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They may look like any other towel or towel, but microfiber ones come with some luggage. To start with, some people hate – and we mean really despise– the feeling of microfiber on the skin. If you fall into this category, you are not alone and that strange feeling you are feeling is not on your head.
The second obstacle with microfiber towels is washing. It’s not that the process is difficult – just to make sure the towels last a long time, it’s best to wash them on your own rather than tossing them with loads of other laundry.
The tiny fiber loops on the microfiber cloths not only make the skin crawl: they’re also the reason the material is so effective at cleaning and polishing a wide variety of surfaces. Unfortunately, washing microfiber towels doesn’t make them feel any better, but it will clean them up. Here’s what to do.
Before washing microfiber cloths
If you put microfiber towels with cotton or other materials that cause lint in the washing machine, they will be covered with that lint. This is why you should wash them separately and thoroughly clean the lint catcher before putting them in the dryer (if you insist on going that route).
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And before doing anything else, shake the towels well (either outside or in a trash bag) to remove any dirt and dust that may be present so that it doesn’t spread back onto the towels when you wash. Shifrah Combiths advises at The Kitchen.
One more thing before we start: According to Combiths, we should wash microfiber cloths after each use. Why? “Dirt that gets stuck in the fibers of the cloths can scratch and damage the surface the next time you clean it.” she explains.
How to wash microfiber towels
You have two options here: Either the washing machine or hand washing. If you choose to use the machine, use only a little detergent and make sure that it does not contain any additives such as fabric softeners or fragrances. Actually, after Combiths, it is possible to do without the detergent entirely.
It does if you hand wash them. If you’ve only used the towels for light cleaning like polishing or dusting, you can put them in a container of warm water (without detergent), swirl them vigorously to loosen dirt and dust, squeeze, remove excess water and hang up to dry writes Combiths.
How to dry microfiber towels
Speaking of microfiber towels, it is best to line dry them, even if you’ve washed them in the washing machine. This avoids the risk of them picking up lint or dirt in the dryer – and they dry very quickly.
If for some reason this is not possible, use the lowest heat setting on your dryer (or turn the heat off completely) and don’t mix microfiber towels with other laundry in the dryer.
