Cleaning MF Towels questions

[DwDrummer]

How often should I clean the MF towels? If I'm polishing or just using them to wipe off detail spray should I wash them after each use? Liquid soap and let the air dry is the method I used today. Is this the right way to clean them??

 

Thanks,

DwDrummer

[Team Adam's]

Thanks for the replies. Dylan glad to hear that it works for you and that it actually breaks down the cleaning chemicals in the towels. I don't have a lot of MF but the few I have I want to keep in excellent condition. If I get some extra money I might pick up some of this stuff. Just can't let the girlfriend know I'm spending $30 on MF soap.

 

Money well spent IMO and it will last you a long time, it uses very little per wash. If you're interested I know of a place you can get it at a discount online. PM me and I'll give you the info.

[bigred vette]

for those of you that have used this soap...how does it compare to boiling the towels in water with vinegar? does the soap do a better job of breaking up the polish?

[Team Adam's]

for those of you that have used this soap...how does it compare to boiling the towels in water with vinegar? does the soap do a better job of breaking up the polish?

 

For 'in between' cleaning its perfect, but I still boil mine every 10+/- cycles just to keep them extra fluffy and nice. I do have MF that has never been boiled and exclusively washed with the MF detergent, I'd say its a close second but boiling does give it a little extra life.

[bigred vette]

For 'in between' cleaning its perfect, but I still boil mine every 10+/- cycles just to keep them extra fluffy and nice. I do have MF that has never been boiled and exclusively washed with the MF detergent, I'd say its a close second but boiling does give it a little extra life.

Thanks Dylan!

[Mick]

I started using Restore last year, much better then clothes detergent. Have not boiled yet, I guess that is my next step in the learning process.

[ImpulseIII]

When using the washing machine, stop the agitator after the first minute an let the towels soak. Have a beer of cup of coffee and then restart the washing machine. This allows the towels to soak and help in breaking down any polish that is embedded in the fabric. Also...if your machine has an extra rinse cycle, use it.

 

Just my $.02

[Devin04]

Not to sound stupid but what are the steps involved in boiling MF. And thanks Dylan I'll send you a PM sometime.

[Team Adam's]

When using the washing machine, stop the agitator after the first minute an let the towels soak. Have a beer of cup of coffee and then restart the washing machine. This allows the towels to soak and help in breaking down any polish that is embedded in the fabric. Also...if your machine has an extra rinse cycle, use it.

 

Just my $.02

 

Thats not a bad idea about stopping to let them soak, I'll add that to my routine.

 

I use the "whitest whites" setting on my washer, uses all settings maxed (hi temp, hi aggitation, extra rinse, hi speed spin cycle) little extra scrub and heat can only help IMO.

 

Not to sound stupid but what are the steps involved in boiling MF. And thanks Dylan I'll send you a PM sometime.

 

Its as simple as it sounds... boil water, insert MF towels, let them soak for a few minutes, remove, don't burn yourself. I typically let them air dry after boiling then toss them in the dryer to fluff them up again. Boiling simply breaks down the last bit of residue that washing alone might not get. You'll know its working b/c the water left in the pot after boiling will have a little bit of wax/oil/gunk in it even if your towels were 'clean' when they went in.

[Chewy]

What he said. I wash mine after every use. Then drop them in the dryer.

 

I fold and iron... NOT....

 

I do fold them neatly and store them in a Rubbermaid container to keep them dirt and dust free..

 

 

Agreed! I hang dry them to make them last a bit longer. They dry SUPER soft and then I fold them and put them in a large flip top container that I then carry up from the basement when cleaning the rides...

 

I also use detergent that is free of dyes and such. My Fiance' has to have that detergent and I thought WTH... Couldn't hurt.

 

NEVER use the dry detergent.

 

ALSO! I take my wash bucket after a detail job and fill it with hot water and some dish washing detergent and let the towels sit in the bucket over night. I then take them right from the bucket and put them into the washer. I don't do this unless I have detailed and have a bunch of wax/polishing residue on the towels.

Edited March 25, 2009 by Chewy

[Devin04]

Its as simple as it sounds... boil water, insert MF towels, let them soak for a few minutes, remove, don't burn yourself. I typically let them air dry after boiling then toss them in the dryer to fluff them up again. Boiling simply breaks down the last bit of residue that washing alone might not get. You'll know its working b/c the water left in the pot after boiling will have a little bit of wax/oil/gunk in it even if your towels were 'clean' when they went in.

 

I've heard some ppl using vinegar while boiling what does that do and how much should be used?

[Team Adam's]

helps clean them, when I use it I'm not very scientific and I just arbitrarily pour in a little bit. perhaps someone else can chime in with a specific or recommended amount of vinegar to use.

[livingwater]

I machine wash my microfiber towels and then air dry them.

After they have dried I put them in Zip lock style bags and actually squeeze the air out of them to create a vacuum seal.

 

I probably have washed the towels 2 dozen times and they still look and feel like new

[teamroper60]

Ok, so somebody else asked this but it was never answered, can you wash the white drying towel with the blue polishing towels?? So far I have not, but that ends up meaning I am washing just the blue towels together and the drying towel by itself, which seems like a huge waste of water to me.....

[Devin04]

Ok, so somebody else asked this but it was never answered, can you wash the white drying towel with the blue polishing towels?? So far I have not, but that ends up meaning I am washing just the blue towels together and the drying towel by itself, which seems like a huge waste of water to me.....

 

You can wash the towels together. The only thing I recommend is washing your blue towels separate once to take out some of the dye from the first washing. They will turn your white WW towel a very light blue. I also wash the MF applicator pads. Since they are blue too I'd recommend the same thing; wash them with your polishing towels once before mixing them with the white ones. This is something I wish I did when I first washed mine. Just know that if you do mix them it will still eventually turn your WW towel a light blue but as far as I can tell it doesn't affect the performance.

[Chewy]

I wash all my MF stuff together... Just did it last night in fact.

 

Chris

[teamroper60]

Thanks folks!!

[justinN1_C5]

Its as simple as it sounds... boil water, insert MF towels, let them soak for a few minutes, remove, don't burn yourself. I typically let them air dry after boiling then toss them in the dryer to fluff them up again. Boiling simply breaks down the last bit of residue that washing alone might not get. You'll know its working b/c the water left in the pot after boiling will have a little bit of wax/oil/gunk in it even if your towels were 'clean' when they went in.

 

Sorry, but I am not totally clear on how to boil the towels; is it: (1) Bring water and vinegar to a boil water, insert MF Towel into boiling water and continue to boil for 10mins...cooking pan is not removed from heat source (like cooking pasta?) Or is it (2) Bring water and vinegar to a boil, remove pot from heat source, insert towel into pan, soak in water for 10mins and then remove.

 

Maybe I am making this way more involved that it is supposed to be , but I am not sure if you are supposed to "cook" the towels or just soak them in hot water...Thanks

[Devin04]

Sorry, but I am not totally clear on how to boil the towels; is it: (1) Bring water and vinegar to a boil water, insert MF Towel into boiling water and continue to boil for 10mins...cooking pan is not removed from heat source (like cooking pasta?) Or is it (2) Bring water and vinegar to a boil, remove pot from heat source, insert towel into pan, soak in water for 10mins and then remove.

 

Maybe I am making this way more involved that it is supposed to be , but I am not sure if you are supposed to "cook" the towels or just soak them in hot water...Thanks

 

I took Dylan's instructions to mean that I boil them in the pot like cooking them (I did it for 10 min). I didn't use any vinegar and I used an old cheap MF towel to see how it works. The towel didn't feel much different but there was some yellow residue left in the pot when I was done so I assume the towel was cleaner than a normal wash. I found it potentially dangerous to boil them on my stove in the largest pot I had. the boiling water would create a lot of steam and that steam would inflate parts of the towel rising it to the top of the pot then releasing steam and hot water. I used tongs and an oven mit to move it around so it wouldn't keep spewing water all over my stove and floor. Don't know if this helps, as it is the first time I've ever boiled MF.

[Superdutytd]

That's what I did^^ and I'm doing some towels right now.

[justinN1_C5]

Thanks for the replies guys!

I will have to try this method to see how it works.

Thanks again!