100% Cotton vs 100% Cotton Terry

[akoch]

I have a black chevy silverado and a vivd black Harley Electra-Glide. I've been a member for about 3 months.

All of the posts I've read so far have been extremely helpful, but's it's starting to get expensive to keep everything looking clean/unscratched. Is there a good way to clean MF towels thoroughly so they can be reused?

Also, what is the difference between 100% cotton towels, and 100% cotton terry cloth? Can I use 100% cotton towels to remove product? So far I'm finding that if I use anything other than new MF towels little scratches are made.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

[The Guz]

Re: 100% Cotton vs 100% Cotton Terry

Welcome to MOL. Stick with microfiber. Cotton/Terry Towels will scratch the paint.

Wash the microfiber towels. They can be reused. You can use regular laundry detergent or some manufacturers sell microfiber detergent. You do not want to dry them with fabric softner.

Another thing is that paint towels should only touch paint. As they get old you can dedicate them to other areas like wheels, door jambs, etc.

[Top Gear]

Re: 100% Cotton vs 100% Cotton Terry

All you have to do is wash them and avoid using dirty sections. By using "towel management", or careful folding, you can get more use out of a "dirty" towel, then wash it when you're ready. I use detergent, borax, vinegar, and fabric softener and they come out good as new for a few cycles. I can get a few of these dirty and washing cycles before the Meg's SS towels lose their fluffiness, or say around 2 years, then those less fluffy ones don't get used for finish work anymore, that is, for spray waxing or final waxing during a correction. I use cheaper, easier to find, color-coded (Advance Auto or the like) MF towels for interior, and for greasy or very dirty cleaning, such as wiping off the wheels when I can't wash them, cleaning brake calipers, getting excess Ultimate Black off, etc. I do not mix these various groups of towels

As for cotton, you can use whatever works, especially for cleaning purposes, but of course that will depend on the towel itself and how you're using it. Some fine and temporary scratches, "love touches", from detailing are to some extent unavoidable in the real world.

[Nick Winn]

Re: 100% Cotton vs 100% Cotton Terry

I wanted to chime in and mention in case you are not already, always use a premium quik detailer spray like our Quik Detailer Mist & Wipe for removal of light dust, fingerprints, etc., along with a high quality microfiber towel such as our Supreme Shine Microfiber Towel.

During washing, there are really 3 important factors to keep in mind, clean quality accessories, a pH balanced car wash, and good technique. We recommend using a microfiber wash mitt, like our X3002 Microfiber Wash Mitt. We also prefer a waffle weave microfiber drying towel, like our X2000 Water Magnet. Dilute your car wash properly, use the two bucket method with optional grit guards, and always have a gently touch during washing. Frequently rinse out your wash mitt in the plain water bucket, before retrieving fresh suds.

The above techniques will greatly lessen the chance of inflicting swirls marks, but as others have mentioned, modern paints are so extremely scratch sensitive, and with so many variables, it is almost impossible to not inflict a light swirl over time. The good thing is it is very easy to remove a light swirl every few months or so with a cleaner/polish or cleaner/wax compared to removing heavy swirls & scratches.