Complimentary Towel Dry Station

[dogwasher]

Waxman, hows this going? Here is the old post link below


http://forum.autocareforum.net/showthread.php?t=366

I still want to do this...I bought the towels from Costco months ago but I never got them to soften up and soak up water very well.

 

[MEP001]

Try the ones from Sam's, wash them once in hot water with double detergent and a half-cup of ammonia-based cleaner (I use the ProForce sanitizing stuff from Sam's) and an extra rinse cycle after, then tumble-dry them to remove lint. You'll have to clean the lint screen once during the dry cycle after their first wash; they'll lint a lot.

I tried the towels from Costco and found they were not absorbent and practically disintegrated after a couple washes. IMO the Sam's ones are overall much better in quality.

Edit: I probably should have checked the old thread first; I just repeated what you already read there.

 

[Waxman]

It's one of the best things we do that promote customer loyalty.

It does cost money in stolen towels, laundry and labor.

Customers love it; it sets us apart.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Waxman I offer microfiber towels (Sam's) for body and interior and red shop towels for wheels for my customers for 4 years at my express.
I use Rubbemaid carts with a sign stating that microfiber towels are for interior and drying of car. The Red shop towels are for wheels.
I have a 2 plastic trash can (Sam's- 1 for microfiber and one for red shop towels) next to each cart with a signs stating:
Please deposit dirty Microfiber (or Red) Towels here.
I would strongly suggest that you also include "To keep the cost down PLEASE return the DIRTY TOWELS in the dirty towel bins or this service cannot be continued.
Two things:
We need to check towels every 20 cars (refill cart and wash/extract dirty towels).
Be prepared to go to Sam's at least once a week to purchase more towels and laundry detergent.
Saying all this the customers love the towel service.
Especially since they take so many home.

 

[mmurra]

We have been doing the towel service for several years with the same results as listed above. We lose towels, like others. Finally, we placed a sign "dvr in use to protect company property" and placed a conspicuous fake camera in the immediate area. It reduced theft. we dry towels in the winter but not in the summer. We would not consider dropping the service at this time. Mark

 

[soapy]

When you buy new towels they are coated with sizing that is used as lubrication during the manufacturing process to prevent the cotton from catching fire from the friction of high speed manufacturing. Very hot water is required is required to remove the sizing. I often run a hose direct from my hot water tank to the drum of the washer when I first wash the towels. It is also recommended that some bleach be used during the wash which helps breakdown the cotton fibers so they become more absorbant. Never use a detergent when washing car drying towels as that will coat the fiber and make them less absorbant.

 

[mjwalsh]

Waxman, hows this going? Here is the old post link below


http://forum.autocareforum.net/showthread.php?t=366

I still want to do this...I bought the towels from Costco months ago but I never got them to soften up and soak up water very well.

dogwasher & others,

I don't know if how pertinent this is ... but I did have a customer dry their car with one of our vended microfiber towels after not rinsing the Warsaw Vanilla Kote Wax off. It plugged up the absorbency of the microfiber. I am not sure if that would have a similar effect with cotton towels.

mike

 

[Greg Pack]

I throw my new towels in the washer with a bottle of black rit dye. They come out a medium blue color.

I'm in a good area. My theft rate is very low and usage is kept very reasonable per my request of two towels per vehicle. I Probably have to wash about 300 towels per week and "lose" about a pack of towels per month.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

I throw my new towels in the washer with a bottle of black rit dye. They come out a medium blue color.

I'm in a good area. My theft rate is very low and usage is kept very reasonable per my request of two towels per vehicle. I Probably have to wash about 300 towels per week and "lose" about a pack of towels per month.

I'd love to have a wash in your area.
I too service a high income area. But the customers seem to love my towels so much they take them home. A LOT.
I only use yellow microfiber towels for the interior and drying of the vehicles.
I use yellow to show my customers how clean their cars are after washing at my place.
Wash them in warm water for 1 hour with one cup New Era, no bleach before putting them out. Never use any softener. I always rewash them with New Era.
I would be worried about dying or re dying towels, especially on white or light color cars. Do you have problems with the dye coming off on the cars?

 

[Greg Pack]

I would be worried about dying or re dying towels, especially on white or light color cars. Do you have problems with the dye coming off on the cars?

Not that i know of. I don't re-dye them. They perhaps get some additional coloring when they are mixed with a batch of brand new towels.

 

[Ric]

Not that i know of. I don't re-dye them. They perhaps get some additional coloring when they are mixed with a batch of brand new towels.

Why do you dye them?

 

[soapy]

You dye them to keep people from stealing them. It reduce theft alot.

 

[Greg Pack]

I actually dye them to show less dirt, but I know soapy dyes his pink for theft reduction.

 

[dogwasher]

I think I got it but I could use some help to get this started:

I have the 60 pack towels from Sam's
Soapy says no detergent? But others talk about double detergent, hot water and ammonia based detergent, extra rinse, tumble dry and Black rit dye.

What order do I do the above process?

Thank you!

 

[MEP001]

All I can tell you is that I wash towels in plain powdered Tide all the time and use them dampened with RO water to clean my windows, and it's the best way I've found to get them clean and streak-free. There are detergents with softeners in them, like the Tide liquid with Downey, that you should definitely avoid.

You'll probably want to wash them before you dye them so the dye can penetrate the fibers.

 

[Greg Pack]

Well, I used to do all the ammonia, soaking, add salt, etc. It may make a difference, but I am lazy.....

I start the washer with hot water, dump the bottle of black dye in the washer, swish it around, throw the bottle in the washer with it and dump the towels in. Set it for the longest wash cycle and forget it. Dry the towels. It may be helpful to stop the dryer and clean out the lint filter midways through the process, but it is not necessary. The towels put out a lot of lint the first couple of times you dry them. They will come out a blueish-gray color, just a little bit darker than a blue surgical towel.

If you're not satisfied you can try prewashing, but my way seems to work OK and is pretty easy.

 

[JMMUSTANG]

Buy the blue or yellow microfiber towels (24) from Sam's, wash with New Era (1 cap full) warm or hot water and forget about it.
Your over thinking this.

 

[Washmee]

Dyeing towels is not a good idea. The dye seriously diminishes the amount of water the towel can absorb because the fibers have been altered by the dye. The dyes used in the manufacture of the fibers in the towel is totally different than the dye you buy at the grocery store. I agree with JMMUSTANG.

 

[soapy]

The higher the quality of towels you use the higher the walk off. Microfiber towels will easily acheive 50% walk off unless you are right there watching everyone. Been there done that. I have only been dying towels for 20 years with no complaints.

 

[dogwasher]

The higher the quality of towels you use the higher the walk off. Microfiber towels will easily acheive 50% walk off unless you are right there watching everyone. Been there done that. I have only been dying towels for 20 years with no complaints.

Good point that's exactly what I thought...my customers will be licking there chops for those microfiber towels.