Reviving Double Soft Towels?

[kesmit]

I have some double soft towels that are a few months old as well as some newer ones.  I've noticed that the older ones don't look nearly as plush as the new ones.  I use them primarily for rinseless washes, so they do get somewhat dirty.  I generally pre-treat with APC and wash with Adam's microfiber detergent in warm water and dry on low heat.  It almost looks as if the newer towels have more split fibers whereas the older one look like the split fibers are joined into single strands.

 

I realize that over time, they won't be as white since they're being used for washing a vehicle.  However, I'd like to keep them in as good of condition as possible since they are rather pricey.  I took a couple of the worst ones and put them in boiling water with vinegar as documented in the care instructions, but it didn't seem to make any difference.

 

Just to see what would happen, I tried brushing the towel with a pad brush to see if that might fluff them up, but it didn't seem to do a lot either.  It mostly just created a lot of lint.

 

If anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear them.  Or if this is just the way things are, it would be nice to know that too.

Edited March 21, 2016 by kesmit

[stripesace]

Everything you want to know and more about maintaining towels:

 

http://www.adamsforums.com/topic/27969-faq-how-do-i-take-care-of-my-microfiber-towels/

[LT1xL82]

Do you have known good water? If not really sure, perhaps have it tested by a reputable lab?

[Rich]

You can boil them.  I put them in the washer with HOT water and microfiber revitalizer and let them soak about an hour till the water cools. Then I drain the water and WASH them again in HOT water (no powdered soap ever) with liquid Tide (you can use APC) I rinse them twice in cold water and then toss them in the dryer on medium heat till they're almost dry, then hang them up for a day in the basement.  Clean and fluffy. 

[GXPaycheck]

Air dry. Use the dryer sparingly.

[csikx]

Air dry. Use the dryer sparingly.

 

I second this.  Definitely air dry if you have the space.

[kesmit]

I second this.  Definitely air dry if you have the space.

 

 

Air dry. Use the dryer sparingly.

 

So are my older ones stuck like this or will they get better after a while of not using the dryer?

[Ricky Bobby]

They may not be out of the bag new but if washed, dried, and stored properly they should function fine and still be ultra soft for paint wiping.

 

Some of my double softs have been washed a bunch of times and besides not being as bright as they were out of the box they still work amazing.  In order to keep them 100% new you'd have to wash them in cold and air dry.  I'll take 95% of their new feel and be able to know that I am washing in warm to get all the grime out -

 

I do tumble dry on low for 15 min cycles (15 min low, then 10 min no heat) twice and then they are basically 90% dry

 

You just dont want them in the dryer on low for an hour.

[kesmit]

They may not be out of the bag new but if washed, dried, and stored properly they should function fine and still be ultra soft for paint wiping.

 

Some of my double softs have been washed a bunch of times and besides not being as bright as they were out of the box they still work amazing.  In order to keep them 100% new you'd have to wash them in cold and air dry.  I'll take 95% of their new feel and be able to know that I am washing in warm to get all the grime out -

 

I do tumble dry on low for 15 min cycles (15 min low, then 10 min no heat) twice and then they are basically 90% dry

 

You just dont want them in the dryer on low for an hour.

 

 

Mine aren't unusable or anything like that, they just don't feel anywhere near as fluffy as new.  I wouldn't put them at 95%, maybe 80%.  I just want to make sure I stop doing whatever it is that I'm doing to cause it.  I don't see this issue with any other towels, but those don't have fibers nearly as long either.

[Ricky Bobby]

As long as your washing and drying techniques are solid - nothing to worry about.  They still work like new, they just may not feel like out of the box, make sense?  They won't get any worse if that is what you are asking.

 

If you want a towel to always feel like you first received it out of a ziplock bag from Adams, unfortunately you have to never use it and never launder it at all.