Ideally, microfiber towels should be washed after every use to remove the dirt and grease picked up while cleaning so you don't transfer the grime to the next surface.
Microfiber cloths can be machine-washed for convenience or if the fabric is excessively dirty or stained. Do not wash microfiber cleaning cloths with other types of fabric. Other fabrics can ruin the fibers of your microfiber cleaning cloths, abrading the fibers and leaving lint on the microfiber surface.
Many microfiber cloths can take up to 500 washings. That's up to two years in a typical household. Unfortunately, they don't last forever; at some point, microfiber cloth cleaning won't have the same revitalizing effect it once did.
Microfiber Care Do's & Don'ts
✅ Wash in cold to warm water (160ºF max). ✅ Use simple detergents with no softeners or optical brighteners. ✅ Dry with no heat, low heat, or permanent press (140ºF max). ✅ Use plastic dryer balls to knock out hairs and lint.
After the lint trap has been emptied, you can place your microfiber towels inside the dryer separately from garments made with natural fibers as they tend to shed. Avoid adding dryer sheets and using high heat settings to dry microfiber towels as this may damage the fibers.
Remember that it's not just bad for microfiber towels to be dried at too high of heat, but it can ruin them completely. Once the damage has been done from heat, it cannot be reversed.
Can you dry microfiber cloths in the dryer? Yes, but not often. Frequent drying will loosen fabric strands and make them prone to fabric pilling. If you do machine dry, use a low heat setting and skip dryer sheets.
For starters, microfiber towels should be washed in cold or warm water, advises Sweeney, noting that the temperature should never exceed around 105 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to soap, Gartland states no detergent would be best, although it's impractical.
✓ Do not use fabric softener! Fabric softeners contain oils that clog up microfibers. This makes them less effective during your next use. ✓ Wash heavily soiled microfiber cloths and mop heads in warm or hot water with detergent.
In fact, a UC Davis study showed that microfiber cloths can pick up to 99% of bacteria on surfaces compared to 30% with their cotton counterparts. This means that good quality microfiber cloths make cleaning easy and eliminates the need to clean with harsh chemicals.
According to Microfiber Wholesale, an average microfiber cloth can last up to 5 years if washed 25 times per year. Ultimately, the longevity of your microfiber cloths depends on several factors like how often you use them, what you use them for, and how well you take care of them.
But to get the best results while cleaning, you must wash your microfiber cloths—either in the machine or by hand—separately from other laundered items in cold or warm water. Next, dry your microfiber towels and store them carefully so they don't attract lint and dust before the next cleaning job.
Microfiber is also an appealing fabric for regularly-used furniture pieces because it is a lot cheaper than leather, but it has many of the same benefits of it. Another crucial benefit of microfiber is that it is relatively easier to clean than other plush fabrics.
A microfiber cloth has the same surface area as a cotton cloth four times as large! And it is very absorbent. It can absorb seven times its weight in water! Microfiber products are also positively charged, meaning they attract negatively charged dirt and grease.
Harsip said that the main reason why microfiber towels are ruined is drying them at high heat. Remember that it's not just bad for microfiber towels to be dried at too high of heat, but it can ruin them completely. Once the damage has been done from heat, it cannot be reversed.
Prep a separate bucket with VERY HOT clean water and add blue dawn dish soap along with gentle tide. Add towels. Soak towels for roughly 2 hours. If a towel ever becomes so contaminated that it doesn't wash clean, it may be time to retire it to a new job.
Microfiber is highly water resistant, but it's not completely immune to stains. The especially tight weave of microfiber causes any liquids to bead up and sit on the surface of the fiber for a short time instead of soaking right into the fabric.
All those extra ingredients, lubricants, and fragrances from fabric softener and dryer sheets actually coat the teeny tiny microfibers. And this isn't a good thing. If you've ever used fabric softener or dryer sheets on microfiber, you may have noticed that your microfiber becomes waxy-feeling.
Wash microfiber cloths by hand in clean water, or in a washing machine with liquid laundry detergent. To dry microfiber cloths, hang them to air dry to keep them from accumulating lint in the dryer. By cleaning your microfiber cloths properly, they'll last for hundreds of uses!
Norwex microfiber cloths actually can be machine-dried at temperatures as high as 140 F. Druckamiller adds that putting them in the dryer on low can help maximize their electrostatic charge, which will help them trap dirt. But, she warns, never use dryer sheets because they can coat and damage the fibers.
Use a Fragrance-Free and Additive-Free Detergent and Do Not Use Fabric Softener. Avoid detergents that contain fragrances or additives and don't use fabric softener, which can coat the fibers and render them ineffective at cleaning. Make sure not to use too much detergent—about one or two teaspoons should be sufficient ...
You can also dry your microfiber cloth in a low-heat setting. Tumble Dry, Air Dry, or Iron? The microfiber cloth experts are adamant that air drying is the best way to lengthen the cloth's lifespan.
Always wash new microfiber towels prior to first use to remove any loose factory production fibers. Always wash newer black, orange, and red colored towels separately from lighter colored towels to avoid any risk of bleeding.