As any detailer will testify – you can never have enough in your detailing kit bag, whether for cleaning, polishing or drying. Most would also agree it is just as important that you take equal care of cleaning and caring for your microfibres as you do using them to detail your cherished motor.
Here we outline 8 Top Tips to wash, clean and care for your microfibre cloths and towels, keeping them in tip top condition and ensuring your are working at optimum performance.
- Never use fabric conditioner – Always number one on our list when washing. The conditioner gets deep into and stays in the fibres vastly reducing the effectiveness.
- Take care – If you drop a microfibre towel or cloth on the ground – consider binning it – either that or be prepared to sit for a long time picking out each of the bits it will invariably pick up – you don’t want the possibility of a bit of grit hiding in the fibres scratching your newly polished paintwork.
- Wash before first use – although most microfibre cloths and towels will be lint free straight out of the bag – we do find that some lint created during the manufacturing process can remain with the cloths until first wash.
- Consider adding vinegar – a small amount of vinegar with your washing detergent or microfibre rejuvenator to help remove some oils and bacteria that might be picked up or start growing in the fibres.
- If and when tumble drying – remember to always use a low heat – the fibres which are made up of varying proportions of Polyester and Polyamide will melt at higher temperatures and when then cool will harden and potentially scratch your paintwork or the surface you are working on.
- Wash separately – try not to wash with materials that are not lint free – you will know from experience that microfibres will attract and retain most bits they come into contact with – the last thing you want is for bits wool, lint and other materials from your washing being trapped in your microfibres.
- Dampness stinks – do not leave your microfibre drying towel or cloth lying around damp – as soon as you can get them washed and dried – this will help prevent the growth of horrible smelling bacteria as mentioned in Tip 4. If not able to wash and dry immediately rinse out in clean water and then totally submerge in a container of clean water with some added vinegar – this will help reduce bacteria growth until you can wash and dry.
- Store separately – try to store your microfibre cloths and towels in a dry, dust free environment and away from other materials to prevent them attracting lint, dust and other particles.
If you follow these practical tips for cleaning and caring for your microfibre drying towels and cloths they should give you many months or years of effective and safe car cleaning and detailing use.
Now for your turn – do you have any tips for cleaning and caring for your detailing cloths or tools? Please let us know in the comments box.
And it’s not just your microfibres and drying towels you need to care for. If you are a regular or even infrequent user of chamois leathers, we’ve got a specific article on how to clean and care for your chamois.
5 Comments
Car Cleaning Guru
Some great tips regarding microfiber care there – not using fabric softener being the most obvious one! I’ve never heard of using vinegar – interesting, I’ll give that a go on some of my dirtier towels thanks.
www.eldorado-seville.com
Great tips – thanks for sharing!
Romelia Goettman
If you clean leather should you condition it as well?
admin
Ideally you should to help keep the leather soft and supple and prevent it from cracking over time.
Mark
Thanks for the great tips on maintaining one of the mainstays of detailing. These gems of recent creation definitely work best if they are properly maintained. I will need to keep the dash of vinegar in mind.
Cheers,
Mark