How To Make Microfiber Towels More Absorbent

When you think about the word “microfiber,” the first thing that should come to your mind is a super absorbent material. 

Yes, one of the outstanding features of a microfiber towel is its powerful absorbent quality. It boasts of the special ability to soak up eight times its weight in water. It is their unique trait and the dexterity in which they absorb liquid, is second to none.

Sadly, a lot of microfiber towels have ceased to function the same again, their fibers no longer soak in liquid as much as it used to nor does it hold it in. Can something be done about this? 

Most definitely. Read on to find out how to reclaim the super absorbing strength of your microfiber towels  again. Below are some of the items you would need:

Expert Steps To Make Microfiber Towels More Absorbent

Materials

• Hot water
• White Vinegar
• Baking Soda

Step 1

Gather towels together and load them inside the machine. Be careful not to squeeze in too much so they can have as much space as it’s needed to move freely as they wash inside of the tub.

Step 2

Put in your distilled white vinegar. You can pour in directly into the tub or put in the soap dispenser compartment. The quantity of vinegar to add largely depends on the severity of the towels absorbency problem.

Ideally, one cup is sufficient enough to get the job done but, you can use one cup and a half if your towels are in dire need of a revival.

Set the machine to wash using the hot water settings. Please note that it is totally unnecessary to add detergents, dryer sheets, or fabric softeners. In this step, any foreign element added would impair the potency of the white vinegar.

Step 3

As soon as the first wash is over, run another cycle for a second wash but, just before you do, add one cup of baking soda to the load then rewash with hot water. For this round also, detergent is not needed.

Step 4

Take out your towels to air dry naturally or you can use a dryer set to low or medium heat to dry them. The most important thing is for you to ensure that they dry up completely.

Making your towels absorb better is also possible when hand washing as long as you follow the same process outlined.

When is it okay to boil microfiber towels?

Microfibers are boiled as a final resort in situations where grease, dirt and grime prove too stubborn to come off during the normal wash.

There is a technique to it though as heat regulation must be enforced so you do not end up damaging the fibers. Follow the steps below to forcefully eject germs, grease, and grime from your microfiber towels and get them functioning optimally again.

• Step 1: Get a large pot of water and place on the fire to boil.
• Step 2: Add a cup of white vinegar to boiling water then introduce your towels to the mixture.
• Step 3: Stir towels using a long spoon for about 120 seconds, then remove at once. Stirring enables the hot water penetrate every nook and cranny of the towels and fish out germs and grime from wherever they might be hiding.
• Step 4: After you must have brought them out from the boiling water, place in a bucket and allow to cool off. Once cool, rinse out the towels and set to wash in the machine using cold water. Make sure you wash heavily soiled towels alone as you would not want a transfer of grime from them to other materials.

How to know quality microfiber towels

Typically, a premium microfiber towel should be excellent at absorbing, skilled in attracting negatively charged dirt, grease and germs to itself and brilliant in overall cleaning.

It is possible for people at some point, to buy some microfiber towels relying on the labeling claims which later proved to be totally wrong and misleading. But, not to worry, here is a simple method you can use in double-checking the label claims.

• Step 1: observe the towels in a place with ample sunlight. Lift them up as though you mean to see the sunlight through them.
• Step 2: hold towels at both ends and firmly pull them apart. This stretching method would disclose if the microfibers are woven securely or not. How can you decipher this?
• Step 3: the more rays of sunlight you can see while stretching the microfiber towel and looking through them, the less quality it is. It’s a no-brainer! The microfiber is produced by interlocking many fibers, bringing them to form a minuscule strand. If they are actually woven tightly, you would not be able to see too much rays of sunlight through it.

How to make new microfiber towels more absorbent

A lot of people are of the opinion that older towels absorb better than new ones. While this might be true, there is a way you can get your new towels operating too at a high functional rate. When you purchase new microfiber towels, the first thing that is expected of you to do before using them is to wash them. 

The need to wash them stems from the fact that the towels might have some sort of finish or residue accrued from the stage of production.

You can get them completely clean by washing before your very first use. Simply put a very small quantity of detergent and wash in cold water. You do not need any form of rigorous scrubbing; a few strokes would just be enough to get them clean. 

Another reason why we advocate for towels to be washed before their first use is to wash out any form of lint or debris that it must have accumulated either from production or while at the market.

Lint, if not washed off can go on to mar your cleaning by dropping them off as you clean. What’s more? They can also cause a scratch to surfaces and paint coatings.

FAQs

Why is it advised to dry microfiber towels using low or medium heat?

The microfiber towels are very delicate to a fault. Its fibers are as tender as you can imagine. Hot water or exposure to high heat can actually shrink the fibers and cause them to be ineffective. 

Do not iron microfiber towels as well; the heat from the iron is capable of compressing the fibers, flattening it out and in the process, reducing its power.

Hot water can only be used for them when towels are exceedingly dirty and overridden with germs and bacteria’s. In this case, the germs and dirt covers the fiber pores securely, making it unable for them to have direct contact with the heat until it must have cooled off. 

To preserve your microfiber towels, use hot water only for emergency interventions and not as a daily routine.

Are microfibers more absorbent than cotton fabrics?

They most certainly are and that is why they are the most preferred. Unlike cotton cloths that push water around instead of actually absorbing it, a microfiber attracts the liquid to itself and keeps it in, cleaning up the mess beautifully in no time.

What practice reduces the absorbency power of microfiber towels?

The application of fabric softeners. Surprised? Fabric softeners have no role to play when it comes to microfiber towels. If you want to maintain the absorbent quality of your towels, it is best you do away with fabric softeners all together; bleach too inclusive.

These substances slowly but steadily destroys the fibers and clogs the pores of the fibers, fibers that were hitherto made to be split in order for the fabric to be more porous.

Fabric softeners in particular, would overtime, completely destroy the electrostatic energy of the microfiber. This electrostatic energy that the fabric softener tampers with, is a crucial part of what makes a microfiber towel absorbent.

How To Make Microfiber Towels More Absorbent – Conclusion

Knowing and imbibing the best care practices for your microfiber towels is the only thing that can guarantee its consistency in dishing out quality service to you.

 Caring for it is very much easy. All that is needed is to simply wash microfiber towels the right way – with a tiny amount of detergent with no form of additive, fabric softeners or bleach.

Washing of your towels is expected to be done after every use with cold or warm water only. That done, you can line dry naturally or better still, tumble dry on low or medium heat. It is imperative that they dry properly before taken them in to store.

the absorbent feature of the microfiber is usually amplified and trust me, it is no mere hype. Have it protected at all costs because, not only does it make cleaning time faster for you by absorbing and drying large spills fast, the absorbent strength also, makes them highly rated when it comes to eliminating microbes from surface areas. Another amazing thing is that you really do not have to use a disinfectant most times.