Above 1200 Sq/FT DFB's Garage

[D.F.B]

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.

 

[moab11]

Thanks for the follow up on R2R, and glad to hear it worked to bring your towels back. I'll keep it stocked going forward as well.

Your post about Touch On is also timely, as I was going to ask what you would recommend for a wash and wax style product after using Touchless as a pre wash. It seems like Touch On can work as a wash, but maybe not recommended? Would there be another product that you would recommend?

 

[D.F.B]

Thanks for the follow up on R2R, and glad to hear it worked to bring your towels back. I'll keep it stocked going forward as well.

Your post about Touch On is also timely, as I was going to ask what you would recommend for a wash and wax style product after using Touchless as a pre wash. It seems like Touch On can work as a wash, but maybe not recommended? Would there be another product that you would recommend?

From what I've noticed, there are two types these soaps.

Type 1 - these back off the "protection" to be a better soap (cleaning, lubrication, suds). KCx CES, KCx Nano Magic, Ethos Ceramic Shampoo.

Type 2 - these go the other direction, upping the "protection" at the expense of being a soap. This includes Carpro HydrO2 Foam, Bilt Hamber Touch-On, Gyeon Bathe+.

So you need to decide what you want and need from the soap. The best balance I've found is KCx CES, but again you need to make sure you aren't trying to bite off more than it can chew. If you want something foaming, I also like Ethos Ceramic Shampoo, but the before and after isn't as pronounced.

 

[D.F.B]

Walkies this afternoon in our favourite spot. With all the rain earlier in the week, the river has breached the banks and has begun flooding into the valleys. The walking track also doubles as a levy bank, with a separate path below that is now flooded out in spots. The bird life seems to be enjoying it though.

 

[moab11]

Thanks DFB, that gives me a few good options to check out.

 

[D.F.B]

I don't know the exact moment, but since I was a kid, I've been obsessed with small engines. Lawn mowers, leaf blowers, grass trimmers, chainsaws — if it's got a small engine, I'm in. Pinpointing my Stihl obsession is easier: I used to watch in awe as our neighbour cut firewood with his Stihl chainsaw, and ever since, I wanted one of my own.

As fate would have it, I eventually inherited that chainsaw..............two weeks after I had bought my first "real" chainsaw.



I started my own lawn mowing business at 15. My parents bought me a lawnmower and trimmer for consecutive birthdays. My dad bought me a leaf blower, which I worked off by mowing the lawns at his office — that leaf blower was my first Stihl product, and I still have it.

As the business grew, so did my collection of Stihl tools, out of necessity, but if I'm honest, buying tools was a dream come true. Apart from a couple of deviations, I've stayed a Stihl customer ever since: blowers, hedge trimmers, multi-tools, grass trimmers, shears, pole saws, and best of all, my own Stihl chainsaws — four of them, actually. Some don't even have a small engine, but I'm happy to compromise where it makes sense.



In 2026, Stihl celebrates 100 years in business, and they've been running several promotions to mark it. The most visible is the Centennial Edition MS 500i chainsaw — a special edition with bespoke finishes, unique graphics and limited availability. To get one, you had to enter a ballot and be prepared to fork out $3,500 for a chainsaw you'd realistically never cut wood with (the fact it comes with a custom display stand says it all). I want one.









Stihl also ran a promotion called Australia's Biggest STIHL Fan:

"We're looking for Australia's biggest STIHL fan on INSTAGRAM! Think you're STIHL's #1 supporter? Now's your chance to prove it. Share your STIHL story, your favourite tool, your tattoos, or show us your STIHL collection for a chance to be featured as part of our 100-year celebrations."

I'm decent at telling a story and run a reasonable Instagram account, so I threw my hat in the ring. First prize was the Centennial MS 500i, second was a bundle of AP pro-grade battery tools, third a selection of AK battery tools, and fourth an assortment of AS battery tools. The global prize was a trip to Germany (thanks, but no thanks).









Knowing my level of Stihl obsession is modest compared to some, I entered the competition with zero expectations. I had actually forgotten about it. Then last Friday, I spotted on Instagram that I'd won 4th place! Not the Centennial chainsaw I had been hoping for, but I’m not complaining.

The fourth prize was called the Camping & Home Bundle, which included the BGA 30 Blower (kit), PS1 Power Bank, RCA 20 Pressure Washer (skin), KOA 20 inflator (kit), and SEA 20 vacuum (skin). All up, $1015 worth of tools.






To quote a successful businessman – “support the businesses that helps support yours”. I buy tools out of both need and want. I buy Stihl because they make great products that have helped build my business and allowed me to make an income from it. Over the years, I would plug the brand on social media, recommend their products to others, gave them plenty of free advertising. I never asked nor expected anything out of that. So, as much as anything, I’m just happy to have caught Stihl’s attention.

Collection of the prize is being organized by my local Stihl dealer, which I have a great relationship with. I’ll be sure to do my usual thing with these new toys tools.

 

[Tactile]

Nice work...

 

[littlebean]

congratulations, now when can we expect the in depth reviews of your winnings to drop.....

 

[Geoff289]

Congrats. Seems very well deserved to me.

 

[moab11]

Congrats on the free new toys!
I must say I have no real need for an MS500i, but reading your posts makes it tough to hold off some days.

 

[D.F.B]

Congrats on the free new toys!
I must say I have no real need for an MS500i, but reading your posts makes it tough to hold off some days.

I'll need to drop a couple of trees in at some stage in the next year, working on something BIG, a lifelong goal. I can't wait to put that saw to good use, its such a hotrod!

 

[zanyad]

Congrats!

 

[D.F.B]

Picked up a new garden client at the end of May. No mowing, just general gardening work. It's a large sweeping garden that backs onto bushland and the river, which I worry about come spring and summer as the snake population wakes up. There is also a large flowing creek bed and pond, of which the surrounding garden had been smothered in weeds and took two visits to get on top of. I also cut back three overgrown Yucca's.

This week, the client wanted a heavy reduction on an overgrown Oleander. Well-established, this specimen was at least 5-metres in height and had a lot of thick branches, some approaching 4- to 5-inches in diameter. Overall, I brought it back down to about 2-metres, the idea to stimulate fresh growth and have it flowering where the customer could see it.

I'm so glad I bought a pole saw last year, it makes jobs like this so much easier and safer (I hate ladders).



Now that I've gotten on top of the big stuff, it should just be a matter of maintaining it. To give you an idea of how much work the garden has required, I've taken away 10 heavily stacked loads of green waste to the tip at $25 a pop.

Who needs a trailer........................

 

[moab11]

Having a work truck like that would be so handy a lot of the time. Modern full size trucks are cumbersome for simple jobs like this and probably can't hold as much.

 

[D.F.B]

Having a work truck like that would be so handy a lot of the time. Modern full size trucks are cumbersome for simple jobs like this and probably can't hold as much.

The height and depth of a pickup tub makes them hard to work out of. They are also too small, so people end up towing a trailer to carry their tools. Just doesn't make logical sense to me. But then my povo base model Ranger doesn't have an ego inflator function, which matters to 95% of pickup buyers.

 

[moab11]

I drive a full size truck (crew cab, 6.5ft bed. Wish I could get a half ton with an 8ft bed) because I needed a do everything vehicle and need the towing ability of a truck.
The 80% of the time I don't need it though, I wish I had a smaller vehicle. Something like your ranger would be great, but I don't think we could get them with trays before, and all the new midsize trucks are almost as big and just as expensive as full size trucks.