Single Soft MF Towels linting

[obssest]

I purchased a stack of Single Soft MF towels about two months ago. I washed them before the first use and didn't notice any linting problems.

 

They have been washed about once a week, so probably 7-8 times by now. Now I am getting all sorts of tiny lint trails when I wipe down with them. It's minimal linting wiping off wax but the detail spray for some reason is just sucking the fibers right off.

 

I wash in a front loader with a small amount of HE clear detergent and a few capfulls of simple green cleaner in the pre-wash dispenser. I generally wash WARM but will go to HOT if I used them to remove wax so that it will dissolve better. I dry them on ultra-low setting.

 

I don't know if my washing routine has done something to cause this or what. I was concerned about using HOT water but after reading recommendations to BOIL the towels one in awhile I figured HOT couldn't cause any damage.

 

Will boiling them possibly solve this? Don't know what to do at this point.

[07RS4]

I purchased a stack of Single Soft MF towels about two months ago. I washed them before the first use and didn't notice any linting problems.

 

They have been washed about once a week, so probably 7-8 times by now. Now I am getting all sorts of tiny lint trails when I wipe down with them. It's minimal linting wiping off wax but the detail spray for some reason is just sucking the fibers right off.

 

I wash in a front loader with a small amount of HE clear detergent and a few capfulls of simple green cleaner in the pre-wash dispenser. I generally wash WARM but will go to HOT if I used them to remove wax so that it will dissolve better. I dry them on ultra-low setting.

 

I don't know if my washing routine has done something to cause this or what. I was concerned about using HOT water but after reading recommendations to BOIL the towels one in awhile I figured HOT couldn't cause any damage.

 

Will boiling them possibly solve this? Don't know what to do at this point.

 

Mine haven't starting lintening yet, so I can't really answer that question. But on the boiling thing, we all have our personal preference's and that must be someone's. I've never heard of that approach, and to me, seems a little over the top. Boiling a towel...really:lol:I've use Micro Restore for a year or so after trying everything I could think of, and the stuff is amazing and has provided me the best results. My MF's are spotless with the occasional stain.

 

1. Pre-Soak 12 or so hours if needed

2. Rinse thouroughly with clean water, ensuring I get all the stains, working by hand

3. Washer w/Micro Restor....Warm/Warm extra rinse

4. Dryer - Extra Low...60 mins

5. Pull out of dryer fold on leather couch (not a fiberous material), put in gallon one zips and put in drawer till needed.

 

Hasn't failed me yet....

 

I can't really answer your specific problem because I've never had it yet....maybe it's the Simple Green, IDK. But that stuff can be pretty harsh...maybe try some Woolite (haven't used it myself) and pre-soak so you don't need a harsh degreaser?

 

You may want to get some more towels also like alot of the guys do....then you can do one or two big loads once a month instead of washing the same towels all the time. I'm trying to build up my MF's up....

[BRZN]

OP it does sound like it's time to boil your towels. I too have a front load machine and by the nature of the beast it doesn't use as much water as the top load variety and it sounds like you are using too much soap with the simple green pre-wash. Boiling will help to remove the excess soap.

 

For regular washing: I first pre-treat spots with a diluted with water 50/50% mixture of APC for 30 minutes: just leaving the towels in a bucket, then wash them in the hot water cycle with Tide Free and Gentle using only enough detergent to go up to the 1st marking inside the cap. I'll also select the extra rinse cycle to try to remove as much soap from the towels as possible.

 

I only get about 8 washes out of towels before they start to lint and the DS makes them lint the most.

 

In a large pot (3 gallon) I'll place 2+ gallons of water and one capfull of Distilled White Vinegar and leave the towels in for 5 minutes in a rolling boil. I use tongs to keep the towels moving in the pot so they don't stick anywhere and melt.

[gymrat7953]

Don't use single or dbl soft with detail spray; use only for wax / glaze removal. Use waffle weave towels with detail spray; this is also the best way to remove the lint from the car.

