Microfiber Cloths: The Best Thing to Happen to Cleaning Since Soap and Water
By Kathryn Weber

Yes, it’s true. Microfiber cloths are the best thing to happen since the most basic of cleaning ingredients came about. Why? For one, microfiber cloths don’t demand gallons of cleaners, so you can actually clean with water alone – important if you have a chemically-sensitive person living in your house.

Secondly, microfiber cloths pick up dirt. The texture of the cloths and the fabric creates static that picks up dirt easier than a soft cotton cloth could ever hope to. Microfiber cloths also polish things like chrome, fixtures, windows, and granite. That’s right, granite. Beautiful to look at and awful to maintain.

If anyone had told me how hard keeping that shiny surface would be, I doubt I would have installed it in my own house. But then I use microfiber and it helps me maintain my love affair with my granite. I’ll never forget the look on my builder’s face when he asked me if I thought granite was a chore to maintain. I then proceeded to show a side by side comparison of the cleaning ability of a sponge and a microfiber cloth. I enjoyed his amazement at the incredible cleaning and polishing ability of microfiber, and I think I sold another set of towels that day.

Yes, fixtures, windows, and solid, reflective surfaces like granite require a cleaning cloth that really picks up the dirt, yet leaves the surface sparkling. Nothing can compare to microfiber. If you’re tired of burning through rolls of paper towels and gallons of glass cleaner to make your granite and glass look sparkly, then microfiber towels will get you there without making your home a toxic waste dump.

Now, you may be wondering if all the raving about microfiber is to push you to buy these towels and, like those knives than can cut through 3-foot thick cement and that are sold after 2:00 a.m., wonder if you’re going to get taken for your $19.95. The answer is NO.

Microfiber towels are hands-down the best cleaning product on the market. Better than any spray, wipe, or liquid you can buy. They will not only make your cleaning easier and faster, you will clean better -- and you will enjoy better cleaning that doesn't make you work as hard. That’s because microfiber towels clean in ways ordinary products can’t. Here’s the rundown.

Microfiber towel will make your cleaning easier because they…

…have electrostatic cleaning. That means when you dust your TV, the dust won’t just fly away and then redeposit on your TV because it has an electrostatic charge. Here you’re fighting “fire with fire.” Dust is picked up and actually attracted to the cloths. Who wouldn’t love that? This is especially useful for households with anyone who suffers from allergies or asthma. The extra pick-up power means less dust to breathe in and bother sensitive individuals.

…offer a better cleaning surface than cotton. Microfiber cloths has a waffle-type texture that wipes reflective surfaces. This allows you to clean your glass, granite, or chrome or shiny metal surfaces to a bright, shiny gleam without using lots of spray. In fact, just lightly dampen the cloths and you have as much shining and cleaning power as a bucket of ammonia and a pallet of paper towels.

…can be washed and re-used over and over. Unlike sponges that can’t be washed or paper towels that are thrown away, you can use microfiber towels repeatedly. Just throw them in the wash with a little detergent and bleach if you like, and you’ve got a fresh new cloth to clean with again.

Originally used for car detailing, microfiber towels are finally making their way into household cleaning closets. I keep white ones for doing windows and blue ones for everything else. Tired of dull, lifeless wood floors? There’s even a microfiber mop head that you can use for wood floors. Give it a mist with some water and then go to town. You’re floors will sparkle like never before.

Studies prove it

According to one study, microfiber cloths pick up 96% of bacteria using only water. With houses becoming more and more air tight, cleaning with water makes sense because if you’re able to clean with fewer chemicals, then those chemicals won’t be trapped in the house with you. A university in Canada performed a study that tested the cloths’ cleaning ability in restrooms and found that microfiber with water cleaned as well as a rag with disinfectant.

Hate your smooth-top stove?

If you have one of those glass cooktops that require the special “cooktop cleaner,” you could begin to hate it. Fortunately, microfiber is there. With a damp cloth, you can make your ceran or glass cooktop sparkle without all the special cleaner and paper towels every single time you want to clean it. It does a great job on stainless, too. Of course, you'll still want to use your cooktop's special cleaner from time to time (I do once a week), but for nightly clean up, a microfiber will make your stove shiny every time.

Fall in love with your wood floors and windows again

Wood floors and windows are another cleaning challenge. With wood, it’s not a good idea to damp mop because over time water damages wood, but yet wood floors need an occasional mopping. Lightly sprayed with water, special microfiber mops pick up the tiniest bits of dirt and wipe smears and stains away without using excessive amounts of water.

And who wants to clean windows? I do because I hate looking out dirty windows and the microfiber makes cleaning them so easy. For windows, I use two microfiber cloths. One is wet with a weak solution of water and window cleaner and the other dry. I wipe the windows first with the wet one to get the dirt off and then wipe to a perfect shine with the dry one. Unlike with paper towels where you need to wipe until your arm wants to fall off to make your windows shine, it only takes seconds to clean windows with microfiber.

Pet hair making you crazy?

Microfiber comes to the rescue again. Because of the texture, the small size of the individual fibers, and its electrostatic charge, microfiber picks up pet hair like a magnet. Run a quick microfiber mop around the floors, and you'll be amazed, even AFTER vacuuming how much these mops can pick up.

Treat your microfiber right

When you buy microfiber towels, it's important to care for them correctly. Be sure to wash them in hot water first to plump up the fibers. Add a little dish soap to a dishpan and wash the cloths in with the hottest water possible. