BRZN Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Here's a few things. I work in the dairy industry and cleaning of equipment is at the front of a lot of what I do, and I've been able to carry some of this knowledge forward into auto detailing. Wash with a detergent, detergent is alkaline above 7 on the ph scale Adam's Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener is great for removing automotive chemicals, it's powerful stuff! Rinse with distilled white vinegar. Vinegar is an acid below 7 on the ph scale. It will help to remove left over detergent and contaminants from the rinse water. If detergent and vinegar are mixed together neither will work and the detergent will remain, along with the material to be cleaned in the towels. Once you use the towel to wipe, say, Detail Spray the detergent and old product may very well grab a hold of the Detail Spray and begin to drag, pulling towel material, or lint from the towel. I wash my front load HE machine once a month with a product made by Tide to thoroughly clean my type of machine. The load prior to washing my microfibers is run without fabric softener in the washer, or dry sheets in the dryer. I also pull the detergent/chlorine/fabric softener dispenser from the machine and clean it before washing my towels. My towels get boiled once per year, and I still use some of the very first microfiber towels I purchased more than10 years ago! Shinbone, Ricky Bobby, Nickfire20 and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Thanks Dave, you rock! Now you can see why I asked him to chime in here...always learning new things from the master BRZN 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red94chev Posted November 3, 2015 Share Posted November 3, 2015 Good stuff guys, its is a regular top load machine. I will look into the cleaner for the machine also. Thanks for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaStA Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Hopefully putting the vinegar into the rinse cycle only will clear up the issues. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheWolf Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 I only use vinegar to clean the washer. I have tried the special tablets but never thought they did better, other than having perfume in them. To clean my front loader, I just put vinegar in every dispenser cup (wash, bleach, fabric softener) then run it on a cleaning cycle. Need to get the dispenser cups and tubes/channels clean up too, not just drum. This is really true if you regularly use fabric softener, then go to run MF towels and put vinegar in the dispenser, it will put all the fabric softener residue into your towels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRZN Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 (edited) A strong alkaline cleaner is what's needed to clean the machine. If you're not having success with the over the counter types of cleaners specifically made to clean the machines, pick up some lye at the local hardware store. The drum needs cleaned of old soap build up and organic matter stuck to it (the organic materials are what make the foul odor). Chlorine bleach on the hot wash cycle can do a fair job on its own to clean the internals of the washer. Vinegar is a mild acid, it's not going to do the job on its own. Acid will break down minerals, like calcium, from hard water. Many fabric softeners contain either an acid or a base. If your softener is an acid, you need a base to remove it, and visa versa. I pull my fabric softener out and manually clean it. Edited November 4, 2015 by BRZN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Dave would using a cleaner like MFR&B on the machine in its own cycle do enough to clean out the machine since I think it is a fairly alkaline cleaner? I've noticed bleach does ok and vinegar will neutralize things but they both aren't wonderful at cleaning the whole machine out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan@Adams Posted November 4, 2015 Share Posted November 4, 2015 Hey Jason, Dave is in surgery right now for a torn rotator cuff, so I just wanted to give you a quick heads-up that it might take him a bit to reply Let's all wish him a speedy recovery! NG13, MaStA and BRZN 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Well Dave let me wish you a speedy recovery and safely administered surgery my dude! Shoulder surgeries are a serious B!tch to say the least and hugely underrated. I've had a nagging minor labral tear for years and the doc says only thing to do is stop lifting weights (which Dave can tell you is not going to happen) so I deal with nagging pain myself in my left shoulder. Oh well, the muscles are worth it. As an aside, I can safely say, that 2 oz in the machine, and 1 oz in the fabric softener tray and 1 oz in my bleach dispenser tray gave me the cleanest washing machine ever (I tested it today) Dan you can pass the word along to El Jefe that MFR can safely be used as a cleaning solution for your laundry machine! Whether it's once a month to break up the buildup from normal wash loads, or just before doing a load of towels, it does work phenomenally! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRZN Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 (edited) Survived the surgery, now to survive the boredom of recovery. this is the second shoulder done within two years. yesterday's surgery was to repair a torn rotator cuff. I'd not been in the gym since the week after my injury in early August. Went to bench and pretty much knew right away what I'd done. I'll be good to go for Adam for Spring Carlisle! Anyways, lye runs a PH of 13, on the scale that goes as high as 14. I just stuck Adam's Microfiber Revitalizer & Brightener with a strip of litmus paper and found it to be pretty high on the PH scale, about the same as chlorine bleach. Neutral is PH 7, the numbers lower than 7 are acidic. I often run the Tide HE Washing Machine Cleaner through my machine right after a load of microfiber towels to take advantage of what the MFR loosened up. Edited November 11, 2015 by BRZN Dan@Adams 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Bobby Posted November 5, 2015 Share Posted November 5, 2015 Thanks Dave for running the litmus test! I was actually shocked at how clean the drum felt and smelled (musty smell gone) after running just one load on mine on heavy wash with hot water and cold rinse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imcrazy Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Hey guys, any tips to keep the static down when washing towels ? My truck is a dust magnet after I wipe it down to the point where it looks like it needs washed 24 hours later, where as if I just use a leaf blower to dry it looks clean all week if we don't get any rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NG13 Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 (edited) I saw a post that DVK made a while back that said he had a wire with an alligator clip that he attached to the truck and a ground rod (ie a piece of rebar protruding from the garage floor). By grounding the body you eliminate the static charge and the dust collection problem. I have a buddy that's a painter and he does the same thing to vehicles in the paint booth. I don't even think he attaches it to anything, just lets the bare metal lay on the floor. I think he uses a small metal chain or something. EDIT: I think I missed the towel part of that last post....sorry! Dave has a great explanation in the next post though! Edited November 10, 2015 by NG13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRZN Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 The static electricity isn't in the towels from washing, even though you may notice some when pulling them out to fold them. That dissipates rather quickly. The static electricity to the vehicle itself is from rubbing the towels across the paint surface. Think of it like dragging your feet across a carpeted floor and touching a metal object. Humidity plays a factor in how much static electricity will be generated, if practical, I prefer to wipe my vehicles down earl;er in the day when the humidity is usually higher. NG13 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pirahnah3 Posted November 10, 2015 Share Posted November 10, 2015 Glad your doing well Dave! Looking forward to seeing you at carlisle all set and ready to tackle those vehicles. Sorry my humor for the day Dan@Adams and BRZN 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imcrazy Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Thanks for the insight guys. Maybe I'll try the grounding trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaunwistow Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Doing my chores today ???? mc2hill 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony_G Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 in the past ive just thrown towels away after several uses. not adams!! I definitely want to keep these nice as long as possible. Just got some revitalizer in both 32oz and gallon sizes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 Could be kind of a silly question, I’ve just never washed my MF’s using this product and want to make sure I’m doing it right. So before putting in the wash do I just spray down each towel with the microfiber revitializer or what’s the best way to ensure all MF’s get cleaned the best? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GXPaycheck Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 29 minutes ago, Derek said: Could be kind of a silly question, I’ve just never washed my MF’s using this product and want to make sure I’m doing it right. So before putting in the wash do I just spray down each towel with the microfiber revitializer or what’s the best way to ensure all MF’s get cleaned the best? Thanks Spray them if they are really dirty. If not then the MFR is all you need (and maybe some vinegar). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 4 hours ago, GXPaycheck said: Spray them if they are really dirty. If not then the MFR is all you need (and maybe some vinegar). Okay so would the best waycto wash them just be to spray them with MFR and do nothing else? Just kind of run a cycle using warm water? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExcellentAmp Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 11 hours ago, GXPaycheck said: Spray them if they are really dirty. If not then the MFR is all you need (and maybe some vinegar). . I use a couple of ounces of MFR and a half cup of white vinegar. Seems to work well for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GXPaycheck Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 8 hours ago, ExcellentAmp said: . I use a couple of ounces of MFR and a half cup of white vinegar. Seems to work well for me. Wash them just like you would anything else. Normal cycle, MFR in the detergent cup. Make sure to clean out the washer first to get all the old chemicals out of it. Someone suggested running a cycle using MFR in all the cups to clean the washer first. Good idea. So wash with MFR, pretreat any heavily stained areas first. I let my towels soak overnight in APC or MFR before the wash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falcaineer Posted May 11, 2018 Share Posted May 11, 2018 (edited) 17 hours ago, Derek said: Okay so would the best waycto wash them just be to spray them with MFR and do nothing else? Just kind of run a cycle using warm water? No. Spray first, then add 1-2 ounces to the detergent cup depending on number of towels. Wash on warm, and if your washer has it, use an extra rinse cycle. I don't use vinegar and have always been pleased with how they turn out. Oh, and recommend you wash your HGG towels separate from all others...at least that's my practice. To dry, I just let them air dry on a laundry rack. Edited May 11, 2018 by falcaineer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted May 12, 2018 Share Posted May 12, 2018 Thank you all so much! Always nice to come here when still learning and getting so many responses! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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