Microfiber towels

[Pablo]

Many people are sold on microfiber towels. But are the all microfiber towels created equal? I think not. The fiber material used in construction is every bit as fibers/thread used in some bath towels.

One thing that is HUGE negative to microfiber is the ability to cling to metal/hard shavings. I use them in my shop for certain projects and the amount junk clinging to the towels is amazing. I used a set of new towels to wax dry my car, but after washing they now have little bits of hard stuff stuck in the fibers.

 

[440Magnum]

For all their positives, I'm not all that sold on them. Unless you treat them like delicate clothing, they don't tolerate the wash cycle very well. Certainly not if you mix them with other shop rags.

Its very hard to beat 100% cotton terrycloth towels.

 

[matrass]

did you wash the towels alone or were there other items in with them ? I have had some towels for years and used them many, many times. I do use the microfiber detergent ( you can use woolite but not as good ) , wash them without anything else in the washer.make sure to dry them on very low heat in the dryer without any dryer sheets.I do from time to time let them air dry if you did not have enough to run the dryer.

 

[BTLew81]

Wash them in warm water, alone, and dry on low. No fabric softener/dryer sheets. Regular detergent is just fine, though the MF specific detergent does provide some benefits. I use an extra rinse cycle.

For paint, nothing beats MF. For "rag duty" I use shop towels, etc. MF hold up VERY well if treated properly.

 

[gofast182]

I use Uber double-sided MF towels and they're great. Durable, very gentle, two different naps, and they clean up well.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Pablo
One thing that is HUGE negative to microfiber is the ability to cling to metal/hard shavings. I use them in my shop for certain projects and the amount junk clinging to the towels is amazing. I used a set of new towels to wax dry my car, but after washing they now have little bits of hard stuff stuck in the fibers.


I have towels for shop and towels for wash/wax duty. They never get intermixed.

 

[FastEddie]

I purchase my microfiber towels in bulk. Mostly all Korean towels of varying GSM. They all last a very long time and are easy to wash. They do cling to metal shavings and such, so you really do have to be careful with microfiber as to not get debris in the towels, but sure beats using cotton terry towels on paint.

 

[JHZR2]

I have different ones for different jobs. THe ultra soft, borderless towels that you can get from places like Zaino are the only ones to use for wax buffing. Cheapo ones are known to have ore abrasive stitches and can scratch surfaces.

Drop one on the ground and you definitely will pick up junk...

 

[Kira]

Hello,
1) The pros use long bristle horsehair brushes to wash cars. They hold soapy water only briefly thus creating a rinsing action as they wash.
2) Harsh, questionable fibers find their way into everything, including paper towels. What's to prevent this common industrial contamination from being a part of microfiber towel production? You can't tell me cheap microfiber towels are all produced from 100% uncontaminated virgin stock materials. Kira

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted By: BTLew81
Wash them in warm water, alone, and dry on low.


Even HOT water will work. I remember one top notch detailer that used to boil them on the stove periodically.

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
For all their positives, I'm not all that sold on them. Unless you treat them like delicate clothing, they don't tolerate the wash cycle very well. Certainly not if you mix them with other shop rags.

Its very hard to beat 100% cotton terrycloth towels.




That's because you're not supposed to wash microfibre with anything other than microfibre, and you need to do a second rinse cycle.

 

[user52165]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: Pablo
One thing that is HUGE negative to microfiber is the ability to cling to metal/hard shavings. I use them in my shop for certain projects and the amount junk clinging to the towels is amazing. I used a set of new towels to wax dry my car, but after washing they now have little bits of hard stuff stuck in the fibers.


I have towels for shop and towels for wash/wax duty. They never get intermixed.


+1 This

 

[kkreit01]

Wash alone in hot water, using natural or die/perfume-free soap, add white vinegar during the rinse cycle. Dry for a short while -- no dryer sheets! They will come out clean and fluffy. Not all MFs are created equal. Autogeek has some really nice ones, but they get spendy. After time, they do start breaking down -- releasing tiny fibers all over your car. At that time, retire them to interior furniture dusting. The old ones work perfect for that.

 

[RTexasF]

Pablo -

You are correct, they are NOT all created equal. There are different weights and different blends. Using them to clean metal shavings or shop use is a sure way to contaminate them which renders them useless for anything else. Plain old shop towels would be a better choice for such work.

