Safest way to wash/dry MF's

Ive been throwing mine in the dryer and a couple of them shrank. Guess i had them in there too long. But is it best to hang up or just toss in the dryer?

 

I have heard of people doing both....personally i use the dryer on low tumble (low heat)

 

I just tumble dry them with no heat.

 

ill give this a go next time....yea i think i left it in on high heat and forgot about them haha

 

Well if they shrink wouldn't that mean the weave in them would be tighter... a more quality product? Ah one could hope.

 

Wash Directions (Towels)
Use hot (120oF) water and add 1-2 ounces to a standard size (8 gallon) load, for larger loads or heavily soiled laundry, add 3-6 ounces. Pre-soak in a liquid detergent / water and then squeeze out wax/polish with your hands and rinse thoroughly. As a pre-spotter: dilute 1 part concentrates with 3 parts water, apply to stain and launder as usual.

Do not use fabric softener (most contain silicone that the towel will adsorb and clog the fibres thereby reducing their effectiveness) fabric softeners work by coating the surface of the cloth fibres with a thin layer of chemicals, a towel will also treat the fabric softener as if it was dirt by trying to store the tiny particles of the softener in the towel fibres. This will clog up the fibres and render the towel ineffective.

Add a teaspoon per towel distilled white vinegar in place of a softener in the final rinse cycle, the vinegar instead works to eliminate detergent residue and the acid counteracts any alkaline minerals in the water supply. Do not use vinegar in every wash as it is a cationic (hydrogen ions bind to the anionic groups on the fibres) the disadvantage of coating fibres by hydrophobic layer is in decreasing the absorption properties of the fabric. Vinegar (Acetic acid, pH 2) works well in the rinse cycle to make your towels softer. Detergent is an alkaline (pH=12, the opposite of acidic on the pH scale).When you wash your towels (or anything for that matter) there are small amounts of detergent left behind, when your add Vinegar it balances the pH of the solution and helps removes the excess detergent from the wash.

Do not wash micro fibre cloths / towels with other non- micro fibre fabrics, as they will pick up lint from other fabrics. Air dry or you can dry micro fibre cloths / towels in any dryer on low heat, remove them before they are still damp (cuts down on static charge) Colours may bleed during first washing
Note: to ensure that the washing machine has no residual detergent or fabric softener; rise the machine drum with a 1:3 solution of washing liquid (with no bleach) / distilled white vinegar, clean about every 2-3 months

 

^whoa thats a detailed description, i like that alot!!

 

I hang mine to air dry.

 

Any reason why washing microfiber with APC wouldn't work? Seems like a cost effective way to get them good and clean, without spending the money on the specialized detergents.

Anyone ever try this?

 

I just wash with regular detergent. Sometimes I throw them in the dry for a few minutes after to get some of the water/stiff feeling out. Then I just hang then over hangers in a closet and let dry.

 

I've been washing mine with Woolite and Vinegar every wash.. when you say not to use vinegar every time.. how often should you use it?

 

For my cleaning towels (Wheel,, door jam, engine, and general cleaning) Here is my process:
Wash- Warm water, pre-soak 15 minutes, heavy cycle, regular detergent. Wash x2
Dry- Low heat in the dryer

For my glass towels, drying towels, and polish/wax removal MFs (washed separately)
Wash- Cold water, medium-light cycle, regular detergent (light) Add extra rinse cycle.
Dry- Hang dry

 

I wash mine with 2oz of CG MF wash in hot/cold water and dry on permanent press medium heat. They come out soft and clean as can be.

 

I have always used micro restore with the washing machine set on hot and an extra rinse cycle. Works great and have never had a problem with towels not getting clean; however, crappy micro fibers lint up no matter how well you wash them.

 

Im still a little hesitant to throw my mf's in the dryer. They may shrink......again!! haha

 

APC products often contain 'brightners' (non-marketing speak = bleach) it will weaken the fibres and shorten the durability of an expensive product

 

Next time I'm at Majestic Solutions, I'll ask them if there's anything like this in Super Green Stuff.

I just used some SGS to clean some pads, and, uh...wow. I won't be cleaning pads any other way ever again.

 

I wash all of my MFs with CG MF wash, and then hang them on a clothes hanger and let them air dry.

 

What happens if your out of MF cleaner, or don't have any? Would just boiling and then letting them air dry or dry in the drier work alright? I want to wash my MFs before I use them next. I have some APC though that I can wash them in.