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Re: What do you look for in a microfiber towel?
Nice! Thanks for the info!!
Originally posted by TOGWT
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Things to look for in a micro fibre towel
• How many times the fibres are split - a higher split ensues you get a more effective cleaning towel. Splitting the fibres creates millions of edges that trap dirt and dust that bonds to the fibres and is not released until the towel is washed in hot water. Therefore, the dirt is not re-deposited on the paint surface.
• Denier [: weight per unit length (linear density) measure of a continuous filament or yarn, used traditionally in textile industry] [1]. The higher the number, the thicker the fibre
• Threads per square inch - for any towel that touches paint, you should aim for at least 150,000 threads per square inch and 200,000 or more is ideal. This high thread count is primarily for increased performance, although can often help decrease your scratch risk. In general, using plush microfiber with long threads will not only give you significantly better performance but will also help reduce your scratch/swirl risk, often by a large margin
• Density of fibre - bear in mind that less density of fibre, translate into less cleaning power and far less durability. - is a measure of fibres per square inch of fabric. The range for quality micro fibre is 90,000 to 225,000 fibres per square inch. The higher the fibre count the more absorbent. The less dense cloths are also more abrasive to delicate surfaces. Look for at least 200,000 fibres per square inch of fabric.
• Ratio - of polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and polyamide (the absorbing and quick drying fibre) blend; an 80% polyester and 20% polyamide is typical (80/20) a 70/30 blend will absorb water faster. As polyamide is much more expensive than polyester, you can expect to pay more for a 70/30 blend.
• Quality - lesser quality versions can use a weave that is too wide or a pile that is too long, which causes the fibres’ to shed during use, leaving a lint trail.
• Construction - towel boarders, one of the of the advantages of a silk/satin edging is that they won't unravel when washed several times like a non edged towel nor will they cause marring of the paint surface, it also means that they will not snag.
• Weave -the weave on micro fibre towels can be adjusted to meet specific requirements; a terry-loop, cut, hooked feathered, zigzag or Piqué waffle weaves.
• Size - available in various sizes 16 -inch x 16 / 18 / 24 -inch, drying towels 25 -inch x 16 -inch being a usable size
• Thickness - some manufacturers are rating the thickness of their towels by weight; expressed in grams per square meter or g/m2. The ratio of polyester and polyamide usually remains the same.
When choosing micro fibre quality is very important, as a lack of quality inspection will result in variable results i.e. towels that will cause surface scratches, leave a trail of lint, etc. Many of the Micro fibre products being offered on the market are made from non-split (non-absorbent and ineffective) yarn.
The manufacturer forgoes the expensive splitting procedure to save money, and the result is a failing product. Not only does the blend lose over half of its absorbing and cleaning ability but it weakens with use, greatly reducing the life of the product. Some micro fibre products from China and Korea have less density and a denier (length of measure) of 0.5 or higher, which is 50x’s larger than the preferred quality denier of 0.02 or smaller.
A good quality towel may cost more, but it will last longer. The most important thing to remember is that a good quality micro fibre towel will provide better cleaning results and is less likely to cause surface scratches than lesser quality towels Micro fibre quality is very often reflected in the purchase price, best advice; use only high quality micro fibre towels from a reputable source.
As with most things, you'll get what you pay for; as Henry Royce once commented [the quality tends to be remembered long after the price has been forgotten]
• How many times the fibres are split - a higher split ensues you get a more effective cleaning towel. Splitting the fibres creates millions of edges that trap dirt and dust that bonds to the fibres and is not released until the towel is washed in hot water. Therefore, the dirt is not re-deposited on the paint surface.
• Denier [: weight per unit length (linear density) measure of a continuous filament or yarn, used traditionally in textile industry] [1]. The higher the number, the thicker the fibre
• Threads per square inch - for any towel that touches paint, you should aim for at least 150,000 threads per square inch and 200,000 or more is ideal. This high thread count is primarily for increased performance, although can often help decrease your scratch risk. In general, using plush microfiber with long threads will not only give you significantly better performance but will also help reduce your scratch/swirl risk, often by a large margin
• Density of fibre - bear in mind that less density of fibre, translate into less cleaning power and far less durability. - is a measure of fibres per square inch of fabric. The range for quality micro fibre is 90,000 to 225,000 fibres per square inch. The higher the fibre count the more absorbent. The less dense cloths are also more abrasive to delicate surfaces. Look for at least 200,000 fibres per square inch of fabric.
• Ratio - of polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and polyamide (the absorbing and quick drying fibre) blend; an 80% polyester and 20% polyamide is typical (80/20) a 70/30 blend will absorb water faster. As polyamide is much more expensive than polyester, you can expect to pay more for a 70/30 blend.
• Quality - lesser quality versions can use a weave that is too wide or a pile that is too long, which causes the fibres’ to shed during use, leaving a lint trail.
• Construction - towel boarders, one of the of the advantages of a silk/satin edging is that they won't unravel when washed several times like a non edged towel nor will they cause marring of the paint surface, it also means that they will not snag.
• Weave -the weave on micro fibre towels can be adjusted to meet specific requirements; a terry-loop, cut, hooked feathered, zigzag or Piqué waffle weaves.
• Size - available in various sizes 16 -inch x 16 / 18 / 24 -inch, drying towels 25 -inch x 16 -inch being a usable size
• Thickness - some manufacturers are rating the thickness of their towels by weight; expressed in grams per square meter or g/m2. The ratio of polyester and polyamide usually remains the same.
When choosing micro fibre quality is very important, as a lack of quality inspection will result in variable results i.e. towels that will cause surface scratches, leave a trail of lint, etc. Many of the Micro fibre products being offered on the market are made from non-split (non-absorbent and ineffective) yarn.
The manufacturer forgoes the expensive splitting procedure to save money, and the result is a failing product. Not only does the blend lose over half of its absorbing and cleaning ability but it weakens with use, greatly reducing the life of the product. Some micro fibre products from China and Korea have less density and a denier (length of measure) of 0.5 or higher, which is 50x’s larger than the preferred quality denier of 0.02 or smaller.
A good quality towel may cost more, but it will last longer. The most important thing to remember is that a good quality micro fibre towel will provide better cleaning results and is less likely to cause surface scratches than lesser quality towels Micro fibre quality is very often reflected in the purchase price, best advice; use only high quality micro fibre towels from a reputable source.
As with most things, you'll get what you pay for; as Henry Royce once commented [the quality tends to be remembered long after the price has been forgotten]
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