I have a few microfiber polishing cloths (Riedel and a brand called Foxtrot). They work great, but they’re getting kind of nasty after a few months of use. They are getting some brown stains on them, which is weird because I only use them to wipe water off the glasses after rinsing. Some of them are also starting to smell not-the-best, and I noticed that the glasses will smell like the cloth after polishing.
Any advice on how to clean these cloths? I’m hesitant to put them in the washing machine, or even hand wash them because most detergents/soaps have all sorts of chemicals and fragrances. Last thing I want is to be rubbing that stuff all over my glasses!
Boil some water. Pour into a bowl. Wait a minute or two then submerge cloths into water and let them sit for 5 or so minutes agitating them every so often. Ring out water and let them air dry.
Noah - You wouldn’t want to rub negligible traces of detergent on your glasses but you would rub nasty-smelling never-washed cloth on them? Why not just wash them with your laundry and then rinse them twice if you’re concerned? Or don’t use scented detergent? Damp cloth can develop a nice colony of bacteria within eight hours - just something to think about. I’d rather have spots on the glasses.
I treat mine the same way as I do my car cleaning microfibre clothes. Machine wash cool, delicate (Tide free) detergent, nothing else in the load but similar cloths in the machine, extra rinse.
Then dryer on air fluff to reactivate the microfibres, without any dryer sheets, etc.
You’re all making me feel like a bad parent. I use the dishwasher for my GGG’S, Zaltos and Lehmanns, and wash my Riedel and othe microfiber cloth in a normal cycle with our routine unscented detergent. Some of my microfiber cloths are approaching 20 years and still work fine. The reidel cloth is newer but seems fine after several trips in the laundry.