Microfiber towels I washed with fabric softener turned into lint monsters

Grabbed my usual stack of edgeless 16x16s last Saturday to do a quick wipe down, and they were leaving fuzzy streaks all over the paint. Realized my wife had chucked a dryer sheet in with the last load. Anyone found a good detergent that strips old softener residue without ruining the nap?

3 comments

3 Comments

ivan77422d ago

Honestly I'm gonna disagree with the whole panic over dryer sheets here. I've been using the same Kirkland brand ones since like 2019 on all my detailing towels and microfibers and never had any issue with streaks or lint. My 16x16s are still soft and grabby after dozens of washes. I think people overreact to a little residue because they hear one guy on YouTube say it's bad and then suddenly everyone's scared. Maybe your problem is the washer not the sheet, or maybe those towels were already on their way out.

max_brown22d ago

Buddy of mine swore by dryer sheets for years, then one day his microfiber mitt left a greasy smear right across his hood. Switched to wool balls the next week and never looked back, but hey, maybe his washer just hated him.

beth27621d ago

Yeah I was totally in the "dryer sheets are fine" camp for like two years. Used Bounce on all my rag company towels and thought people were just being dramatic. Then last month I pulled out a 16x16 I'd used maybe three times and it left this weird greasy haze on my fender I had to clay off. So yeah you might be right that some people get lucky with kirkland or whatever but I think my washer temp or water hardness just makes it cling worse. Anyway I soaked mine in a bucket of hot water and vinegar overnight then washed with tide free and clear no softener and they came back like 90% good. Might be worth trying before you toss em.