Micro Fiber Towels

In auto detailing, this is where the rubber meets the road. No matter what products you use or how careful you are, nothing is more important than what will actually be rubbing on your paint. If you are still using cotton towels then you need to read this!

Micro fiber is a blend of polyester and polyamide in a typical 80/20 blend. A blend of 70/30 uses more polyamide and makes the cloth fluffier and softer so as to buff with. Both of these fibers are man made and polyester is the fiber that is the strongest. Microfibers are denoted by weight in g/m2. The heavier the weave the thicker and fluffier it will be. This makes for certain weights to be used for different applications.

There is a type of microfiber called Ultra microfiber which refers to the weight and size of each individual fiber. Weight does not affect the quality of the microfiber but only denotes how thick it will be. The Ultrafiber is on the high end of quality for these towels.

When using a cloth on your paint you want something that is not going to scratch or swirl your topcoat. Cotton will absolutely scratch your paint as well as certain microfibers that use a cotton outer seam along the edge of the towel. A good quality towel will use a silk thread on the seam that will not scratch. A neat trick I use is to take an unused CD disc and rub the towel along the shiny side and see if it scratches. If it does not then you should be ok. Note that some cheaper microfiber products will scratch so be careful.

Another interesting note is that the best microfiber is made in South Korea. Typically the fiber is made there and then assembled in China although some are made completely in S. Korea. I don't think I would buy microfiber made completely in China at this time. It has to do with the machines that the fibers are made on. Very expensive and difficult to make.

As mentioned earlier, different weights are to be used for different purposes. I like to use a very heavy blend to buff off wax and a very thin blend to clean glass for instance. Drying your car will be a try it till you like it experience as some blends absorb water faster than others but typically a medium to heavy blend will do.

When using these towels they of course are going to get dirty. Use for one application then put in a pile for washing. Use only a detergent expressly made for microfiber, usually known as a micro rejuvinator. If you do not you will harden the fibers and you can destroy the cloth. Absolutely never ever put bleach in with these towels as this will cause them to deteriorate. There are several banner links on this site that sell all of these products and you should do ok finding what you need.

Remember, when washing or drying your car and you drop a cloth on the ground, retire it to the dirty cloth pile and get a new one. I recommend getting half a dozen of each type you think you might need. The reason for this is if you wash your car once a week like I do you will constantly be doing wash.

Check out the amazing variety of Microfiber products on the left column under "Buffer Pads and Accessories" and clicking on "Microfiber Towels".