How to care for terrycloth towels

[cheeseman]

Hi to all on the forum. I have just recently purchased some high quality,100%cotton towels,and would like to know how you guys take care of your towels,specificaly,washing them,I would be grateful for any feedback,thank you in advance.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi cheeseman,

Welcome to Meguiar's Online!

The tried and true method that we've been using for decades is also the simple method.

Wash terry cloth towels in hot water with a quality detergent.
Dry terry cloth towels in a clothes dryer. If you have a sheet style fabric soften, add this in with the towels for soft towels.

Always wash microfiber polishing cloths separate from cotton towels and never use a fabric softener with microfiber.


Do yo belong to any car clubs in Scotland?

[probegt]

Just curious, why is ok to use fabric softener with terry towel but not with mf's.

[cheeseman]

Thanks Mike ,for your very helpful reply.In answer to your question,I am a member of the ford enthusiasts club,based here in sunny scotland.

[Mikeyc]

Originally posted by probegt
Just curious, why is ok to use fabric softener with terry towel but not with mf's.

good question

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by probegt
Just curious, why is ok to use fabric softener with terry towel but not with mf's.

Heh heh, I know guys in the textile industry (literally experts on this stuff) who insist you should never use *any* fabric softener on terry towels. Every textile expert I've ever discussed this with said the same thing. Despite what they say, I use just a little in the final rinse- it does make them feel softer and it never seems to cause any problems unless I use too much. It *can* compromise their absorbency and also lead to smearing if you use too much and/or let it get built up on the terry. Try wiping a piece of glass (lenses work great) and see if you get any smearing. If so, too much softener. FWIW, I get smearing with softener sheets but not with (just a little) liquid softener in the final rinse. Oh, and don't try this on the plastic lenses of your eyeglasses unless you want to test the marring potential of your towels; many terry towels will mar plastic eyeglass lenses (and also auto paint ).

Putting softener on MF sorta "seals" the MF. It's like the MF "cleans the softener out of the water/off the sheet" and then you have softener on the MF, clogging its fibers so it can't work its magic- it won't absorb liquids or "grab" polish and wax as well as usual. You don't want *anything* on the MF and there's no way for the stuff in softeners to literally make the MF softer than it is anyhow. Nothing gets absorbed *into* the MF fibers, it just coats them, doesn't get rinsed out, and this coating causes problems.

If/when your MF gets stiff, you need to get the detergent/mineral residue off/out of it. Wash many times in very hot water with no detergent and/or use a "free rinsing" detergent like those made especially for MF cloths. Sometimes MG stiffens up because it's simply worn out too. I've been able to bring most of my stiffened MFs back to life but not quite all of them.

Edit: the above references to "MF" refer to *synthetic* microfiber and not the "natural fiber" MFs some places sell. Microfiber is a type of *fabric* that can be made out of either natural or synthetic fibers, but most of the time the generic term "MF" refers to synthetic-fiber microfiber.

[DFTowel]

"f you have a sheet style fabric soften, add this in with the towels for soft towels."

No Mike, this is not a good idea. These sheets apply a coating of silicone to the fibers which render natural fibers less absorbent or synthetics less adsorbent.

Any "softener" whether liquid or sheet does the same thing, apply a coating to the fabric to make it "feel" softer, there is no way they actually get softer. Also keep in mind your car doesn't care how the towel feels, just how it works.

The best way to be sure excess detergent is rinsed from the fibers is to use white vinegar in the rinse.

Another trick... a tablespoon of Epsom Salts in the wash will keep whites bright and colors from running.

And by the way, always wash your towels (natural and synthetic) in hot water.

Accumulator... MF is not a type of fabric, it actually refers to the size of the yarn used in spinning the threads to weave or knit the fabric.

[Accumulator]

Originally posted by DFTowel
Accumulator... MF is not a type of fabric, it actually refers to the size of the yarn used in spinning the threads to weave or knit the fabric.

You're absolutely right...that's what I was thinking but I got sloppy and mispoke Heh heh, having the right idea isn't worth much if you still say the wrong thing and that was a really big goof (especially considering all the different types of MF *fabric* I use, sheesh how'd I do that )

I always enjoy discussing textiles with you. Your explanation about how softeners make fabric *feel* softer without actually *making* them softer makes sense. After we discussed this at length on [the other forum] I replaced all my "stiff, need softener" cotton detailing towels with new ones, which I always wash *very* carefully, using little (free rinsing) detergent with vinegar in the final rinse. Sure enough, problem solved. I do still use some softener on old household towels though, for that "soft against the skin" feeling- just can't get 'em to feel soft any other way.

When it comes to fabrics that touch my skin, feeling softer is what I'm after. FWIW, my good dress shirts *never* need softener, and they're about as soft as cotton gets.

I never use softener on my natural-fiber MFs and they stay nice and soft. No reason why cotton should behave any differently from those materials is there? Seems like towels that're treated right from the start never need softener, but those that are *mistreated* do need it, at least to *feel* soft.