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how many microfiber towels do you own?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Prius_Gnome, Jul 10, 2008.

  1. Prius_Gnome

    Prius_Gnome Junior Member

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    The Prius is my first car so I don't have much experience with detailing. I stopped by Pepboy's today and I saw they were having a sale with Turtle Wax ICE products so I went ahead and bought some (since I'm a novice detailer and I didn't want to get into advanced products like Adam's, Meguiar's, Zaino, etc).

    Now I'm wondering how many microfiber towels (or maybe just regular cotton towels?) I need to buy? I keep seeing these instructional videos saying that you should "always use a fresh towel." Does that mean I need like 20 of them (which will probably cost like $100)? I assume you'll need several fresh towels after each step: washing, claybar, polish, several coats of wax.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. sdtundra

    sdtundra Senior Member

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    I get the ones from Costco. The yellow ones. I have 2 packs of them which is I dont know how many towels
     
  3. tasker109

    tasker109 New Member

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    i bought a 25 pack from walmart on clearance for 8 dollars. i use them and wash them. unless they get brake dust or something sticky or nasty on them that is. then i just throw them away.
     
  4. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

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    I think I have 6 or eight yellow ones for the car and maybe 3-4 white ones for the windows.

    Remember to wash them separately from your other laundry. Never mix microfiber with other fabrics. Dry them separately too.

    I also have two microfiber bonnets for my dual action polisher.
     
  5. mrblaise

    mrblaise Go Lakers!!

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    I have about 10 of them that I rotate and two that are dedicated to the wheels.
     
  6. sdtundra

    sdtundra Senior Member

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    Yes, i'm with Mr. Blaise. I have the bunch and then i have 1 for the wheels and another for the tires.
     
  7. priusenvy

    priusenvy Senior Member

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    I just divided up my microfiber stash into two sets, one for the house, one for the vacation house. What I kept here (the good stuff) are:

    Two waffle weave drying towels
    Two waffle weave glass towels
    Six blue Cobra polishing towels
    Twelve green Cobra general purpose towels for exterior detailing
    Twelve Costco towels for interior and misc (they fall apart in the wash, unlike quality microfiber, but they are cheap)

    That's enough to do full details on two cars before I have to wash everything.

    I also keep a bunch of white terry cloth towels around for cleaning leather, and for dirty jobs, like cleaning door jambs and door sills.
     
  8. bmg21

    bmg21 New Member

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    I just have one I use on the MFD. Seems like I should be able to get along with just one for the time being, but then again, I only have 500 miles on my car--still on first tank!

    B
     
  9. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

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    No way to count them!

    Several for drying (waffle-weave, full-size)
    Many for applying wax, removing wax, applying quick detailer, applying spray wax, cleaning the windows, cleaning the black bits...

    Probably about 30 total. But I don't need that many. I'm just a collector. I used to buy the cheap ones. After buying some "good" ones, I can't go back, and just use the cheap ones for dusting in the house.
     
  10. Prius_Gnome

    Prius_Gnome Junior Member

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    Thanks for the fast responses, guys.

    I'll stop by some place and pick some up after work.
     
  11. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Okay Darell, you've got me interested. From your experience as a collector, if you would be so kind, tell us about the various types of microfiber towels and how they are used, and what to look for in a good one.

    Thanks,
    Tom
     
  12. cheeper

    cheeper Member

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    I have many.

    Be sure NOT to use any fabric softener in washer nor dryer. It will plug up the microfiber. If you do it by mistake, just wash it several times and it will come out.
     
  13. mrblaise

    mrblaise Go Lakers!!

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    I forgot ... I also weave have some special waffle weave towels that I only use on my windows. With tint, you shouldn't use any ammonia based products, so I have some special ammonia-free window cleaner and the waffle weave towels that leave no streaks.
     
  14. rigormortis

    rigormortis Active Member

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    i got about 5

    ive been wanting to use a leaf blower to dry of the car, its a pain in the butt to
    wash and dry a black car, and i heard that the 200 mph wind coming out of a leaf blower will just blow dry the entire car really fast

    i tried that mr clean auto dry, but its too easy to burn through filters trying to get it to air dry just right
     
  15. GatorJZ

    GatorJZ Member

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    Since you are just starting out, you can greatly simplify things by planning things out before you purchase them. Two suggestions at the outset:

    1) Use towels for one purpose
    2) color coordinate them.

    For drying: Waffle Weave: Big Blue Drying Towel, PakShak Drying towels

    For wheels: anything is fine, even Costco or Walmart towels...I selected green

    For Interior: I use yellow and found a great deal on some Eurows.

    For glass: Glass drying towels, also from Eurow (they are also blue, but a suede like texture....can't confuse them with anything else)

    For body PakShak....also blue, but can't be confused with WW or glass drying due to texture (I wont use CostCo, Sams Club, Walmart and/or KMart towels on my cars' paint).

    Wash them alone in warm water, I use a dedicated cleaner....MicroRestore. Charlies Soap is a good, reasonably priced alternative. As said above, NO fabric softener.

    Dry them alone with LOW heat....NO dryer sheets.

    Don't be afraid to use premium paint sealants. I use Ultima.....it is MUCH easier to apply, looks better and lasts far longer than Turtle Wax Ice. Turtle Wax Ice isn't a bad product, but there are a ton of better products available.

    Since you are just starting, PakShak has everything you need.....very high quality towels, excellent customer service and, if you join Autopia, a discount.

    Aloha & Welcome to Our Oasis for All Your Auto Detailing, Auto Detailing Supplies, Auto Detailing Equipment, Auto Detailing Products, & Auto Detailing Accessories for all your Automobile Detailing


    Quantity is a factor of how much you are willing to spend, how many cars you have and how frequently you are willing to run dedicated wash loads. At a minimum, 2 Waffle Weave drying towels to dry, 2 wheel towels, 4 glass towels, 10 interior towels and 10 body towels. I have well over a hundred (they have their own plastic storage unit with drawers to keep them organized), but I have 4 cars.
     
  16. melvinjoe

    melvinjoe New Member

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    I own 10 microfiber towels in my home for car washing purposes. If the car is really dirty, I need 2 more extra towels to wash the car and dry them. I will wash them and protect them with care.