Hi Mike .... I never thought you'd ask <LOL>
First, allow me to preface my comment by saying that I like to do laundry (I also like to iron), and have taken the time to learn the best way to wash certain fabrics, remove stains, and, likewise, use the clothes dryer. It's amazing what one can learn by reading the instruction manuals and doing some outside reading. That said, it's important not to over soap the wash load in which the lens cleaning T-shirt is laundered. All too often more detergent is used than is necessary. But, regardless of the amount used, proper and thoroughly rinsing is important, so as much detergent "residue" is removed from the fabric. Also, don't wash the T-shirt and use fabric softener. To keep things simple, fabric softener also leaves a residue on the cloth. I'm lucky in that my washing machine has provision for an extra rinse, so I don't have to be too concerned about getting a good rinse. I always use an extra rinse. And, because of the design of the machine @ Casa Belinkoff, there's no need to use much detergent at all, especially when doing a load of T-shirts. They don't get that dirty to begin with. It's not like you're washing a few pair of kid's jeans, gardening clothes, or mechanic's overalls. You might be surprised at how little detergent is needed, especially with some of the newer machines. The next step is proper drying. Over drying makes the fabric a little stiff and scratchy. The dryer at Casa Belinkoff has a "dryness selector" and, over the years, I've been able to find a setting for cotton shirts that affords a nice, fluffy, dry shirt without over drying. Again, none of those fabric softener sheets in the dryer. When the shirts are properly dried, they are folded and put in the T-shirt drawer almost immediately after removal from the dryer. In my house that's mostly because the cats love to curl up on the freshly laundered shirts <LOL>, not because I'm especially compulsive about putting things away. You don't want to use a T-shirt that's too old, one in which the fabric has lost all the softness and fluffiness of a newer shirt. The beauty of a good, 100% cotton shirt is that it can retain its softness for a long time if cared for properly. I hope this helps. Shel > [Original Message] > From: mike wilson > > So, IMHO, it seems that there's a lot of leeway when it comes to techniques > > and materials. ClearSight and the properly laundered and dried 100% > > cottonT-shirt do it for me. > > > > Shel > > Hmmm. You talked about "properly cleaning" t-shirts twice. Care to elucidate? > > (Bet they don't get anything as esoteric as this on other photography lists.....) -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
