Anyone add white vinegar to their rinse cycle when laundering MF towels?

[cammyfive]

I've found that adding a half cup of distilled white vinegar to the last rinse/fabric softner cycle of my normal laundry regimen keeps my clothes brighter by being just acidic enough to make sure all of the detergent is totally out of the clothes, I was wondering if this would help while laundering MF towels? I use Adams MF revitalizer with a warm wash and double rinse (no fabric softner or anything else) but was curious if this would be beneficial any any at all.

[Sizzle Chest]

i use it all the time with my micro-fiber.  Every load!

[Chewy]

It's not a bad thing to do! Just make sure it rinses well after!

[Ricky Bobby]

Use a hot wash cycle, 1 oz of Adams detergent for normal size loads and 2 oz for filled up loads and half cup of white vinegar.

 

HOT wash, warm or cold rinse, or double rinse if you have that option. I tumble dry on low but some do it with no heat at all. My towels come out good as new every time.

 

That's it and that's all.

[camaro2ssblack]

I've been meaning to start doing this myself. I say go for it, I've never heard anything but positive reviews.

[Rich]

My wife uses the vinegar for whites. I never thought to use it for my towels, etc.  Been a regular uses of the Revitalizer since it came out and like that product a lot. I've found that hot water set stains, etc, IN rather than getting dirt out so I stick with warm water, cold rinse, and opt for an extra rinse to make sure I get all the crud out. And I dry my towels in the dryer as well........NO fabric softener or sheets. 

 

I will try the vinegar thing though......if she lets me have any. 

[Redbeard]

I use 2 ounces of the Revitalizer with good results. Are you saying you add vinegar in addition to the Revitalizer?

[cammyfive]

I use 2 ounces of the Revitalizer with good results. Are you saying you add vinegar in addition to the Revitalizer?

Not exactly. The MF Reviltalizer has all the cleaning power necessary. The distilled white vinegar add to the fabric softner tray (if your machine has one) is dispensed with the final rise cycle. It's purpose is to ensure that 100% of the detergent/soap/suds are rinsed from the towels.

[Ricky Bobby]

Good idea ^^^ I usually put it in with the detergent and let the rinse cycle go with straight water but I will try it in the Fabric softener tray (should clean that up as well)

 

And yes this is in addition to MFR&B or equivalent detergent.  mid size loads get 1 oz. regardless if adding vinegar, full to the brim loads get 2 oz.

Edited May 6, 2014 by Ricky Bobby

[Marylander]

Great Idea. I'm going to have to try this.

[Methodical]

Not exactly. The MF Reviltalizer has all the cleaning power necessary. The distilled white vinegar add to the fabric softner tray (if your machine has one) is dispensed with the final rise cycle. It's purpose is to ensure that 100% of the detergent/soap/suds are rinsed from the towels.

 

What concerns me with using the fabric softener dispenser is that there could be fabric softener or bleach remnants there from previous wash cycles.  What's your thought on that?

Edited May 7, 2014 by Methodical

[GerryC]

What concerns me with using the fabric softener dispenser is that there could be fabric softener or bleach remnants there from previous wash cycles.  What's your thought on that?

 

This is one of the main reasons why I prefer to wash my towels by hand. By not using the washer and dryer, you avoid any and all possibility of cross-contamination with other fabrics or chemicals. Then again, I like to wash my towels within a day of using them. I know others will wait until they have enough dirty towels to do one large load, which is where using a washing machine has its benefits. Personally I would still hang my towels to dry regardless of how I washed them.

 

I have yet to use vinegar when I rinse but I may give it a try and see how it works. Right now I tend to just rinse the towels twice to make sure all the cleaner is out.

 

Like with everything else, it's all about personal preference. Use the input from everyone on the forum as a guide, but do what works best for you.

[suke]

I put it in with the regular soap. Then also in the 'bleach' tray then do an extra rinse. 

[Ricky Bobby]

What concerns me with using the fabric softener dispenser is that there could be fabric softener or bleach remnants there from previous wash cycles.  What's your thought on that?

