Cleaning Your Car (Products In Washing Machine)

[PaulCar1]

Hi,

I tend to be washing 1 of my cars every 3-4 days, and getting a little concerned with how much I use my washing machine to wash ‘Micro Fibre Clothes’, ‘Mits’ and ‘Drying Towels’. I use a new fresh cloth for the wheels each time and bin it due to the volume of dirt and grease, but I

Does anyone soak their gear in any special liquid before putting them in your washing machine… maybe some substance that extracts and loosens any grease before it is put in the washing machine.

[C5_Steve]

I never used to, but GF introduced me to some stuff that goes in the washing machine specifically for microfiber towels. Chemical Guys do a product but I'm not sure if it's what we use as I let her crack on with that.

Does it make a difference? Not sure. They seem to be fluffier for longer now so I guess so. As long as you're washing them without anything like conditioner etc I think you'll be fine.

[Krikkit]

PaulCar1 said:

I use a new fresh cloth for the wheels each time and bin it due to the volume of dirt and grease...

You must be joking, surely?

[belleair302]

At 40c, no conditioner and a short tumble dry most microfibers etc last a good 50-60 washes, maybe longer.

[PaulCar1]

Thanks.

My question was more about the concern of the washing machine’s health VS the clothes.

And yes, I buy micro fibre clothes in bulk which means I am throwing away €0.25c for each wash… which I can live with. I don’t want to put very very dirty clothes in with drying towels and mediocre dirty washing mits… as some of that grease will surely end up getting washed into the car again otherwise, even after a strong wash.

[Sway]

belleair302 said:

At 40c, no conditioner and a short tumble dry most microfibers etc last a good 50-60 washes, maybe longer.

Agreed.

Even better with a proper microfiber wash liquid - we use it for regular towels too and it keeps them properly fluffy and absorbant for much longer.

Washing machine deep clean with white vinegar then a rinse cycle prior for the properly committed.

[mikeswagon]

How many cars are we talking about, and what the hell are you doing with them that the cloths are getting covered in grease?

[normalbloke]

I did some bits while freshening up my wife’s car.

[s94wht]

PaulCar1 said:

Thanks.

My question was more about the concern of the washing machine’s health VS the clothes.

And yes, I buy micro fibre clothes in bulk which means I am throwing away €0.25c for each wash… which I can live with. I don’t want to put very very dirty clothes in with drying towels and mediocre dirty washing mits… as some of that grease will surely end up getting washed into the car again otherwise, even after a strong wash.

It's not about the money, it's about the environment. What a waste.

[Bobupndown]

I'm not allowed to wash "car stuff" in the washing machine. Have to wait till she's out for a couple of hours.

[paralla]

normalbloke said:

I did some bits while freshening up my wife’s car.

Love this.

Years ago I put a set of tubular exhaust manifolds from the essex V6 in my Capri on a Pots & Pans cycle in the dishwasher, they came up a treat.

These days I give the dirtiest microfibre cloths a rinse and jiggle about for a minute with some fairy liquid unbder the kitchen tap to remove the worst of the muck before throwing them in the washing machine with the bathmats or dark clothes. I've never noticed the dirt from them get transferred onto anything else. I wouldn't put them in with a load of whites.

I don't wash cars every 3 - 4 days.

[PaulCar1]

s94wht said:

PaulCar1 said:

Thanks.

My question was more about the concern of the washing machine’s health VS the clothes.

And yes, I buy micro fibre clothes in bulk which means I am throwing away €0.25c for each wash… which I can live with. I don’t want to put very very dirty clothes in with drying towels and mediocre dirty washing mits… as some of that grease will surely end up getting washed into the car again otherwise, even after a strong wash.

It's not about the money, it's about the environment. What a waste.

What car do you drive… curious!?

[Mikebentley]

PaulCar1 said:

s94wht said:

PaulCar1 said:

Thanks.

My question was more about the concern of the washing machine’s health VS the clothes.

And yes, I buy micro fibre clothes in bulk which means I am throwing away €0.25c for each wash… which I can live with. I don’t want to put very very dirty clothes in with drying towels and mediocre dirty washing mits… as some of that grease will surely end up getting washed into the car again otherwise, even after a strong wash.

It's not about the money, it's about the environment. What a waste.

What car do you drive… curious!?

My educated guess would be a VW Golf. Why is it relevant?

[Bezerk]

The only reason a microfibre should go near a wheel during wash is to dry it when clean.

Of course you would need to chuck it away after use because it'd be ruined.

Use a brush such as EZ Detail with car shampoo and flowing water.

All my stuff goes in the washing machine but it is not that dirty and certainly not greasy because you need to remove the worst road grime with flowing water first.

[Belle427]

There are lots of good dedicated wheel shampoos about and also tools to do it, the wheel woolies are very good and can just be rinsed out easily.
Trick is to keep them clean so it's not such hard work every time.

[V8 Animal]

Oh dear

[Mark V GTD]

I clean my wheels with a microfibre and chuck it in the washing machine afterwards with the regular laundry and never had any issues.

[HustleRussell]

s94wht said:

It's not about the money, it's about the environment. What a waste.

Yep that was my reaction

[HustleRussell]

PaulCar1 said:

s94wht said:

PaulCar1 said:

Thanks.

My question was more about the concern of the washing machine’s health VS the clothes.

And yes, I buy micro fibre clothes in bulk which means I am throwing away €0.25c for each wash… which I can live with. I don’t want to put very very dirty clothes in with drying towels and mediocre dirty washing mits… as some of that grease will surely end up getting washed into the car again otherwise, even after a strong wash.

It's not about the money, it's about the environment. What a waste.

What car do you drive… curious!?

And crucially, do you discard it and get a new one every time you use it?

[vikingaero]

At first I was wondering if the OP was using a waterless cleaning product to clean their car/wheels. Some YouTubers are advocating using microfibre cloths to wash. For wheels I use a specific wheel wash mitt when undertaking a water wash.

Top Tip: When you finish with the water in the two bucket wash, pour it into the wheel brush bucket to soak up all the dirt from the wheel wash mitt, wheel woolies and brushes.