Laundry (MF) confusion!

LMAO that's funny right there! :lol:

 

I wonder how boiling plastic (mf is a polyester blend product) softens it and keeps it softness a room temperature. I understand the claim that heat will help release trapped product in the intricate fibers. Almost all mf care labels to use low heat...I wonder why. I could see how a complex plastic when heated can lose it shape especially a complex product like microfiber and cause issues.

 

Alot of MF I have gotten have said med heat, also the heat that MF take when making them is MUCH higher than that of a dryer or water can even get to. i.e. the heat to melt MF fibers is beyond that of water or dryers will get to.

 

The polyester is not going to turn into a liquid blob for sure but like natural fabrics...heat usually causes shrinkage, etc. I am not talking about melting but when you heat plastics just like metals you can initiate subtle changes (relaxation, etc) unless it was engineering for high temperature applications.

I know I am speculating but given the pictures we see if those fibers, higher temperatures can cause plastics to creep, long polymer chains to relax, etc. There has to be some residual stress in some woven shapes. I am just recalling all my polymer and material science classes. The changes may affect performance.

I have seen some mf towel shrink and lose their shape when washed in hot water and a warm dryer.

 

:thud:Oh my material science teacher would be very upset at me if I forgot about all that, haha. Given the opinions that MF manufactures give I think home washers and dryers are not going to harm the fibers. I always use hot water to wash, but dry on low/med heat. Never high, then again I never use high to dry. I know Griots said to use hot water to wash and a few other MF I had said hot water on the tags/stickers. You are right in saying that head can affect the fibers but honestly dont think the hot water coming out of washers will harm them. It may change the shape a bit but could be due to the fabric that is woven around the MF, edging, or the web the MF fibers are woven into.

 

Wow! I haven't looked at this thread since I started it this morning. It really took on a life of it's own.

I just want to throw out there that I have boiled these towels with little improvement. I think maybe I just didn't boil them long enough. Also, I do use fabric softener in the machines I washed them in this time, but they're only a couple of months old.

I was just really surprised what one wash could do. Hopefully, my parents will be replacing their washing machine soon so that I don't have to lug my towels home to clean them.

 

kinda had similar problem. i think my mom uses fabric softner sheets in drying machine though, but i think she left some detergent in machine when i washed mine and they lost color. i washed them by hand couple days ago and color didnt change with towels i had left that were new. towels seem to work fine after but nowhere near as soft as they use to. so i might have to buy new once and wash them by hand from now on. i do use MF restore from DD

oh look its my 1000 post

 

Bringing this thread back to life. If you boil them in a pot or bucket.. and then empty the water out before removing the towels.. won't the water run through the towels, reintroducing the water to the MFs?

Wouldn't you want to take the MFs out of the water.. THEN empty it in a sink or something?

Confused..

 

When I've boiled mf's in the past, I pulled them out of the pot before I emptied the water. Then I take them to the washing machine and wash them again, this really helps getting rid of any extra residue.

 

I'll do that then. Except not-rewash them in the washing machine since I use public washing machines (apt living ftl) and they're probably soaked with fabric softener

 

Try some boiling water + add a teaspoon per towel distilled white vinegar (typically 4% to 18% acetic acid) the vinegar doesn't coat the fibres but instead works to eliminate detergent residue and hard water minerals. This combination of acid and hot water should 'clean' the towels

 

Couple of things:

1. Top loaders use A LOT more water. Quite possible the detergent was diluted to the point were it was ineffective in the wash cycle.
2. Front loaders 'spin' at very high speeds 1000+ RPM that will certainly help in extracting contaminants in the wash water.
3. Front loaders in general have much more advance wash cycles - i.e. they will introduce detergent... let the materials soak before washing/agitating. Top loaders (for most part) use a brute force method to wash the materials - i.e. fill with water (a lot of water) and agitate.

If you want to 'boil' your towels as some have suggested, your front load machine might have a sanitary cycle that can 'boil' up you MF's.

 

I wonder if there is washer cleaner like there is for your dishwasher? I don't quite understand boiling your mf or soaking them and then reintroduce them into the fabric softener coated washer, am I wrong in thinking that way?

I like TOGWT's point about top loaders using so much water that it might dilute the potency of the detergent trying to clean the towels. I must say I hate the fact that my towels are beading water.

 

I had the issue with my waffle weaves beading water only when I washed them with other microfibers that I used for waxing. From that point on, I started washing my waffle weaves separate from everything else and never had the issue again. I typically wash my MFs in groups depending on their usage. May not be the most practical, but it works for me.

I always use Microrestore detergent and add vinegar after the first rinse and do 2 rinse cycles.

 

[I must say I hate the fact that my towels are beading water. ]

Pre-Soak Micro Fibre Towels

Micro fibre towels can "load-up" with residues reducing their effectiveness. Don't let polish residues dry in the fibres as dried hardened product can cause scratches and product chemicals can negatively affect the fibres

Once you have finished detailing with the towel, allow it to soak in a bucket with a d-limonene (citrus) based cleaner, P21S Total Auto Wash, Optimum Power Clean or a micro fibre detergent (Micro-Restore). This will make it easier to clean and prolong the life of the towel as any chemicals that could potentially harm the fibres are removed sooner, keep in mind that excessive use of powerful degreasers may eventually damage the fabric. When you are ready to clean them, rinse well, re-wash and leave to air-dry

 

My wife uses Bounce in the dryer so I have been doing an APC wipe down of the dryer prior to using it to just be sure.

As others have posted, microfiber seems to absorb best when slightly damp (my guess is the capillary action of the water pulled into the fiber) so I picked up the tip to dry your windows first and then do the paint.

 

A good microfiber cannot unload particles without being immersed in water. If you wipe back and forth while detailing, you will be rubbing the dirt you pick up back and forth over the paint. Water provides the necessary surface lubrication. Simply wet the towel with clean water and wring as dry as possible, use it damp, if the cloth is too wet it will leave streaks. Wet – Wring – Wipe when drying Wipe – Wring - Wipe

 

Would you suggest a certain amount of a citrus cleaner per 5 gallon bucket or are you just putting in a "that looks good" amount?

 

Approx 0.5 oz per gallon water

 

I'm having issues with my new HE washer tearing up the seams on all of my good towels . I have a few of the big and small WW (mini dehydrator and glass ww) from Chris (eshine) and they all tore up on the corners after the first wash. I figured it's probably not his towels...but this machine is brand new.