Scratches From Microfibers--who uses tweezers?

[OctaneGuy]

I regularly wipe my MINI down with Quik Detailer and microfiber towels. Recently after a wipe down, I noticed some new scratches that weren't there before. Upon closer inspection, I came to believe that it was from my towels. Using a pair of tweezers I went through every nook and cranny of that towel and was shocked to find little bits of metal particles!! They almost looked like metal shavings. Not sure where they came from, but I now inspect very carefully all my towels before using on my paint. It's amazing how much stuff is embedded in there--I would assume they came from wiping down the paint, and maybe from being too close to my towels that I use to wipe the brake dust off my wheels.

Just curious how many others inspect their towels like this??

[DaBoz]

I have good MF towels (from Meg's), which are washed, double rinsed, dryed, kept in plastic bags, never touch the floor or anything else but paint & glass. I feel safe with these and do inspect them.

I have crapy MF towels (from Costco) that I use on jambs, engine, wheels etc. I don't care about them so much. They're full of small pieces of .... well, stuff. Throw them away when they get to nasty.

[OctaneGuy]

Yeah the Meg's MF's aren't as deep or fluffy as the Costco ones, which is probably why I never had that problem before. The ones I've been picking out are the Costco ones which I have a ton of--only ones I can really afford in quantity.

I really need to start storing my towels better. They are all over the place right now--kind of like what my house looks like. EEEEk.

Originally posted by DaBoz
I have good MF towels (from Meg's), which are washed, double rinsed, dryed, kept in plastic bags, never touch the floor or anything else but paint & glass. I feel safe with these and do inspect them.

I have crapy MF towels (from Costco) that I use on jambs, engine, wheels etc. I don't care about them so much. They're full of small pieces of .... well, stuff. Throw them away when they get to nasty.

[Rob66]

Octaneguy

I had the same problem. My own paint is single coat non metallic black and really really soft. Even though I am extremely careful (Meguiars washmit 2 buckets, Waffle weave towel and wax applied by pad and removed with MF), in sunlight I have noticed a good number of light scratches over every panel.

On investigation it has to be the cheap MF towels that I have been using. I havent got any meguiars MF towels yet as they are unbelievably expensive here. But the 2 Zymol MF towels that I have have much closer fibres and are a lot kinder to the paint than the cheaper ones.

I'll try to ignore the price and pick up some Megs MF this weekend. I might even order online from the States as it will probably work out cheaper than going to my local store

Rob

[corvetmike]

Re: Scratches From Microfibers--who uses tweezers?

Originally posted by OctaneGuy
I was shocked to find little bits of metal particles!! They almost looked like metal shavings. Not sure where they came from, but I now inspect very carefully all my towels before using on my paint. It's amazing how much stuff is embedded in there--I would assume they came from wiping down the paint, and maybe from being too close to my towels that I use to wipe the brake dust off my wheels.

Just curious how many others inspect their towels like this??

Hi Richard,
I thought that only happened to me. I couldn't believe that I saw those little metal squiggly things on one of my MF towels. I now inspect all of my towels when they come out of the wash. Do you machine wash or hand wash? I thought they came from the washing machine. I keep them folded in a drawer in the garage and these particular MF towels are a high quality towel that only touch the paint surface, so the only thing that I could think of was that they came from the washing machine, but I do use different colored towels for different applications and then I wash them all at the same time.

---------
Mike M

[cafemoc]

I do use same Costco Yellow MF towels, but always hand wash them with dishwash soap, and haven't noticed any metal pieces. I hang dry all towels, and I check them when I hang them.

I noticed when I use Richard's MF towels(same as mine), it feels more stiffer than mine. I am wondering drying makes any difference?

[OctaneGuy]

Re: Re: Scratches From Microfibers--who uses tweezers?

Wow that's a surprise. I do machine wash them because I have so many to wash, and I do mix all my MF's together--of all brands. Well primarily Costco and Meg's. I'll keep looking to see if I encounter those shavings again.

re: Toshi
Some of my MF's are very soft, and the bads ones are stiff. Those were from the bad production that I notified the MFG about. I use those only on wheels and as rags, never on paint!

You can ID them in my pile because they still have the tags on!

Richard

Originally posted by corvetmike
Hi Richard,
I thought that only happened to me. I couldn't believe that I saw those little metal squiggly things on one of my MF towels. I now inspect all of my towels when they come out of the wash. Do you machine wash or hand wash? I thought they came from the washing machine. I keep them folded in a drawer in the garage and these particular MF towels are a high quality towel that only touch the paint surface, so the only thing that I could think of was that they came from the washing machine, but I do use different colored towels for different applications and then I wash them all at the same time.

---------
Mike M

[cafemoc]

This is how I dry all of my Microfiber towels.
I don't know the lifetime of Microfiber towels, but all of mine get stains, look pretty dirty.
When is the time to toss old Microfiber towels?

[Rick]

I have the same thing happen with Costco Microfibers. It seems like they are too deep and do retain stuff that gets stuck in them. I just purchased 10 more premium microfiber towels for dedicated paint use, so I'm gonig to just use the better ones for paint only.

[RockCrushin150]

I am yet another person with the same problem when it comes to the cheap towels. My Meguiars MF's are locked away for paint and glass use only. Sometimes I'll use one of my cheap MF's on the glass but only if my Meguiars MF's are in the washer at the time.

- Chris

[KenNETx]

Re: Scratches From Microfibers--who uses tweezers?

I roll my mf towels for storage straight out of the dryer. Minimizes surface area exposed to possible contamination during storage and handling. Use fingernails to nitpick them.

[Graeme]

Re: Scratches From Microfibers--who uses tweezers?

I another that wash mine in the machine and the hang under cover to dry. I store mine in a big plastic container with small holes drilled for airflow.
They are only used for paint.
Graeme

[imacarnut]

Re: Scratches From Microfibers--who uses tweezers?

i wash all my mf's in warm water with liquid tide and a scoop of oxyclean, and on the last rinse cycle i add some vinegar (helps to get rid of any leftover detergent residue and seems to help retain the plushness). then finally, off into the dryer they go on the lowest heat setting and then stored away in one of these...