How To Clean & Care For Your Microfiber Towels
Microfibers are a significant investment in your detailing game. They’re imperative to the success of your details and they require proper cleaning and care to ensure they continue to perform optimally.
Before microfiber, the goto was Terry cloth. Once microfiber hit the scene it has made the ability to clean, shine and dry the surface an easier and simpler process. These improved abilities come from the microscopic fibers in a ratio of 70% polyester and 30% polyamide. This composition is perfect for polish, wax, and coating removal without leaving behind scratches on your boat’s surface.
What happens when they become dirty? Do we throw them out and start fresh every time? Quality microfibers are designed to be washed and reused.
First Things First…
When purchasing new high-quality microfiber towels, it’s best to wash the towels before using them for the first time. This will help to remove any loose fibers from the towels. Also note, that darker colors should be washed separately from lighter colored towels to avoid the risk of bleeding.
Choosing Your Detergent
Good Microfiber care starts with a quality detergent. You want a ph neutral, scent-free, dye-free detergent. There are plenty of great options out there.
Avoid using bleach and fabric softeners when cleaning your towels as these will clog the pores and cause the microfiber towels to not perform as they should.
Cleaning Your Microfiber Towels
A great way to start the wash process is to presoak your towels. Take a spare 5-gallon bucket pour an ounce or so of your detergent into the bucket and fill the rest with water. As you detail toss your used rags into the bucket, allowing them to soak.
For lightly soiled towels, washing them fully can be as simple as this. After soaking, simply thoroughly rinse your towels and massage the fibers to remove any product that may still be in there. Ring out your towels and allow them to air dry. This method works great for washing towels and towels that you use as a drying aid.
When using compounds and waxes I like to place these towels in the washing machine. Since these products gum up the pads I prefer the agitation from the machine.
Machine wash in warm water with your mild, dye-free, fragrance-free detergent. When done washing you can either tumble dry on low/ no heat or hang and air dry.
Do’s/Dont’s When Caring For Your Microfiber Towels
- Do wash with other non-lifting materials, to ensure the towels continue to perform as they should with excellent water absorption and dust collecting powers.
- Do sort and wash with similar colored towels.
- Do keep a separate bag on hand to throw used towels into when detailing, so as not to cross-contaminate clean with dirty towels.
- Don’t iron or use any fabric softeners. These will clog the pores and cause the microfiber towels to not work as well.
- Don’t use bleach on your microfiber towels. Black will break down the fibers and cause the towels to not work well.
Microfiber towels are a great asset to your detailing regiment. They make wiping residual products, waxes, and ceramic coatings a breeze! They also work great for drying your boat, especially in those tight and delicate areas such as your helm.
If you care for them correctly they will last you countless washes and uses.
Looking to level up your detailing game feel free to pick up one of our various microfiber towels from our general use towels to our ultra-plush towels.