 

My logic is that regardless if I put vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser or in the wash cycle, at least on my washing machine, whatevers in the dispenser is going to be dispersed in the rinse cycle whether it is empty or whether it has liquid in it.  On mine if there is nothing in the bleach dispenser it doesnt get dispensed at all (goes in the wash cycle).

 

If you are concerned about past residues, etc, I suggest doing a full load, empty, with some vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser and in the wash load to "disinfect" your washing machine.  You probably should do this quarterly as well as its good practice to keep your machine clean on the inside, as we all know there is no disinfectant in laundry detergents and being the moist environment that a washing machine is, you'll want to periodically "clean it out", same goes for dishwasher.

 

Say if I just got done from a weekend on landscaping and just washed a load full of muddy carhartts and sweaty workout clothes, I would probably run an empty cycle with vinegar on Hot wash just to disinfect the machine some before putting my good MF towels in there.  Probably have had to do that 2-3 times over the past few years.

 

However, the other 95% of the time I just use my wash methods above and have had my towels come out 100% fine, assuming the bleach and fabric dispenser trays just stay empty during the wash and nothing else is done.

 

 

Hope that helps.

[cammyfive]

The basic chemistry is that the white vinegar is just acidic enough to dissolve any residual detergent soap but not harm clothes/towels. I would THINK that running any empty load with say a cup of vinegar in the detergent tray and an additional cup in the fabric softner tray would clean out 99.9999999% of any remaining impurities in your machine. Probably a good idea every year or so even if you aren't washing our precious MF towels.

Edited May 7, 2014 by cammyfive

[mc2hill]

If you are concerned about past residues, etc, I suggest doing a full load, empty, with some vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser and in the wash load to "disinfect" your washing machine.  You probably should do this quarterly as well as its good practice to keep your machine clean on the inside, as we all know there is no disinfectant in laundry detergents and being the moist environment that a washing machine is, you'll want to periodically "clean it out", same goes for dishwasher.

 

 

You could also use a washing machine cleaner.  Yea, I know, it's a washing machine, shouldn't it already clean!  There are several brands available, including Tide & Clorox.  (thanks for this tip Mook!)

[Ricky Bobby]

True, but most washing machine cleaners are mostly disinfectant based anyway and might smell better if anything.  I used to use them, but to be honest, a cup of white vinegar is cheap as can be and leaves my machine and dishwasher sparkling clean.

 

Works great on cleaning out your Keurig as well (and is their recommended disinfecting procedure to run 48 oz of white vinegar through it yearly)

 

I just looooooooove when my washing machine smells like pickles!

[cammyfive]

Distilled white vinegar has sooooooo many great uses. I use it for cleaning FILTHY windows with a cheap MF saturated in it, spritz a tiny bit of Adams window cleaner afterwards to remove the residue and they are literally invisible. I no longer use fabric softner of any type and use a half cup of vinegar in the final rinse. True, they won't coming out with an artificial good smell but they are totally clean and the colors stay bright. Finally, I run a few capfuls through my McCulloch steamer and Rowetta steam iron to remove any hard water traces or calcium build up. Not bad considering that a 64oz bottle of the grocery store brand is less than $2!!!

[scootertrash19]

Thanks for all the info on this topic, guess I will start adding Vinegar to my wash as well.

[KBsToy]

I add mine in final or extra rinse....

[Methodical]

I used some vinegar this weekend when I cleaned my towels.  I don't know if it was enough, but I used about 4 oz in a small load.  No vinegar smell or adverse reaction.

Edited May 12, 2014 by Methodical

[cammyfive]

I used some vinegar this weekend when I cleaned my towels.  I don't know if it was enough, but I used about 4 oz in a small load.  No vinegar smell or adverse reaction.

 

Holy cow that was a lot of white vinegar!!!!  LOL.  I use 1 oz or so in the fabric softener tray and set it for double rinse.