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Dirty Microfiber Towels


Timmy8784

Question

Hey guys,

 

After you use microfiber towels, will you ruin the towels if you don't wash right away?

 

If I am doing a small job and only use a towel or two, can I leave them dirty until I have more towels to do a bigger load in the washer or will this ruin my towels?

 

Thanks!

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Mine sit until I have enough for a load.   I leave them in the garage and they can set for 2-4 weeks. 

 

And watch out for the black towels (if you have any of them) as they like to stain anything they are next to that is a lighter color.  

Edited by Feets31
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I'm almost to the point where I will trust my wife to wash my MF towels.  Almost.   ;)

 

 

Resist it Nick!  I can't even let my wife do the laundry in the house (she never folds my jeans or t-shirts correct if she does, took her 2 years to figure out the concept of his and hers sides on the basket for easier putting away of clothes, and she doesnt fluff the clean clothes up in the dryer before folding them and putting them in the basket, can you say WRINKLES)

 

So you can only imagine, it will be a cold day in hell before I give her free reign to do the MF towels.

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I agree with everyone else, keep them in a dedicated place until you have enough to do a full load.  This concept is also a good reason to stock up on various towels so you never run out...... off to order some more ....

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I need to ask some follow-on questions.  I have been doing loads of like 5-7 towels at a time (all I have been using per week) and not thought about just getting a hamper for them specifically...

 

I have enough towels to get through a couple washes and waxes no problem.

 

My questions are thus...  

 

1)  When I wash them, should I separate the "utility towels" from the glass cleaning, waterless, double softs and other towels?

 

2)  Should I separate the glass towels from the double softs or any other towels (starting to get rolled edges (no damage))?

 

3)  Can you wash "utility" microfiber towels (Adam's or local car store or whosever microfiber standard cloths) with any of Adam's other towels?

 

Thanks in advance.  Just don't want to ruin any towels in the process.

Edited by mtnbiker326
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I wash all my towels together, along with MF applicators, MF's we dust and clean house glass with, and my MF mop pads that we use for cleaning in the house, all at the same time in the same wash load.

 

Some may have extreme OCD about colors or plushness separation but if you are following best wash practices for the MF towels they should all come out great.

 

Granted, highly soiled or greased towels (like ones you use to wipe down a CV boot after it leaks or an engine bay thats never been cleaned), I use a Costco/Walmart cheapo towel on, and if they get too soiled doing jobs like that, I just toss them out instead of trying to launder.  For a 75 cent towel its not worth it.

 

For a full hamper load which gets me to the "large load" on the water in the washing machine I use 2 oz. of Micro-Restore (other brand janitorial supply equivalent of MFR&B) in the wash load, normal cycle, HOT wash, and warm to cool rinse.  Sometimes I also add a half cup of white vinegar for extra cleaning power.

 

Then I toss everything in the dryer with the heat on low, no dryer sheet and I clean the lint trap first.  My towels all come out perfect each time, from my low nap all purpose towels to my 700 gsm extra plush towels, to my $27 Uber Super Drying Towels (3) from Detailers Domain, and everything in between.

 

 

Hope that helps man.  I know I'm gonna get people saying to wash only plush together, only all purpose together, etc, but if washing properly you can do them all together.  With the amount you use per week (5-7) I probably wouldn't do a load for 3 weeks or so.

Edited by Ricky Bobby
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I have a large collection of towels so I can leave them for larger loads.  I am a Virgo (at least that is my excuse) so I separate them by use:

  • Wash - GWDT, Waterless Wash towels, Glass towels, and the 'damp' wipe towel from a Rinseless wash
  • Wax and polish towels
  • Black utility towels
  • 'good' utility towels
  • 'work' utility towels
  • terry utility towels

 

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You should always separate your towels based on their duties when washing them to avoid cross contamination. That utility towel with engine grime shouldn't be anywhere near your super plush doublesoft that was only used to remove sealant residue from your clean and polished paint.

 

I separate into 3 loads based on type and use

 

1. Plush towels (close to, if not completely, dirt-free)

2. Glass, waffle weave, interior towels (lightly to moderately dirty)

3. Metal, utility, etc (will turn the water black)

 

I wash them by hand within a day or two of use: clean bucket, warm water, revitalizer. Towels in the 3rd category get a drop of Woolite mixed in to help extract the grime. Hang dry.

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You should always separate your towels based on their duties when washing them to avoid cross contamination. That utility towel with engine grime shouldn't be anywhere near your super plush doublesoft that was only used to remove sealant residue from your clean and polished paint.

 

I separate into 3 loads based on type and use

 

1. Plush towels (close to, if not completely, dirt-free)

2. Glass, waffle weave, interior towels (lightly to moderately dirty)

3. Metal, utility, etc (will turn the water black)

 

I wash them by hand within a day or two of use: clean bucket, warm water, revitalizer. Towels in the 3rd category get a drop of Woolite mixed in to help extract the grime. Hang dry.

 

 

Told you I would get flack for putting everything together, and different strokes for different folks, if your towels come out clean then that is all that matters.  My plush towels stay fluffy and get clean, and so do my other towels.  MFR&B or my dedicated MF detergent are formulated to release excessive grime in the wash cycle as a hefty part of the detergent is actually a degreasing agent believe it or not.

 

I plainly stated that towels with engine grime get tossed if its anything more than I get on a door jamb, I use a cheapo MF and throw it out.

 

The dirtiest my towels get is from drying and wipe downs of door jambs after the wash, other than that its just glass cleaning, detail spray wipedowns, drying the car, and removing polish residues or MF applicators with leather conditioner/wax.  All are able to be cleaned together with not a single issue of them not being 100% clean after pulling them out of the dryer.

 

It's all about using best washing practices.

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I agree with being busy, and I was messing about the flack but I knew someone would post after me that they sort them by plushness and use level.  My motto, "if in doubt just use a cheapie and throw it out!" We had a discussion recently where it was concluded that the big box store cheap towels do have their place in a detailers arsenal as a disposable item, whether its wiping oily grime from engine bays down or wiping down tires dry with APC to get the really deep gunk out, they have their place, and you would definitely not want to risk your good all purpose, dual purpose, plush towels, drying towels etc by throwing a grimey cheapo towel in the wash!

 

Plus, considering how much laundry I have to do in the rest of my house (we have a big American bulldog too so I'm always washing his blankets, sweatshirts, etc once a week in addition to our bedsheets, and my wifes and my laundry), its easier to throw them all in one load.  Plus it makes me feel awesome to be able to fill up the whole washing machine with microfiber, then still have 2 - 12 gallon totes in the garage that are basically full LOL

 

No negative effects :)

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