I was killing time at Dollar Tree today and came across some microfiber towels in the auto/tool section.

I have read alot about not using cheap Microfiber on here, and i don't use Microfiber at all myself because they seem "scratchy" to the touch to me.

But, these towels were extremely soft feeling and very thick compared to others I've seen - as thick as or thicker than a hand or bath towel.

I am not gonna try them out first - like I said I am scared of microfiber period on my black truck, but I thought if someone here that knows about them gets a chance to go look at them maybe you could tell us what you think.

They felt soft and thick enough to tempt me, but I'm still scared of them.

They were $1 each.

 

You could always do the cd scratch test. CDs are very delicate and will scratch way before your vehicles paint.

 

And to be clear, dry test them. no need to use liquid or anything.

If you don't use MFs what do you use?

 

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If you don't use MFs what do you use?[/QUOTE]


For washing I use one of the car wash sponges covered in the cotton type nap. I think one was made by Meguiars and the other by Mothers. They are getting hard to find now. I am open to suggestions, since I usually replace it every year. I did find a sheepskin mitt by Viking at autozone the other day. wasn't sure about it.

I use terry cloth on one of the little hand held polishers for polish and wax.

 

SM arnold mitts are very good for traditional watching.

Some people prefer MF mitts, some prefer sheep skin, etc.

I use lowes grout sponges with ONR and the am arnold with traditional washing usually.

Terry cloth can be quite abrasive though bud, Mf's are the way to go for drying, removing wax, polish, etc.

 

I have and only use Microfiber towels on all my vehicles including my Chopper and believe me I would not use anything on that thing if it wasn't soft and not scratchy feeling.
I think the scratchy feeling you are getting is the feel of the towel picking up chaffed or dry skin, which is normal, They will NOT harm your paint.

 

I tried some Microfibers from the Family Dollar store on my beater. Normally I can just feel cheap towels and know to stay away. But these felt very thick, plush, and soft. They where $1 a piece (4 pack for $4) and they feel WAY softer then Meguiars. Bought a couple more packs yesterday for my main vehicle for a polish and wax job and they worked great! I think I'm going to go back and buy them out, lol. I never was really impressed with Meguiars microfibers for the price.... especially their waffle weave drying towel (feels very course!) Although I almost use Meguiars polishes and waxes exclusively, I think you can do much better for your money when it comes to wash mits, microfiber rags, or drying towels. I even like the cheap red and white striped microfibers from Target better than Meguiars. (Not saying Meguiars are junk, just not a real value compared to others).

 

I think that you're right in that thats the way it feels on my skin, thats what I'm going off of.

I tried the CD test on an older microfiber that I use to dust sometimes. One side is a real short nap the other is a little longer. The short side scratched the cd, the longer side didn't. I also grabbed a dish towel out of the kitchen - it scratched but it took alot of pressure to do it.

 

...another thing to look for in a 'quality' MF towel is linting. By this, I mean that the polymide fibers from the towel itself are breaking down causing a super-fine lint to be left behind. Also, that super fine lint will contaminate every other towel within the washer when you go to wash them...

Just another thing to look for -- you'll see it most on glass from my experience. This is why you should always wash your 'good' towels with like in kind.

-RP-

 

Yea, all my older Microfibers are linting BADLY. You can really see it on glass! I'll make sure to wash my new ones separately from now on (I normally only split up grunge area rags with clean area).