Coyvett

Any recommendations on what to use to clean microfiber towels?

PCMusicGuy

You can get some specific cleaner off of AutoGeek or the like if you are into boutique products. Otherwise, a lot of people use Woolite since it is supposed to be some of the most gentle detergent for good microfibers. For stained and older towels, I've been using Persil (the new to USA stuff only available at Walmart) and it does work wonders.

Kvothe

I use Tide and Griot's microfiber cleaner. Seems to do the trick.

Maligator

Many dedicated products on the web detailing sites that you can use; if not, make sure you stick to the dye/perfume free off the shelf products. I soak mine in the washer for an hour in hypoallergenic detergent, drain, and then wash. Always hang dry, and never mix and match your car products with household laundry! What ive been doing lately, from a post on the adams forum, is keeping a bucket filled with my mix of water and detergent in the garage. When my micro becomes soiled, or right after I use it, I throw it in the bucket as a "pre wash" and let it soak. Then when I go to wash all my towels, they are pre treated............

KBsToy

http://www.theragcompany.com/Use-Care-Tips_c96.htm

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

You can presoak wax caked towels in a product like DP Pad Rejuvinator which is citrus based. Washing is often best with a dedicated MF towel soap. Never use fabric softener. If you feel towels need softening, then use a cup of white vinegar in the rinse. Wash and dry separately from other laundry, and if you find too much lint and static, consider those dryer *****.

DevilDog II

I use Wolfgang microfiber cleaner and rejuvenator. I wash all of my microfiber towels 3 times. I wash them with the microfiber cleaner first, and then with vinegar. My third wash is with plain water. I have well over 100 microfiber towels and use about 20 each time I wipe my car down. All of my towels are color coded and I have specific ones that I use on the body, wheels, etc. Yup, I have OCD.

KBsToy

I feel ur pain I have tried to get the monkey off my back with towels, waxes, and other detailing stuff but I can`t just can`t do it.

rob9265

Regular Tide will do the trick, however, the real trick is to wash your microfiber towels by themselves. Never mix them with cotton or synthetic fibers as the microfibers will get damaged. By design they attract and trap dirt and particles, mixing them in the cleaning cycle render them damaged.

0Killrwheels@Autogeek

This is actually very good advice. Most complaints on towel damage and decay or loss of absorbency come from users that used it in one area and then tried it in another. (ie. wax removal, and then glass care)

l1dws

I have had great success adding a Tide Pod, and pinnacle micro rejuvenator and DP microfiber cleaner....good luck

Grzldvt1

Sorry to contradict, but NEVER use Woolite, it is the worst thing on the planet for MF Towels. It contains oils to soften the material, which retards absorption and spreads the oil on your paint which attracts dust.
I am an MF expert apparently, as I have been contacted by several Korean mfrs to talk to them about towels..
Here is a paper I give out when I do detailing/towel seminars, and have probably done well over 100 seminars on the subject and my knowledge helps put my detail shop above and beyond my competitors:
In my travels I have discovered people are a bit confused about Microfiber towels. I will try and clear a few things up with this post. I have tested over 200 different types of Microfiber towels, it is definitely not a small, small world…..

Why Do I Want Quality Towels for Auto Detailing?
Have you ever seen a black car with all those fine scratches in the finish? Those fine scratches really take away from the shine.
Light reflecting off of a flat surface is much brighter than what is reflected off of a bumpy surface. Those fine scratches/swirls are a bumpy surface, albeit they are pretty tiny, but nonetheless they are a detraction and will reduce the shine your paint will have.
Those fine swirls are generally caused by using poor quality wash equipment/techniques and towels for drying.

What are Microfiber Towels?
Microfiber Towels are the latest rage because of their ability to absorb material and remain soft. It is in some cases three times better than ordinary cotton towels for the same area.
This is done by creating literally thousands of microscopic sized fibers and blending them together. This is much easier to do with a synthetic fiber over a cotton fiber. That blending of the fiber creates a larger surface. The larger surface improves the ability of the fabric to absorb dirt, water, polish, etc and keep it away from the paint surface.

