Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

[seth1066]

Re: Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

I wash them on either "hand-washables" or "delicates" cycles with a little bit of detergent and hang them to air dry.

What, no Woolite?

[Calais]

Re: Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

What, no Woolite?

Nope. Just regular Tide detergent.

[seth1066]

Re: Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

Nope. Just regular Tide detergent.

I thought you were being sarcastic in your original post. That said, I agree that a mild washing would work for MF's used for removing wax or used for a wipe down after claying or spritizing a car with a detail spray.

When using them for engine compartment wipe downs with #40 or post-toothbrush interior wipe downs with APC on a car that was never cleaned by its last owner or removing any of the pro compound family of products, you have to use more extreme methods.

[the_invisible]

Re: Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

See, you are getting defensive. That wasn't my intent at all. In any event you've convinced me that I'm doing things wrong so since I'm Mr. Mom around here I'll start doing them separately. If you feel so strongly about it, there must be a reason. I'm never too old to learn. Still friends? I think my signature sums things up for me.

Hi RGP,

I apologize for sounding defensive, I just thought that would bring out the point. I believe in following instructions. If the laundry tags of almost all my MF tell me to use "medium dry", then I think that is the best way to dry MF. Separating MF in a washload may also be beneficial. Perhaps the benefit is negligible, but you can never be too safe when working on automotive finishes. And yeah, of course we're still friends.

Polyester (PET is used in fabrics) is 100% plastic. It's melting point is ~510F. Unless it's partially oriented (think of a plastic fiber that you can stretch like nylon panty hose: that's partially oriented. When you pull it and it finally breaks it's fully oriented) it's not going to soften. Below ~160F has no effect on its properties.

As you know, almost all microfiber towels in the consumer markets are made from a combination of polyester and polyamide. While polyester itself has a high melting point, the polymers used in microfiber towels have a much lower melting point.

Also, the degradation of fabric is not solely dependent on the temerature at which the fabric starts to melt. A 100% cotton T-shirt may have a high melting point. However, one would notice its fabric degradation after repeated high-heat drying treatments.

[Calais]

Re: Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

I thought you were being sarcastic in your original post. That said, I agree that a mild washing would work for MF's used for removing wax or used for a wipe down after claying or spritizing a car with a detail spray.

When using them for engine compartment wipe downs with #40 or post-toothbrush interior wipe downs with APC on a car that was never cleaned by its last owner or removing any of the pro compound family of products, you have to use more extreme methods.

The majority of my good clothes are used for wax removal or QDing on my own vehicle. When detailing others vehicles I tend to shy away from engine details as I feel like there is a great potential for disaster (probably partially unfounded).

I have clothes that are of lesser quality (bulk from Strauss) that I use for dirty areas like APC+toothbrush on steering wheels and interior handles. Generally I use shop towels for those uses if they are really filthy and just dust off lint with a clean MF and QID.

My only clothes that I care to wash carefully, my Supreme Shines/Ultimate Wipes/Water Magnet, I reserve for low-soiling tasks and I wash on low agitation/intermittent agitation with minimal detergents.

[seth1066]

Re: Correct procedure for washing MF towels etc.

The majority of my good clothes are used for wax removal or QDing on my own vehicle. When detailing others vehicles I tend to shy away from engine details as I feel like there is a great potential for disaster (probably partially unfounded).

I have clothes that are of lesser quality (bulk from Strauss) that I use for dirty areas like APC+toothbrush on steering wheels and interior handles. Generally I use shop towels for those uses if they are really filthy and just dust off lint with a clean MF and QID.

My only clothes that I care to wash carefully, my Supreme Shines/Ultimate Wipes/Water Magnet, I reserve for low-soiling tasks and I wash on low agitation/intermittent agitation with minimal detergents.

How do you wash the lower caste MF's?