A place where folks screw up is thinking any detergent is fine to wash them in....not so. It needs to be perfume and softener/additive free. Charlie's Soap (liquid), Tide Free liquid, or similar are best. The microfiber specialty cleaners work very well but are really expensive for what you get. Stay well clear of softeners be they in washer or dryer, big no no. I have found that the wash temperature matters little, I have 400+ MF towels of varying quality for different types of work. I've always dried them on perma press setting.When washed with the proper detergent no extra rinse or vinegar is needed.

This is an ad for their brand but it does help explain some of the differences:

http://www.pinnaclewax.com/mfchart.html

 

[jimbrewer]

Quantity beats quality in my opinion. That means getting the large economy size at Sams. Sure, there are fancy-dan microfiber towels out there, but what good does that do if you can't afford to toss it in the "to be cleaned" pile right away when it gets dirty? These things can set you back $10 apiece, and if you use 15 in a wash, which is easy, that's big bucks.

Besides, who is really policing the supposed quality of these things? The Bangladesh Federal Trade Commission?

I have a Speed Queen washing machine, which is "old schooL' I put it on the heavy load cycle. If I am around I set the counter back so that it gets agitated 2X as long as a normal heavy load. I wash them separatly from other things, and I run them through a second time with plain water and a bit of vinegar thrown in. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I think its worthwhile, since I am doing a low-water use rinseless wash.

 

[kkreit01]

^15 in a wash!? I don't use any in a normal wash. I used them for interior cleaning and wax removal. I have a few drying MF towels, but only use them for ONR washes. Do you use MF towels to wash with? It apears Pabs wants to use a real chamois for drying, so he shouldn't need any for a wash.

For quality, perform the "CD test". I can tell you there's a huge difference between a Costco towel, and a $10+ Autogeek towel. There should be. I could attempt some closeup pics if I remember. The Target Vroom MFs and some Viking ones used to be OK for OTC towels. It's been awhile since I've searched the detailing forums on current favorites.

 

[Scott P]

I have a bunch of microfiber towels of various types, weights and quality. They are used for detailing only. I have no idea why they would be around metal or even wood shavings. I have towels dedicated for exterior and interior use. They even get washed separately. All of the wax/polish/wash towels go in one load while the interior, tire/engine towels go in another load. I just like to avoid possible cross-contamination.

Our fancy washer has a sanitize cycle that gets the water all sorts of hot. That what I use when washing my towels. I'll dump a partial scoop of Oxi-Clean int he bottom and use Micro-Restore for a detergent. I then dry them on low heat until just damp, and then air dry them the rest of the way. They then get folded and placed into a plastic storage bin until they are used again. Any towel that has hard bits on it gets tossed if I don't feel I can pick them out.

 

[jimbrewer]

Originally Posted By: kkreit01
^15 in a wash!? I don't use any in a normal wash. I used them for interior cleaning and wax removal. I have a few drying MF towels, but only use them for ONR washes. Do you use MF towels to wash with? It apears Pabs wants to use a real chamois for drying, so he shouldn't need any for a wash.

For quality, perform the "CD test". I can tell you there's a huge difference between a Costco towel, and a $10+ Autogeek towel. There should be. I could attempt some closeup pics if I remember. The Target Vroom MFs and some Viking ones used to be OK for OTC towels. It's been awhile since I've searched the detailing forums on current favorites.


I do the Garry Dean rinseless wash, [yout can look it up on youtube] where you use one or two towels per panel. So its not just a couple of towels per wash. I guess if you use one here and there in a more conventional wash, you might want to spring for a fancy towel.

I use them to wash my eyeglasses with no scratching. Iscrutinize the car surface pretty carefully and see no scratches of any kind. Anyway, if my car finish can't stand up to a Sam's Club microfiber towel, what chance does it have with the real world?

 

[Pablo]

Is there a good ebay seller or other discount place for MF towels? Most of them look like trash.

Are 100% cotton fibers more abrasive than the synthetic fibers in MF towels? No, just the synth fibers are smaller.

Guys - I don't mix the car wash MF towels with other towels, and my shop towels are just regular shop towels for the most part, but I do use MF towels in the area for certain tasks (those I wash all together). Did I drop a few when I was wax drying the WRX? I'm human. I just threw them in a pile for washing. I used 15 towels, I'm running them through the washer again right now.

Frankly I don't really want to use a chamois and MF towels just don't absorb water all that great (they bead water). Water Blade devices? Meh, no. Blowing air.........have you ever "picked up" gravel with your leaf blower?

I'll likely use MF towels but I need to find a source of larger more plusher, softer towels.