TOGWT you are THE MAN
I NEVER wash or dry with fabric softener, but my mom is a compulsive softener. She lives in Europe but visits often and washes her clothes in the same washer. She even "softened" my regular towels after i explicitly told her it would ruin them.
However, after reading your post, I'm thinking that there is definitely some fabric softener residue because of her softening habits. I only use the dryer sheets for my softening so there's no way those affected my towels in the washer.
I will try out the cleaning method you described and let you know! I will also just do a straight wash with vinegar as MuttGrunt suggested beforehand, just in case it's caked on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TOGWT
It could be caused by fabric softner residue...
• During the rinse cycle add 1-tsb per towel white distilled vinegar (acetic acid that once diluted with water, the acid content is approximately 3-4% of the total solutions) this will help dissolve detergent and hard water minerals.
• Do not use fabric softeners (includes both liquid and dryer sheet type fabric softeners) as they deposit chemicals (silicone, etc) on the fabric and render them ineffective. These chemicals will also transfer to whatever you are cleaning or polishing with the towel.
• Clean the lint screen before and after every wash session
Over time you may find your micro fibre’s effectiveness decreases, despite following all of the above guidelines, this may be due to wax / polish build-up.
To remedy try one of the following -
1. Wash the microfiber for one full wash cycle normally. Then wash again, except this time open the lid and let it soak overnight. In the morning, close the lid and let the cycle finish.
2. Wash the microfiber for one full wash cycle normally. Then wash again, but instead of laundry detergent, add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the load (assuming a medium to full size load). Run the cycle normally
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MuttGrunt
Sounds like it's your washer / dryer. No way all these different towels should be bad after a single use. Even low quality towels have a better showing IME. Follow the advice of TOGWT.
In addition, this is why I don't even have fabric softener in the house. Chances are you're picking up residue onto your towels. My additional advice: before you do a load of mf, do an empty cycle with vinegar to help flush out old residue of detergent / softener.
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