Chadg

That could be due to the pictures being taken at different times of the day, side by side they are nearly identical. By the way, the steam cycle with only 1 towel in the washer took nearly 2.5 hours . . .

Just fixed it, something weird happened and I timed out.

I usually post all of my detailing questions/rants on Camaro5.com, which Dylan is a key participant. So for those of you who I have not met yet: Full disclosure - I am obsessive compulsive in all things having to do with my car. My Adam's microfiber towels are the pride of my collection - soft . . . luxurious, they receive care and handling beyond any article of clothing I have (including my suits). I just recently moved from Virginia to California and was forced to buy a new high efficiency steam washer and dryer. While my wife care only about how to launder her lacy and frilly things, I care only about how to properly care for my Adam's microfiber towels. The questions abound when you have over 20 settings and selections to choose from - but I was mostly stumped by whether or not I should use the steam function on my microfibers. What better way to find out than to conduct an experiment. Let me start with the Problem Statement: Is there any advantage to using the Steam Function on your microfiber towels, or will it actually cause harm? Now let me discuss the experimental setup: I will conduct this experiment using two of the following three kinds of Adam's microfiber towels (Double-Soft, Great White Drying, and Waterless Wash). The plush Double-Soft towels will be boiled prior to the experiment as they were exhibiting some linting issues (which were most likely due to user error and overapplication of Machine Super Wax/Quick Sealant). All towels will be laundered with Dreft (the microfiber detergent I bought from Detailer's Domain creates more suds than I am comfortable with using a HE machine - I will test Adam's Microfiber Revitalizer and Brightener in a separate review at a later date). One of each towel will be laundered on the Normal Setting using the Steam function, the other will be laundered using the Delicate setting using warm water. Each type of towel will be compared after laundering and after use in my next major detailing effort (to take place within 1.5 weeks). I will compare the cleanliness, softness and texture of the Double-Soft towels after laundering and how well they perform for polish/sealant removal during detailing. I will compare the cleanliness, softness and texture of the Great White Drying towels after laundering and also their drying performance during detaling. I will compare the cleanliness, softness and texture of the Waterless Wash towels after laundering and also how well they distribute/absorb product during detailing. Preliminary Results: As you can see, in the pictures that follow - the plush towels look quite ugly after boiling (first two images), the fibers are matted and clumped. After the steam wash the double-soft towel came out soft and clean (third image), but did not appear to be any more clean than the regularly washed towel (fourth image). The regularly washed towel; however, felt noticeably softer and more supple than the steam washed towel. There was no discernable difference between the way the steam and regularly washed Great White Drying towels and Waterless Wash towels felt after washing. The true test of how a steam wash effects your microfiber towels will be answered in my upcoming detailing session; however, I will state some assumptions based on these preliminary results. 1. The Steam Function doesn't "magically clean" your towels any better than the regular delicate wash cycle. 2. If there are detrimental effects to using the Steam cycle on your towels, they will likely get progressively worse over time. I look forward to getting my car back into shape after the 3000 mile drive cross country and will post back with some pictures of the car as well as my final assessment on the problem statement. Enjoy and wish me luck! The last pictures are of the "lab" where the experiment will be taking place.

Yeah I think using the "extra rinse" option is a must no matter what machine you're using. I am going to do a head to head comparison of steam vs. non-steam washed towels to see if there are any immediately noticeable differences.

Awesome! That's an experiment I cannot refuse! Looks like I'm tossing my wife's undies onto the floor and starting a load of microfiber towels! She should be going commando anyway, right?

Thanks Dylan, just saw your reply on Camaro5 as well - very much appreciated. Since my washer broke immediately after arriving in California from a cross country move we've got laundry stacked up to the gills. My wife is super particular about how we launder her clothes, I could care less about any of my stuff except for my Adam's microfibers - which I'm borderline obsessive/compulsive about (OK, maybe not so borderline). I will definitely avoid using the steam feature, and boiled my towels like Ashley advised. I'll let you know how the next big polishing session goes in a few weeks - thank you again for your help! Chad

Dylan, What are the benefits of using the revitalizer vs. a detergent like Dreft? Is it just better suited to removing sealant/wax/polish residue than a regular detergent or is it actually better for the microfiber material? Additionally, can you tell me if using the steam function on a HE washer will damage my microfibers? I would imagine not, since boiling them essentially restores them to like new, right? Thanks! Chad

So yes? Wait, so no? Thanks Dylan, I've been trying to pummel people with questions (poor Ashley) about whether or not the steam features of the washer will negatively effect the microfibers in any way?

Haha! I see what you did there!

Awesome! Thanks, I was planning on putting the revitalizer in as prewash, and then using Dreft as the main wash detergent. Thoughts?

Yeah so as the proud new owner of a High Efficiency Steam Washer, I am now staring at my gallon of microfiber revitalizer and wondering whether or not it will damage my machine. The manual for my washer makes it VERY CLEAR that non-HE detergents will damage the machine - so I don't want to risk a $1000 washer on a $30 gallon of revitalizer.

I'm really happy I found this thread, as I'm having the exact same problem. When I tried removing a coat of Machine Super Sealant several weeks ago, and a coat of Quick Sealant last week my towels linted like crazy. I completely understand the OP's frustration. I did the rinse > 2 bucket wash > rinse > clay bar > 2 bucket wash > dry > quick sealant and it was very frustrating to get tons of lint on my black car during that final step. The lint was very difficult to remove, I might add - I ended up using a waterless wash towel and detail spray. I contacted Dylan and Ashley and was advised to boil the towels, which I did but I haven't had a chance to use them yet - I hope to do a big polishing session in the next two weeks. I have had to replace my washer with a High Efficiency Steam Washer which I have no clue how to use with my microfibers (4 double soft, 4 single soft). Can anyone help with this? Should I stick with a cold wash with Dreft, followed by tumble dry on low or should I try to take advantage of the steam features and use warmer wash temperatures? Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Thanks! Chad