Categories Of Microfiber Towels

[houston_maserati_guy]

Each supplier seems to categorize the MF towels differently. For example, Griot's sells one style (white) for wax removal and another (yellow) for polish removal. The latter is supposed to be thicker to pull in the abrasives.



CMA seems to sell versions for glass, for applying wax and polish, and another for removing wax and polish.



Similarly, microtech has towels for glass, for regular work, and then a more plush elite towel.



The list goes on. Clearly, the real big waffle pattern towels are intended for drying.



Ultimately, as you buy various MF towels from various suppliers they all get mixed together in your supply cabinet and co-mingled. I guess apart from drying with the large waffle towels, if you are committed to using MF towels, you'll prob be doing the following:



dry/wet dust of interior of car, eg dash

cleaning glass w/ water

using with instant detailer, Z-6, final inspection, etc

polish removal

wax removal



rather than be concerned with the seller's labelling, I'd like to know if one looks for different physical characteristics in the MF towels to do these different jobs, or is it all just marketing hyp?

For example, the CMA catalog says the viper glass towels should not be used for wax or polish removal as that would glog the fiber ends and ruin the towels.

 

[offcenter]

The most common varieties of MF are:

Plush- different levels of plushness

Waffle Weave- fine waffle weave pattern and medium waffle weave pattern

Suede- no weave, no nap, looks like suede



There are a few others but these are the most common. I use the thickest plush for wax removal, with a Quick detail spray and to remove Klasse AIO and SG. I use the large waffle weave for drying the car after a fresh wash. I find the smaller sized waffle weaves(they have a fine waffle pattern) are best for window/glass cleaning since they leave no fibers on the glass. The suede microfiber towels are mean't to be used for final polishing, make sure there is nothing on the surface than can scratch since the suede MF has no nap and will cause scratches if any particles are on the cloth or paint. The suede may also be used to polish clean glass surfaces but don't use the suede on a dirty window. It makes sense that the most plush MF's would be best to remove wax and maybe the Viper glass towels are not very dense and are not recommended for wax removal.

I'm sure our fellow autopians will add to this post.