Can't Get Microfiber Cloths Clean

[joebruin77]

So, would this residual dirt in the cloth be enough to scratch the paint?

Unfortunately IMO the answer is yes. I would not use a MF towel soiled like that. Too much of a risk of inducing small scratches.

Another option would be to put the dirty towels in a bucket to soak and just leave them soaking until you have enough to do a small load.

 

[Thp3]

So, would this residual dirt in the cloth be enough to scratch the paint?

softly rub your hand over the towel. If you can feel hard dirt, then pitch the towel.

Sad story. I washed car with ONR and then applied ceramic wax coating, the $25 stuff, not the more expensive detailing ceramic. Then a few days later, I washed, dried and folded the towels. Later I wanted to clean the fingerprints off the computer screen and used Invisible Glass on the windshield With those towels. Yikes, the next day I noticed scratches in the computer screen AND on the windshield.

Permanent damage from the ”dirty” microfiber towels. I could feel the sharp edges with my hand afterwards. I pitched those towels. And now I have screen protectors on my Tesla computer screens.

and I now have a fresh set of Costco towels…

 

[UncertainTimes]

Anytime you touch the car you risk marring. I only do a full wash when necessary. No quick details, waterless wash, washing a ton of towels all the time contaminating my clothes with chemicals and dumping micro plastics in the ocean. Again this is a lot of fuss for 40 cent towels.

 

[DSolie]

Dirty (stained, un-cleanable) towels get demoted to wheel, trim and door jamb duty.

For cleaning MF's, I use Griots Microfiber Cleaner

 

[D.E.]

I'm considering soaking the 1-2 towels that I use in a bucket with warm water and detergent right after using them. Then I would wring them out and put them on a laundry basket until I have enough for a laundry load. But it's very humid here, and they could very well get mold. Hmm.

So, would this residual dirt in the cloth be enough to scratch the paint?

It’s sand and grit that will scratch. If that towel has been washed, I would not expect it to scratch or damage the paint. That said, microfiber is cheap. I use that stained one to clean wheels and hidden surfaces such as the painted areas inside the bottom of the doors, the door jams, under a hatch back, etc. If I needed to use that stained one, I‘d use it and not worry. If you want to check, you can wet it and try scrubbing it on some clear plastic and see if there are new scratches. I don’t think you’ll see any.

 

[D.E.]

Anytime you touch the car you risk marring. I only do a full wash when necessary. No quick details, waterless wash, washing a ton of towels all the time contaminating my clothes with chemicals and dumping micro plastics in the ocean. Again this is a lot of fuss for 40 cent towels.

You might try a pressure washer and foam cannon system followed by an electric blower to remove the water. It’s as close as I can come to a system that doesn’t damage paint. You can clean it as often as you like and not damage the surface of the paint.

 

[PianoAl]

I sometimes do the foam gun, wait 10 minutes, rinse, then immediately drive to do errands. It's one mile to the freeway and twenty miles to town.