MyfirstES

Is softened water better than hard water? I have a water softener.

EDIT: What I meant by that statement is: Is it better to wash microfiber in soft water opposed to hard water, but I think jfelbab just answered my question.

jfelbab

I use softened water. I believe softened water rinses cleaner than hard water.

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

This is what I noticed during ONR mixes since I tend to mix gallons in advance. When using normal water from taps AKA somewhat hard or hard or super hard, the solution turns clear in a matter of days. When using distilled water, which has little to no minerals in it, it stays blue for weeks. Thats where I come to the theory that the water has something to do with our towels

MyfirstES

Well, I just washed my batch of MF towels in a hot water rinse, then washed again with Microrestore and put a cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle.

The towels smell a bit like Vinegar, but the true test will come when I go to dry the car. Hopefully this will put an end to the streaking problem I had/less absorbency.

smoothLEX

Got this off the detailing wiki: http://detailingwiki.com/index.php5?...ofiber)_Towels

"Heat acts as a catalyst promoting quicker reactions between chemicals and the soil thereby minimizing dwell time. Warm or hot water helps dissolve grease and oil in soil, agitation or hand rubbing helps pull the soil free. This concentrated aqueous formula is a special blend of surfactants, emulsifiers, chelating agents and water softeners. Not only will Micro-Restore extend the life of your micro fibre, but also its special blend of ingredients has the power to break down most chemicals and heavy residues (wax, oil, grease, break dust, and other chemicals) that become implanted in micro fibre products when used in heavy cleaning situations like car care and remove them. The water softeners in the formula neutralize calcium and magnesium in hard water that cause towels to stiffen over time. Micro-Restore is the ultimate cleaner for micro fibre because it rids them of all products without ruining their structure, it is also biodegradable

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

eyezack87

iTrader: (4)

Hmm, I get around the leftover detergent with the extra rinse option on my washing machine. Seems to be holding up great so far

MyfirstES

Smoothlex, thanks for the article. There was some info in there that I was not aware of (Vinegar in the rinse and frequency of use). I'll have to keep this handy somewhere.

Issac, my washer doesn't have the 2nd rinse option, but that's an easy one to overcome manually

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

I was searching for an answer to a question on washing microfibers with a MF detergent like microrestore in a High Efficiency (HE) front load washer and didn't see an answer (but I found a half dozen related threads and created one 'master' thread on this topic).

I see plenty of posts about using a HE detergent like TideHE to wash MF's, and also posts about using microrestore, but can't find anything about using microrestore in a HE washing machine. The HE washers are pretty specific about not using 'regular' laundry detergent in them.

Anybody use microrestore in a HE washer or have recommendations for a MF detergent specifically for HE washers?

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Ready to do a load of MF laundry and thought I'd bump this question - anybody have experience with a front-loading HE machine and washing microfibers?

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

I'm running out of micro fiber soap, and I was wondering if micro restore is still the top choice for mf soap?

zmcgovern4

iTrader: (2)

It's what I always use