This time we talk about microfiber towels. A tool often discussed but sometimes overlooked. Microfiber towels are the backbone of any detailing business or enthusiast’s garage. Let’s face it, almost every step in a detailing process includes some level of wiping with microfiber, it happens hundreds of times throughout a detail.
If there’s anything I have learned over the years, it’s that prioritizing quality microfiber towels can supercharge your efficiency and help you to produce a better detail. Now, what do I mean by this? There’re just towels, right? Well, there are certain parts in a detail where quality microfiber really comes into play, and there are others, where lesser towels can be utilized. For example, soft paint can be severely marred from cheap microfiber towels. Simply wipe and all your long hours polishing could be ruined, I’ve been there, it’s not fun! On delicate surfaces, that’s where you make the investment in microfiber. On the flip side, having general purpose, lower-priced microfiber on hand, is going to be essential for wheels, jambs, engine bays, and all the extra dirty areas. Basically, my main point is this, cheap microfiber can really do some damage to automotive paint, and the last thing you want to do is create more work for yourself.
I also wanted to share with you a quick towel organizational tool, that has helped us at the shop, designate and assign our microfiber to different job tasks. This system uses four large bins to store the towels, each labeled according. It starts with brand new level 1 towels, these towels are the best and can be used on the paint right way. As the towels degrade from constant use, they move down through the levels until they reach the general purpose bin. The general purpose bin is for towels used only for the dirtiest parts of the car. Once these towels are completely spent and have lost there grabbing/pickup function, they are thrown away. Each level is washed separately as not to cross contaminate. It’s a simple system, but it can definitely help in finding just the right microfiber towel for the job.
Level 1 (Perfect) (Brand New)
Use: Paintwork / Glass
Level 2 (Minor Staining) (Still Paint Safe)
Use: Paintwork
Level 3 (Stains) (Still Effective)
Use: Interior Surfaces / Exterior Trim
Level 4 (General Purpose/Shop) (Starting to lose Effectiveness)
Use: Jambs / Lowers / Wheel Wells / Tires / Engine / Exhaust Tips
