Microfibres or Terry Towels?

[BMW-5]

Hey guys,
I'm about to do my first big detail in the next few weeks, and just before i go out shopping for some products i just wanted to ask:

Are tt good for wiping off products from the paintwork? (do they leave swirls?)

And do i need to use a different microfibre for each product?

i'm just asking cause over here mf's are like 10 dollars each for the meguiars ones and tt's are only 5 dollars each..

thanks, BMW-5

[ANeat]

Re: Microfibres or Terry Towels?

Im interested to hear what the more experienced guys say but personally I always thought the microfiber stuff was a lot of hype till I tried them.

They do work, I would think a quality terry might be ok but the ones ive tried will leave very light swirls.

Get a good flawless polish on a spot and go over it with whatever towel and see for yourself, thats what it took for me.

[DetailFreak517]

Re: Microfibres or Terry Towels?

The main issue with 100% cotton terry towels isn't usually the loops of fabric, but rather the material onto which the cotton is sewn. Often even a towel advertised as 100% cotton will have a rayon or otherwise synthetic base material which is fully exposed at the edges. These edges can and often do contact the paint and are much more likely to cause marring than a microfiber towel, which is extremely dense and made of synthetic fibers specifically chosen for their extremely soft properties.

The same thing can happen if the nap of a terry towel is very sparse or stiff -- putting enough downward force on the towel as you wipe could instill marring as the larger fibers act just like a foam or wool pad and "cut" into the surface you're wiping.

So to put it simply, yes 100% cotton terry towels are fine for use on paint just like they always have been.... but you should make absolutely certain they have a soft cotton substrate below the cotton loops, that the nap is as dense as you can get, and that you use care not to push down on the towel too hard as you wipe so as to prevent marring.

Just as an example of what lengths we used to go to back when I first started detailing around a decade ago (just before the microfiber craze started), folks would go into kitchen/bath decor stores and purchase fairly expensive high end (high thread count) cotton towels such as Wamsutta Pima and Super-Pima bath towels, cut the edges off of them, and then sew them up with 100% cotton thread to keep the now edgeless towels from fraying. Those were about the only way at the time you could ensure no marring after a full correction was done.

You should absolutely use a fresh/different towel for each product as the towel does become loaded just like your buffing pad.

If I were in your shoes personally, I think I would choose to use the best quality cotton terry towels I could affordably find for all of my initial compounding and polishing steps, then use microfibers for wiping off the final finishing polish and sealant/wax. This will be your best bet for preventing any marring of the freshly perfected surface you worked hard to achieve while also not breaking the bank.

[Shawn T.]

Re: Microfibres or Terry Towels?

I don't know what the OTC (over-the-counter) microfibers are like over there but see if you can find any cheap ones in bulk retailers. Some will say that cheap microfibers don't work and marr the paint but I have not experienced any marring from towels. I have experienced marring in other ways but never directly from the towel.

[TOGWT]

Re: Microfibres or Terry Towels?

Removing Wax / Sealants

Water, being hydrophilic adheres to micro fibre; in comparison to cotton, a Micro (polyamide) fibre will absorb 98% moisture, while cotton can only absorb 70% at most

The polyester and polyamide content of Microfiber is typically; a blend of 80% polyester (a scrubbing fibre) and 20% polyamide (an absorbing fibre).The nature of this yarn is that it is an absorbent; the reason polyester appears to absorb liquids is the many thousands of micro fibres that collectively encapsulate, this is what makes them so good at cleaning.

a) Microfiber towel - made from polyester/polyamide will remove product, as they actually lift the dirt or wax from the surface you are cleaning and then store the particle or liquid in the towel until it is washed. due to its inherent properties (that’s why they are so good at cleaning without the use of chemicals). The polyester and polyamide are combined during weaving to create microscopic loops, which form a network of tiny hooks, scrubbing away dirt and grime while trapping it within the weave.

These very fine fibres have little 'hook like claws' that reach into the tiniest of crevices, pulling out dirt, dust, grease, grime, and even bacteria. They hold these foreign materials in their web of weaves until they are washed in warm water where the fibres relax and release these materials.

Conversely the same attributes that make Microfiber so good at cleaning have an adverse affect when applying wax. A polymer sealant forms a molecular bond with the paint surface, so when you remove it, you are removing excess product. An organic wax however, doesn’t form a bond with the paint surface but merely adheres to it, forming a chain-link type coating.

A micro fibre cotton towel will leave enough of the wax / sealant behind to enable it to form a surface coating.

b) Cotton Towel - 100% cotton micro fibre with terrycloth weave, spun with long staple cotton and then woven into 100% natural looped terrycloth or velour, the larger fibre loop size that makes up the towels nap are trimmed to produce a fine nap, ideal for buffing and leaving behind a coating on the paint surface.

Be cognizant of the material (s) used to bind the edges of the towel (Microfiber or 100% cotton) These are much more likely to cause surface marring than the towel itself, the solution is to ensure they are paint friendly or remove the edge binding

[Paul S]

Re: Microfibres or Terry Towels?

Do your own test. Take a blank cd and wipe it with a terry cloth towel. Did it leave a mark or swirl ? Now try it with the micro fiber towel. Any difference ? Not scientific but kind of shows what these towels do to the paint surface .

[TOGWT]

Re: Microfibres or Terry Towels?

PaulS good idea.

Testing Micro fibre

A couple of ‘non-scientific test’ you could use to assimilate wither or not a towel (or any other cloth you'd use on a paint surface) will cause scratches, they are not at all scientific nor 100% accurate, they are only indicative of what the towel may do to your paint surface, but then which is preferable to scratch a CD or your paint surface?

Ensure the towels have been washed before carrying out these ‘tests’, and test them using the same criteria you’d use then; damp and remember, even the softest towels will scratch if too much pressure is used,
If the towel does scratch the CD’s surface that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will scratch the vehicles paint, a CD has a much softer surface than automobile paint so use caution, initially trying an inconspicuous area of the paint surface

CD Scratch Test

Take a damp micro fibre cloth and use medium to heavy pressure rub the data surface of a CD. If no scratching is evident then it probably won’t scratch the vehicles paint surface, be aware that the bindings can also cause scratching. Ensure you wash before you use a micro fibre towel for the first time and use it on an inconspicuous area first.

Burn Test

Micro fibre towels are made from various fabrics; some are made from cotton, rayon or acrylic and nylon. Although Microfiber is invariably a polyester (nylon).A simple non-destructive test to ascertain which fibre the towel contains; take butane lighter and put the fibre close to the flame, but not in the flame. If the fibre pulls away from the flame, you have a synthetic fibre (nylon or polyester, most likely).This means you can easily clean the fabric with typical aggression.

If the fibre does not pull away, apply a naked flame, if the resulting ash is crumbly and gives you a "dirty finger" when you crush it, you no doubt have a natural fibre