100% cotton polishing cloths

[agtjamesb007]

came across these in my Griots catalog and wondered a) why are cotton cloths being sold when you can buy microfiber cloths and b) They mention polyester and how it scratches cars, well, I have never seen a microfiber towell that didnt have polyester in it. (they all are a polyester/polyamide blend)
So is cotton not as bad as I had been led to believe?
Griot's Garage 100% Cotton Buffing Cloths - 10 Pack

 

[Accumulator]

Those are something that I`d *NEVER AGAIN* touch my paint with.

But then even the softest cotton towels I`ve ever used don`t touch my paint either...but at least those were a whole lot softer than the ones from GG.

IMO, they sell them because they already have `em in stock and somebody must buy them. E.g., there`s a guy on [a certain Panther Platform Forum] who says he only uses cotton because "expensive microfiber" scratches up his paint. Yeah, really.

 

[Lonnie]

I still use cotton clothes to apply interior protectants and leather lotions, BUT that`s me. Before microfibers, cotton huck surgical cloths and baby diapers where the fabric of choice for polish and wax removal. I also used soft cotton flannel for chrome cleaning and polishing. I must say, though, with a wide variety of microfiber types, including nap and fiber density, not to mention fabric composition (polyester/polyamide ratios) that now are used for very specific vehicle detailing applications, they have more or less obsoleted cotton cloths. It`s one of the reasons that even novice detailers can easily produce relatively swirl-free paint surfaces. Of all the advances in detailing products, microfibers have certainly have one of the biggest impacts to improving detailing processes, at least for me.

 

[Accumulator]

Yeah, I still use cotton towels for a lot of things, just don`t touch the paint (other than undercarriages) with them.

Actually still using the GG cotton towels for polishing metal now and then.

 

[novaman]

came across these in my Griots catalog and wondered a) why are cotton cloths being sold when you can buy microfiber cloths and b) They mention polyester and how it sycratches cars, well, I have never seen a microfiber towell that didnt have polyester in it. (they all are a polyester/polyamide blend)
So is cotton not as bad as I had been led to believe?
Griot`s Garage 100% Cotton Buffing Cloths - 10 Pack

Sal Zano still advocates 100% American made cotton towels as the best to use to polish cars with. That said, not all cotton towels are made equal. The cheaper ones can be used on bumpers etc and not on painted surfaces if your not sure. I used the ones Sal Zano reccommened and never introduced swirl marks on my 72 Chev Nova.