Over the last few days, I've been attempting to revive a selection of towels that had become increasingly hydrophobic. I started by soaking overnight in hot water with Rags to Riches, then cycled through the washing machine with an extra rinse and spin, followed by drying on low heat. For now, I've done this to the following towels -
4x TRC Gauntlet 24x60 (Drying)
10x TRC Gauntlet 12x12 (Wheels)
4x Microfiber Madness Chipmunk Jr. 16x16 (Drying)
12x TRC Dry Me A River 16x4 (Glass)
2x TRC Dry Me A River 20x40 (Door Jambs)
9x TRC FTW 16x16 (Glass, Drying)
There is nothing worse than a hydrophobic towel, it just pushes liquid around and around, increasing the working time and contacting the paint more than you should need. In my case, there are two causes for this -
- Using SiO2 drying aids and glass cleaners
- A change in laundry detergent.
The obvious action here would be to stop using drying aids, at least ones with SiO2 or wax. However, the drying aid process is one of the tasks I truly enjoy, so I do my best to manage the situation.
In the past, I've noted that as long as you prevent the towels from drying out and get them into the wash ASAP, you'll reduce the likelihood of them become hydrophobic. And I still stand by that advice, leaving towels in an open pile for days or weeks is a one-way ticket to Hydrophobic City. But it's clear that the laundry detergent plays a role too. Moving onto a cheaper detergent didn't really save me any money. In the end, its actually been a waste of time and money.
Thankfully, it would appear I've managed to revive them. The drying towels are back to nearly new, easily soaking up water and spreading the drying aid. The glass towels are much better too, again absorbing moisture rather than moving it around.
So, I got lucky on this one. The retail cost of that collection of towels above comes in at about $715 AUD. Buying the cheaper detergent to save $50 risked a $700+ collection of towels.
I will also say this, sometimes the apparent "hype" is justified, as in Rags to Riches is THE BEST microfiber detergent on the market.
4x TRC Gauntlet 24x60 (Drying)
10x TRC Gauntlet 12x12 (Wheels)
4x Microfiber Madness Chipmunk Jr. 16x16 (Drying)
12x TRC Dry Me A River 16x4 (Glass)
2x TRC Dry Me A River 20x40 (Door Jambs)
9x TRC FTW 16x16 (Glass, Drying)
There is nothing worse than a hydrophobic towel, it just pushes liquid around and around, increasing the working time and contacting the paint more than you should need. In my case, there are two causes for this -
- Using SiO2 drying aids and glass cleaners
- A change in laundry detergent.
The obvious action here would be to stop using drying aids, at least ones with SiO2 or wax. However, the drying aid process is one of the tasks I truly enjoy, so I do my best to manage the situation.
In the past, I've noted that as long as you prevent the towels from drying out and get them into the wash ASAP, you'll reduce the likelihood of them become hydrophobic. And I still stand by that advice, leaving towels in an open pile for days or weeks is a one-way ticket to Hydrophobic City. But it's clear that the laundry detergent plays a role too. Moving onto a cheaper detergent didn't really save me any money. In the end, its actually been a waste of time and money.
Thankfully, it would appear I've managed to revive them. The drying towels are back to nearly new, easily soaking up water and spreading the drying aid. The glass towels are much better too, again absorbing moisture rather than moving it around.
So, I got lucky on this one. The retail cost of that collection of towels above comes in at about $715 AUD. Buying the cheaper detergent to save $50 risked a $700+ collection of towels.
I will also say this, sometimes the apparent "hype" is justified, as in Rags to Riches is THE BEST microfiber detergent on the market.