There are no standards in the Microfiber world where a standard is strictly adhered to by all manufacturers, like there is in the cotton Towel world. A loose standard is the Polyester/Polyamide content.
Even within the same MF towel manufacturer, quality can vary widely.

What Kind of Microfiber Towels Should I Buy?
When purchasing for auto detail use always make sure there is a label specifying the Polyester/Polyamide mix. Almost all “synthetic Microfiber towels are made up of a Polyester/Polyamide content mix. It is the Polyamide content that determines the towels softness and when mixed with the Polyester helps prevent scratching/swirl marks.

For detailing purposes you should get towels with a maximum of 80% Polyester and a minimum of 20% Polyamide. A 75/25 or a 70/30 indicates a softer towel, but necessarily a better quality towel. Some of the lower cost manufacturers will use the label number prior to weaving versus after weaving. The weaving process has a tendency to raise the Polyester number and lower the Polyamide number. There is really no clear cut way to tell other than the CD test.
Do not use anything above 80% Polyester, they will scratch. I have had customers buy the 3M House cleaning cloths, or Makeup removal towels that are a 90/10 mix and then wonder why they have swirl marks.

How do I Know if I Have a Good Towel or Bad?
There is the infamous CD Test to test the quality of your towels. Take a CD, generally one you don’t really care about, and rub the towel in a straight line with fairly heavy pressure on the recording(ed) side. If you see scratches in the direction you were rubbing, that is happening to your paint.
I have actually taken a CD into the store and done the test before buying a towel I want to test.
If you see scratches, relegate that towel to windows, or wheels.

How DO I Take Care of my Microfiber Towels
I have found Tide to be the best(No fragrance). Wash them all by themselves, mixed in with other fabrics they will pick up the lint, and you will have a linty mess on your paint.
If you do not have softened water, when the rinse cycle begins to fill, add ¼ cup of white vinegar based on the water level. A low water level ¼ cup. Medium water level ½ cup and so on. Microfiber towels are unique as they will retain mineral content from unsoftened water, and when the towels are dried that mineral content will build up in the fiber and will scratch the paint surface and reduce it’s ability to absorb water. Unlike cotton towels where the fabric is much looser, and not hold as much mineral content, microfiber is very tight and retains minerals, clogging the fabric.
Drying – Microfiber towels are dried on very low heat to the point they are almost dry but a touch moist. Drying them to totally dry, will build up static in the towel and that static will get transferred to the paint. That static will attract dust, and I suspect you know the rest.

Hope this helps……..

mike100

Just use unscented detergent like some non allergenic 'free-n-clear' type of soap. then air dry your best microfibers on clothes line. Even then I have noticed a definite lifespan. Eventually you will rotate them to the used car/general purpose rag pile.

olbear1962

Pinnacle Micro Rejuvenator is all have used for years, works like a charm!!
A little goes a long way.

PCMusicGuy

Thanks for the correction. I've always heard woolite was the thing to use on some of the most popular detailing sites. I've never tried it myself. I use All, Tide, and Persil.

Grzldvt1

I think the impression is it makes the towels softer, so it must be good

IndyPilot

I'm probably not saying anything new here but I wash my MF towels, chenille MF wash mitt, and waffle weave drying towels together in warm water in a medium to heavy soil cycle. I'll put in one cap of Purex Free and Clear. I'll presoak if they are super dirty.

Then hang to air dry after that.

ls1121

yup, pretty much what I do. When they get a little too raggy for the outside I use them on the inside and buy new for the outside, they are cheap considering I do not pay someone to detail my car.

ufso

Wash mine in hot water with liquid Dawn Ultra with some liquid bleach and dry on perma press. Never use granulated detergent because some of the granules can stick to the towel and cause scratching.

Grzldvt1

Bleach is also not recommended as it will stiffen the microfiber and cause very fine scratching. Perm Press is perfect, to the point they are just barely moist.