With so many different cleaning cloths in the shop, you soon realize that they are not all made from the same material. One of the most popular types of rags for cleaning are microfibres alongside cotton cloths. But what exactly is so special about them and why are microfiber cleaning cloths so popular?
To find out why tiny microfibres are so popular, we first need to know how they differ from the alternatives. After all, it’s the difference that ultimately makes the difference between one product and another.
(There are also points where you should be careful with microfibres, more on that later…)
What are the differences?
Towelling
You are sure to have terry towels in your home. They are the classic amongst towels and are often used in the bathroom, for example to dry off after a shower, or they are often the first choice for a visit to the outdoor pool or the beach. Terry towels are made from cotton. For a long time, they were the standard choice as they absorb moisture well. The many small loops result in the familiar soft, fluffy feel.
However, there are different Terry qualities :
- Walk terry toweling: soft and fluffy thanks to loose loops of soft yarns. Very good absorbency.
- Twisted terry cloth is characterised by its firm feel and has a massage effect thanks to the twisted loop yarns.
- Velour terry cloth: the loops are cut open, resulting in a softer surface.
- Knitted terry towelling has not been around that long. Instead of being woven, it is knitted and combines absorbency with a massage effect, softness and loop strength.
A distinction is also made between weight classes: light (350-499g/m²), medium (500-599 g/m²) and heavy (over 600 g/m²). Microfibre towels used to be very expensive compared to terry cloth, but their price has fallen sharply in the meantime, as microfibres naturally have a number of advantages over cotton terry cloth. This is why they are now a serious competitor to the well-known towelling products, and rightly so.
The microfibre
Microfibres are only half as thick as cotton. This means that there are many more fibres per volume and many smaller spaces between the individual fibres. To give you a point of reference: Over a length of 10 kilometres, a microfibre must weigh less than 1 gram to be classified as “micro”. Normally, polyester or nylon is used for the production of microfibres. You have probably heard of nylon, a very hard-wearing material, or have polyester T-shirts at home. You may also already know that microfibre cloths are very suitable for cleaning. But what is so special about microfibres? Below we present the advantages of microfibres:
- Cleans very well due to the fine fibres, which are processed together into bundles, which are then loosened a little to create many small gaps that can absorb a lot of dirt and water
- not only cleans very well, it also does so without additional cleaning agents: a good microfibre cloth is completely sufficient for grease stains. a cotton cloth or paper towels would only smear the greasy surfaces
- they are space-saving because they are significantly thinner due to the higher density of fibres
- the surface area of the fibres is much larger thanks to the smaller loops, which results in greater absorption power and volume, meaning that much more dirt and water can be absorbed than with a cotton cloth
- in addition, the large surface area means that anything made from microfibres dries much faster than terry cloth, which prevents odours from forming
- Microfibres are pleasantly soft after washing, which can only be achieved with terry cloth using a tumble dryer or fabric softener.
But beware
Because microfibres clean so well, it is helpful to use the following tips so that your microfibre cloths do not lose their great cleaning effect:
- It is best to wash microfibre cloths separately from the rest of your laundry, as otherwise all the dirt from your laundry may end up in the microfibre cloth and the washing will not really have done any good for the microfibre cloth.
- Never use fabric softener when washing microfibres, as this causes the microfibres to stick together and the small spaces between the fibres lose their effect, resulting in poorer cleaning efficiency.
The secret
Now you know that microfibres work so well because dirt is almost magically attracted by the microstructure of the fibres and the spaces between them.
You will achieve the best effect if you do not get the microfibre cloth completely wet, as the moisture can still absorb a lot of dirt. It is also helpful if you do not press too hard, otherwise you will artificially reduce the many free spaces and less dirt will be wiped away.
