Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

[darita]

Did a search, but couldn't find this addressed. I purchased some MF towels at Costco...lime green ones. When I use them to remove residual wax from the surface, I can see lots of tiny, straight, individual fibers left behind. I can only see them if the light is just right, but they are there. These are used and washed towels as per care instructions from this forum.
Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong here?

[Matt Majeika]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

When you washed / dried, how did you do so? Could the fibers be lint from the dryer due to other laundry?

My next thought is the quality of the towels. I have bought "cheap" MF towels before and immediately regretted it. I love using Meguiar's MF towels because they always perform to the highest standard. Never had any issues with these...

[Murr1525]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

Yeah, I have some cheaper ones that leave some lint sometimes. A couple more washes of the towels may stop it, I think my towels dont really lint much anymore.

I use Meguiars ones on my paint, and the cheaper ones elsewhere.

[Matt Majeika]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

+1

I use Meguiars ones on my paint, and the cheaper ones elsewhere.

Same for me.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

Does anyone know what I'm doing wrong here?

It doesn't sound like you're doing anything wrong - it sounds like it's just the nature of the towels you're using. Not all microfiber is created equal, and while there are plenty of competing brands on the market that are truly excellent, as with anything else there are going to be some that are less than optimum.

Sort of like the 100% cotton terry cloth towels you might find in a cheap motel versus the 100% cotton terry cloth towels you'll find at a 5 Star resort. The label may read similarly, but the difference is night and day.

[Mongoose]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

I've ran into this but the opposite happened, the high dollar/high quality towels were leaving lint while the cheaper ones didn't. The shedders were from Griots Garage, their blue towels for use with spray detailers.

[J. A. Michaels]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

Thjis is why I try to follow like others have said. Supreme shines for the paint. The cheaper ones for other duties.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

I've ran into this but the opposite happened, the high dollar/high quality towels were leaving lint while the cheaper ones didn't. The shedders were from Griots Garage, their blue towels for use with spray detailers.

And this just goes to show, even at a higher price point you don't necessarily get what you pay for. Keep in mind, too, that just because a microfiber towel sheds some lint that doesn't mean it's a "bad" towel. It may be inconvenient or unexpected, but it doesn't automatically mean it isn't safe to use.

[Mongoose]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

It just means having to go back with another towel and more detailer to get the lint off, as the fibers in my experience won't just wipe off.

[Mary S]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

I got a wake up call very early about the difference in microfiber towels, when I was first experimenting with UC by hand on a test spot on the hood of my car. I had 1 Meguiars towel and also a package I had gotten from TJ-Max. They didn't look that different, so I tried using the TJ-Max towels. There was a halo, and I thought for sure I had just put more swirls on my car. It turned out the microfiber towel was just pushing the oils around on the hood but not absorbing them. I tried the Meguiars towel, and in one or two swipes the residue was gone.

The fewer passes you make with the MF towel, the less likely you could be making tiny scratches. I use the Meguiars towel as the gold standard to compare with any other product, and I have yet to try another microfiber towel that absorbs and removes the product so fast.

It may be if you are cleaning the vinyl inside your car or something, you don't want the cleaner absorbed, you want to work the liquid around and abrade it to get the dirt off, and you could use a different kind of towel for that.

I don't have any experience with lint and the ability of the towel to pick that up, but if the Meguiars towel picks lint up faster it wouldn't surprise me.

[darita]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

There are several kinds of Meguiars MF towels. Which one works best for drying? What other brand of MF towels makes good towels at a good price?

[ColonelCash]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

I need to find some non-yellow and non-blue microfibers. Green would work, Red also good. I need them for bike cleanup. Tempted to use some red mechanics towels for the grease and microfibers for the frames. Just want to keep them separate from the car microfibers. Any ideas?

[darita]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

It just means having to go back with another towel and more detailer to get the lint off, as the fibers in my experience won't just wipe off.

X2. It's a real pain to have to redo what you already did.

[Murr1525]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

There are several kinds of Meguiars MF towels. Which one works best for drying? What other brand of MF towels makes good towels at a good price?

The waffle weave style towels are for drying. With Meguiars, that would be the Water Magnets.

The regular fuzzy kind would be for product removal. That would be the Supreme Shines.

The Ultimate Wipes are a bit fancier, I like them for final wipedowns, applying quick detailers, removing spray waxes, etc. But some people like to remove all the products with them.

[OBSSEST]

Re: Micro Fiber Towel Fibers...

Every time this topic comes up I am torn as to whether I should live in agony, or warn others of my painful experience.

I have been trying to chase down a reliable micro-fiber towel for several months now, but haven't found it yet. Several Meguiar's products are my favorites, but the microfibers have had major lint problems for me.

-I have 3 Meguiar's Supreme Shines that are AWESOME, no lint.
-I bought 9 more because I loved them so much, but they lint like crazy when I remove products and especially if I try to use them for quick detailing.
-The retiailer sent my 9 more as replacements because I am a whiny little girl, and those lint like crazy too.
-Bought 3 Ultimate Wipes, even worse linting with a detail spray for me.

They are all washed the same (warm water, front loader, no softenener, blah blah), 10+ times now so it's not like the lint is going away. Nobody can tell me why I have 3 out of 21 Supreme Shines that are FANTASTIC and 18 that disintegrate on my paint. I have 18 really sweet dish towels in the kitchen now, and they don't lint on tile or other hard surfaces, but that's not what I bought them for.

I also tried 3 different Cobra towels, same linting problem. I have found that waffle weave style towels don't seem to lint, ever. Not as safe for quick detailing but I'm willing to risk it so the paint doesn't look like it was snowed on.

Seriously, I think a lot of you that claim your towels are "lint free" don't have black paint and you just aren't aware that there is significant lint left behind. I can use these on our white "pearl" SUV and although the lint is the same, it can't be seen without direct lighting.