Microfiber cloths are available in two forms — reusable or disposable — and each has its own set of pros and cons. Most common are reusable cloths, which must be laundered after every use. When handled correctly, these cloths can last 100 to 1,000 washings.
Microfiber cloths can be machine-washed for convenience or if the fabric is excessively dirty or stained. Do not wash microfiber cleaning cloths with other types of fabric. Other fabrics can ruin the fibers of your microfiber cleaning cloths, abrading the fibers and leaving lint on the microfiber surface.
These cloths should last a while if you follow the recommended care instructions. “If you take care of your microfiber towels and clean them properly, they should last you a few years before needing to be replaced,” says Willatt. Sometimes your reusable cloths will give you a clue that it's time to buy new ones.
Yes! This is one of the many glorious aspects of a microfiber towel. It is designed specifically to be washed and reused over and over again.
When cared for properly, your microfiber cloths can be washed and re-used up to 500 times or more. This makes microfiber one of the most economical cleaning materials existing today.
Ideally, microfiber towels should be washed after every use to remove the dirt and grease picked up while cleaning so you don't transfer the grime to the next surface.
Microfibers are much thinner in diameter than human hair. Those used in cleaning textiles are split in a way that creates spaces within each fiber. Regular microfiber, such as Split microfiber vs cotton that used on furniture or in clothing, is soft but not useful for cleaning because it is not absorbent.
Microfiber Care
You can definitely reuse all of your towels. The only towels we don't recommend reusing are towels that you level a ceramic coating with. The ceramic coating will usually dry and crystallize on the towel and you don't want to use that again. Just toss those when done.
Washing microfiber towels safely
The first important step is that the towels be washed before they are used. There is a finish on microfiber towels when they are sold, much like there is on clothing purchased at a store, and they should be washed before using to remove this finish.
Prep a separate bucket with VERY HOT clean water and add blue dawn dish soap along with gentle tide. Add towels. Soak towels for roughly 2 hours. If a towel ever becomes so contaminated that it doesn't wash clean, it may be time to retire it to a new job.
Another bonus: They're eco-friendly, because you don't have to throw them away after a single use! The average microfiber cloth can withstand several hundred washings, which means it should last you a few years. But you do actually have to be careful of one thing when you wash them: the soap.
Some people have been washing them in hot water and/or adding bleach to the wash cycle. Many members replied that using hot water is not good for the cloth because it breaks down the fiber, and most agreed that adding bleach is never a good idea.
The biggest concern regarding microfiber is microplastic pollution. This occurs because all microfiber products can shed the microscopic microfibers in the wash and can make their way to the ocean.
The polyester in microfiber towels has a low melting point, and cannot handle the high heat that other fabrics that go in washing machines can. If the towels are dried at high heat, then the fibers will melt together and it will be like “cleaning with Plexiglas,” said Gartland.
We recommend storing your clean microfiber towels in a clean plastic bin or in a dedicated cabinet in your garage. Plastic bins and plastic storage drawers are nice because they can help keep your detailing towels clean, and dry, and are easy to see and organize.
Cotton sheets are more breathable than microfiber and won't trap heat as easily, providing a more comfortable sleep.
In fact, a UC Davis study showed that microfiber cloths can pick up to 99% of bacteria on surfaces compared to 30% with their cotton counterparts. This means that good quality microfiber cloths make cleaning easy and eliminates the need to clean with harsh chemicals.
The cotton does not absorb dirt as effectively as microfibers so you'll often need chemicals or detergents to deal with dirt and grime. Otherwise, you can end up just spreading the dirt around the surface and leave behind unwanted streaks and stains.
The microfiber washing process
For starters, microfiber towels should be washed in cold or warm water, advises Sweeney, noting that the temperature should never exceed around 105 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to soap, Gartland states no detergent would be best, although it's impractical.