Microfiber Detergent, which one?

I'll be glad to report back on the CG MF Wash.... I ordered a gallon of it along with some Monster MF towels they have on sale .... and some Lemon Lime Air Freshner!

 

I noticed a couple of you just use laundry detergent and some use mf detergent. I just use a little Purex and a small dash of baking soda and they seem to be working a good as ever. I gues I am asking does it make a real difference in mf or laundry detergent ? I have never used mf detergent so I have no way to compare.
Thanks !

 

I noticed mine were softer when I switched to a dedicated MF detergent.

 

Thank You ! Do you dry yours or hang em?

 

Dryer no heat.

 

I also found that Woolite HE (if you have an HE washer) works well for light to moderately soiled MF towels. I just worry about the heavily soil towels that have (Black WOW, deep dirt, grease, etc...)

 

If you just want to use laundry soap you can use Tide Free. It rinses very clean and then you can add a little distilled vinagar to the rinse cycle. It will make sure the towels don't load up with soap residue. This is what I did at first until I got all set up and still do to soak real dirty towels in a bucket for How ever long you want. It works very well for me...:thumb::thumb::thumb:

 

:ditto:

I wash mine with Tide in hot water. Basically I follow the recommendations of Leo Cerruti from DFTowel, except I do dry my towels on the delicate setting. I confess I am skeptical of the claim that microfiber towels need a "special" detergent. It would be nice to know precisely what is in these "special" detergents and why they are ostensibly superior to ordinary detergent. To quote Leo: "It's laundry, not rocket science."

 

That is my line of thinking. what is the difference in the detergent? I understand you don't want any fabric softner in your detergent but there are plenty of them witout it..Does anyone actually know if anything different exist?
Thanks !

 

I have read that the microfiber detergents contain a degreaser, which is why they are able to clean effectively in cold or lukewarm water; but I do not know if this is true. I would imagine that a degreaser is just as bad for microfiber towels as any ordinary detergent. I wrote AutoGeek last week and asked them if they knew what was in Micro-Restore, but they said they did not know. I find it interesting that if one does a search of the internet, one finds very little about the need for a special microfiber detergent except in detailing circles. But check out this one article I found, where one expert, Steven Tinkers, recommends a nonionic detergent for microfiber towels and mops. (What is a nonionic detergent? Are the special microfiber detergents sold by detailing stores noionic? Is Tide or ERA nonionic?) He also recommends a washing temperature of 160 degrees, which is 20 degrees hotter than the water in my hot water heater . I actually emailed Mr Tinker last week, but haven't heard back from him (probably won't).

It would be nice to hear from two or three authorities who really know what they are talking about. So much bad information gets passed around the internet, and it's hard to separate truth from falsehood.

 

Micro-Restore. Every time that I try a new one I'm disappointed and go back to using M-R. Seems like it's getting more expensive or not?

 

Good read akimel. I wonder if soaking my MFs in some deionized water from my CRSpotless would make a difference; I'm thinking it would probably be marginal. Honestly, I don't notice much of a difference in cleanliness between my MFs washed with Tide Free vs those washed with CG's MF Wash.

 

It just makes me think mf detergent is just a profit product with no real purpose. If it did make some wordly difference of what you use, You would think you find article after article on the topic.. JMO
:chips:

 

Some great ideas being exchanged in this thread, i want to thank everyone for chiming in. I too wonder if this is just another specialized product that could be left out. Take for example, my thoughts on pad cleaner and condtioners are one of skepticism, why not prime with a QD or even a little more polish on the first pass...and clean with Power dissolve or a good APC? This method of cleaning pads is just as effective as the one pad cleaner i bought..which i will never do again. I guess i cant complain, my towels are in excellent shape, but i just wonder if i am throwing money down the drain...:shead:

 

I used some of my Vroom drying towels (which I had washed in APC) on a car today. They worked just like they usually do. I'm gonna keep doing this with "some" of my towels, just to see what happens.

 

I have been reading all of these great post and today I had some new PakShak mf towels which are awesome. I had only used them once but it was a rugged use on a couple of them. All I did was shout a couple of the heavy grime marks,wash them with baking soda no detergent what so ever and on the rinse and spin cycle I dumped in some distilled vinegar. I tumble dried them with little heat on a delicate cycle. I took them out and they had a very minor hint of vinegar smell and they were as soft as they were as when I originally open them up.. absolutley no change in the quality. now I can't say anything for multple use because these were only used once...I think I'll pass on any detergent if they continue to come out like this. we'll just have to see ....
:headbang:

 

Hi, guys. I received a reply yesterday from Steven Tinker, director of research and development for Gurtler Industries. With his permission I quote his response to my query about detergents and the washing of microfiber towels:

"Microfiber towels generally are fairly easy to clean with detergent only. Liquid Tide in a home-style washer is an excellent choice. Hot water (in a home washer that is 130-140ºF) is okay, but you may want to try the warm water setting also to see if the soil and stains in the fabric are adequately removed. The temperatures used in a home-style washer should not be detrimental to the microfiber textile.

"Do not use fabric softeners, as that will affect the absorbency of the fibers.

"The use of vinegar may be helpful, but an extra rinse may be more effective in making sure that all the residual detergent is removed. I also recommend soft water for best results."

 

Great thread!

I'm sure it's posted somewhere, but does someone have it listed specifically what the vinegar does and it's roll in the rinse process?

Safe to add your washing detergent into the pre-wash and wash cycles, and add some vinegar to the "fabric softener compartment??? IS tha thow to attack MF towels with this approach?

 

I pour a little vinegar into the first rinse cycle. I then do a second rinse. Leo Cerruti recommends one tablespoon of distilled white vinegar per towel.

 

Please excuse my ignorance and/or lack of knowledge when it comes to the "washing" concept, but how do I know when my machine is drawing product for it's rinse cycle? Hence I have mentioned adding the vinegar into the "fabric softener" compartment as I have one of those LG front loading washers... Please help :help: