Don't ruin your microfiber in the laundry!

Microfiber is an excellent product for many applications and especially cleaning hard surfaces.  However, the proper laundering and disinfecting of microfiber is different than traditional laundry cycles with water temperatures 140 - 160 degrees as in many healthcare related laundries.  Cold ozonated water should be the preferred method for washing microfiber but maintaining the highest levels of disinfection.  Look at the article below and tell me what you think.

Tom Catchpole
Manager Ozone Laundry
Super Laundry, Inc.


(article from Clean Link February 2010)

 Microfiber Maintained With Proper Use,

By Gabriel Phillips Email the CP editors

Laundering Heat is the biggest enemy of microfiber. It can destroy the fabric instantly or it can break it down over time  Microfiber cloths and mop heads are becoming popular amongst building service contractors. But before a BSC jumps in to purchase them in bulk, the company should first educate managers and front-line workers about the proper use and care of microfiber as well as develop a maintenance program.Having a microfiber maintenance program saves a BSC money in a number of ways.

 A good program will preserve the microfiber material, will keep the microfiber fabric performing at its highest potential and allows a BSC to purchase the most cost-effective microfiber heads available. Minimize Costly Mistakes Microfiber towels are made of a tough material. It’s considered to be a very high -performance product, but one of the major downsides is that the material is easily damaged by heat. Heat is the biggest enemy of microfiber. It can destroy the fabric instantly or it can break it down over time. Microfiber is made up of a blend of 80 percent polyester and 20 percent nylon. The chemical properties of nylon make the material a thermoplastic, so it can melt in hot temperatures.

Once the nylon melts down, the fabric is useless. Any microfiber maintenance program includes a laundry regimen. BSCs that use outside laundry services need to ask them if they have worked with microfiber before. Also, make them aware that all microfiber heads and cloths are launderable, so they’ll have to launder a variety of sizes and shapes. It is equally important to stress that all microfiber can melt in a hot washer and dryer cycle.