must be just right....and then it would be safe to wash on hot.  My problem with some of my microfiber towels and as well the wool wash mitts is the pine needles...the pine needles hide out in the roof ditch and microfiber towels pick them up so quickly, have to constantly check to make sure none got picked up in the towel.

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Norton

Norton

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According to the "BOILING YOUR TOWELS" section FAQ: "How do I take care of my microfiber towels?"...

 

Over time your microfiber may become contaminated past the point it can be completely cleaned using traditional methods. Typically this will present itself during use - drying towels will begin to feel less absorbent. Plush towels may lint slightly or smear products more than remove them. This is an indication that the fibers are 'full' either from residues deposited during use or things like fabric softener accidentally introduced during cleaning.

 

In any event, if your towels begin to loose their performance or just don't feel as good as they did new boiling is the solution, the last resort, to bring them back. NOTE: this process applies only to towels and microfiber without foam cores or backing. Never boil pads or applicators. 

 

- Fill a large cooking pot approximately 2/3rd full of water and bring to a boil
- Add approximately 1-2oz of distilled white vinegar per gallon of water and stir
- Place a few of the towels to be treated into the pot, maintaining a slow boil
- Stir continuously with a large spoon, avoid letting the towels rest against the bottom or sides for too long
- After about 60-90 seconds in the boil, remove the towels using tongs and rinse under cool water
- Wash using the "Regular Cleaning" guidelines outlined earlier and they should be as good as new.


NOTE: Should boiling fail to bring absorbancy to a towel or the towel continues to lint then you are most likely dealing with a towel at the end of its lifespan. Retire the towel to less important tasks and replace with a new one for future use.

 

FWIW, it's worked as advertised when I've boiled mine. I usually wash in hot water, but my water heater is set to ~125-130 degrees.

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rondre

rondre

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I know this is an older post but I've been reading up on caring for microfiber and the temperature thing seems to get to me.  When reading my dryer temps it claims the following:

 

Low 120-130 degrees

Medium 130-140 degrees

Medium High 140-160 degrees

 

So what doesn't make sense to me is the boiling part.  If it's ok to boil you towels which would mean 212 degrees or somewhere close to that if cooled slightly, that's way hotter than even the high of 160 degrees of my dryer.  I understand the boiling method is only a few minutes while a dry cycle is considerably longer so is it the time at higher temps that's the issue?  Does microfiber really melt at 140 degrees as others have mentioned and if so then is that for a certain period of time since many have reported boiling helps their clogged pieces? 

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Nickfire20

Nickfire20

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I have been wondering the same thing for a while now.  Every company has different recommendations.  Griots says to wash on hot and hang dry.  TRC says cold, tumble dry, and dont boil.

 

I have boiled a linty towel before, and it has helped but not fixed the problem...this towel has become my GnG towel, because it does not lint when wet.  

 

Im currently fighting with Griots because my PFM drying towel doesn’t dry any more, and is less than a year old and I probably only have used it 6-8 times.   So i may boil it.

 

?‍♂️?‍♂️?‍♂️

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Beemer

Beemer

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7 minutes ago, Nickfire20 said:

Im also now wondering, if leaving towels in the garage year round could be bad...mainly summer time? ?‍♂️?‍♂️

 

Not sure if you're joking or not but I'll bite: Summer will not hurt your towels.

 

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falcaineer

falcaineer

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It's been a while, but I'll bring this back to my original post with a follow-up...

 

Soaked them overnight in a couple ounces of APC in ~1-2g of water, held down with the grit guard. Then washed on warm with MBR, extra rinse cycle, and air dried. They seem to be OK after using them with RW and after a detail session. For the record, it wasn't much fabric softener or regular detegent, so more softener and/or liquid detergent, or powder for that matter, may take more/ruin the towels. 

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Rich

Rich

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On 4/4/2018 at 3:23 PM, Beemer said:

 

Not sure if you're joking or not but I'll bite: Summer will not hurt your towels.

 

 

NOT necessarily true.  If you keep your towels in sealed plastic containers, they can collect condensation in the hot summer months and then grow mold on your towels. In which case, you might as well toss them in the trash.  In the winter, same thing can happen, but even worse, MICE are looking for nesting materials.  I lost a bunch of towels last year for that reason.  First time.  

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Nickfire20

Nickfire20

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22 hours ago, Rich said:

 

NOT necessarily true.  If you keep your towels in sealed plastic containers, they can collect condensation in the hot summer months and then grow mold on your towels. In which case, you might as well toss them in the trash.  In the winter, same thing can happen, but even worse, MICE are looking for nesting materials.  I lost a bunch of towels last year for that reason.  First time.  

 

?‍♂️

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Hookem06

Hookem06

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On 4/6/2018 at 10:55 PM, Rich said:

 

NOT necessarily true.  If you keep your towels in sealed plastic containers, they can collect condensation in the hot summer months and then grow mold on your towels. In which case, you might as well toss them in the trash.  In the winter, same thing can happen, but even worse, MICE are looking for nesting materials.  I lost a bunch of towels last year for that reason.  First time.  

 

Same here. I threw about 30 brand new  towels away, stored in plastic containers in my shop. 

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