How to Wash...

[lancerplayer]

Hey guys-

I was wondering what is the best way to wash the following-

1) Water Magnet

2) High Tech Foam Applicator

3) Terry Cloth Towel

4) Supreme Micro Fiber

Thanks!

[F-150]

I hand wash all but the ss mf.
This is what I do, I don't know if it's the best way but it works well for me and keeps my cloths like new.
Microfiber Towels:
machine wash warm
w/ regular tide or tide free (also use tide as pretreater for tough stains)
gentle cycle
rinse twice
drying machine on low

Water Magnet:
Pretreat dirty spots with tide
let sit
agitate, then rinse
hand wash w/ woolite (cuz I have woolite and don't use it much but sometimes I just skip this step cuz the little amount of tide I used to spot treat worked fine)
rinse and hand dry

Terry Cloths:
For some reason they lint up really bad when I put them in the washing machine. So I just hand wash them as I go through them and it keeps them like new. (same steps for the water magnet)

High tech foam applicator pads:
hand wash with dawn or tide
rinse let air dry

Hope this helped you and I use very little laundry detergent when washing these btw.

[miked2]

I now I'm going to get in trouble for saying this, but I have had absolutely NO PROBLEMS in over five years with the following approach:

1) Collect all car-washing and car-detailing towels, applicators, sponges, applicator pads, etc.

2) Put them in a horizontal-axis washing machine, on hot (120 degrees F) water heavy-duty wash, with a pre-wash cycle, and with an extra-rinse cycle. I use an "environmentally friendly" powder detergent (currently, Ecos), as it's less hard on the fabrics as compared to Tide, etc., and doesn't contain any optical brighteners, and other stuff I don't need. Most importantly, NO FABRIC SOFTENER.

3) Pull them out of the machine, and air dry. If you machine dry, NO BOUNCE SHEETS (which is a fabric softener).

I have heard all the arguments for washing MF's together, not putting the same towels, etc., that you use for the wheels and tires as with the paint work, not washing applicator pads, and they all sound really convincing to me. The only thing is, I have not witnessed any of the potential problems that can crop up. There are no deleterious effects on my vehicles for using towels, applicators, etc., that have been washed with my "e-z" approach, none of the MF's have "melted" as a result of being subjected to 120 F water (which is the standard hot water setting for most water heaters, and most washing machines don't heat the water themselves, except for some brands like Asko).

I guess what I'd recommend is that you try the E-Z approach with some of your less beloved stuff, and see if it works for you. If it does, you've saved yourself a lot of time. If it doesn't, well, don't use it on your good stuff.

[lancerplayer]

Thanks guys.

Does anyone else have any other methods before I actually wash them?

[farmboy]

I just have all my stuff thrown in together. I haven't had any problems at all. I think the wife uses woolite. It's easy. I set the bag of all my stuff on the table, and by the next morning they are all cleaned and folded nicely.