[the1inblue]

There are several ways to clean mf towels. I personally use woolite and soak them for a few hours and wash using warm water on the delicate cycle. I wouldn't use something harsh as simple green. If you have staining I would use some APC. For the mf towels that you use for removing wax the 50/50 ipa spray down wouldn't hurt to do as a prewash. I would suggest doing a extra rinse cycle to ensure removing all the soap from the towels. A tip, a little woolite goes a long way. As far as drying the delicate setting on the dryer does works good however I hang my towels up to air dry on a towel rack to ensure that the towels dont somehow get ruin from the dryer getting to hot. These towels are meant to be used with detail spray and you shouldn't worry about linting issue. If at last resort I would boil them and see if that helps. Also do a search on the forum there has been alot of discussion on this issue. Goodluck!

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[Golf for Life]

Just like correcting a defect in the paint always start off with the most gentle cleaning method for the micro fiber towels. I hear you when it comes to the woolite a little goes a long was especially when using a front loader washer.

[THE Mook]

Yup, time for a boil out.

 

Personally, I add my white vinegar to the 2nd Rinse Cycle, and don't wash on high heat. I use the setting right above cold. I also presoak bad towels with APC and warm water in a bucket, and move them around ab it to agitate them, wring them out, then place them into the machine without having the fabric softener cup in it. I found that ALL in the white bottle works really well for this.

 

Mook

[Chris@Adams]

Keep us posted after you boil your towels!

[07RS4]

Keep us posted after you boil your towels!

 

Seems to be a process a lot recommend, I'm curious to see if this helps you. Chris, what is the theory behind boiling? Does it tighten up the fibers?

 

If mine start linting, I may have to do this if it works.

[Team Adam's]

Simple Green is a pretty tough cleaner... not exactly gently on fabrics (or anything for that matter) great for spot treating, but if you're using it as a detergent in EVERY wash its entirely likely that the repeated exposure is beating up the towels.

 

Only use something like that when needed. Thats like bleaching your whites every time you wash... eventually the fibers are gonna get weak when a harsh cleaner is used.

[jimboman]

I know this sounds a bit anal, but for my good paint and glass towels I'll hand wash them (Micro restore if needed then "free and clear" type detergent, rinse the daylights out of them, final soak in distilled water) and then hang dry (indoors of course) . Almost no linting after several washes.

I have tried the washer and dryer method (gentle) and then had some severe linting. So those towels got re-assigned. My dryer is low end, so it just has low, med, and high.. even the low setting cooks the towels pretty good.

 

I also hate pulling them out of the dryer cause they shock the (you know what) out of me...

[ssooch]

All I do is wash mine in cold/cold in My Samsung front loading washer with All Brand Detergent. It's the H*E, no perfume, no dye "All" that's for sensitive skin. I then dry my towels on "air fluff" for about an hour and twenty minutes. No issues here.

[obssest]

Should I wash immediately after boiling?

 

Regarding the simple green being a harsh detergent, aren't the dedicated microfiber cleaners like Microrestore even more powerful? These clips are from another site which sells micro-restore:

 

"Micro-Restore is superior for treating, cleaning and preparing microfibers because it is a powerful degreaser—a strong detergent"

 

I don't remember seeing a warning like this on simple green...

 

"Be warned--because it is so strong, if you submerge your hands in the detergent—even when diluted with water—your hands will come out unbelievably dry. Don’t worry, it isn’t toxic, but this characteristic is why it outperforms any detergent and why it works so well!"

[07RS4]

Should I wash immediately after boiling?

 

Regarding the simple green being a harsh detergent, aren't the dedicated microfiber cleaners like Microrestore even more powerful? These clips are from another site which sells micro-restore:

 

"Micro-Restore is superior for treating, cleaning and preparing microfibers because it is a powerful degreaser—a strong detergent"

 

I don't remember seeing a warning like this on simple green...

 

"Be warned--because it is so strong, if you submerge your hands in the detergent—even when diluted with water—your hands will come out unbelievably dry. Don’t worry, it isn’t toxic, but this characteristic is why it outperforms any detergent and why it works so well!"

 

 

I see what your saying...but all that is just marketing to get you to buy the product. The only way to prove if either effects the towels is through experience...and look at the ingredients in both and see what they do.

 

I can tell you first hand that we've used Simple Green on our equipment before in tours in the desert before the AF took it off of the approved chemical listing, and it dulled and stained the paint. A "powerful" degreaser could mean anything to tell you the truth.

 

Case in Point: Have you ever seen the Dawn commercial where they were washing crude oil off of baby ducks that where caught in the big oil spill in the gulf? ......and that's Dish soap with lavender......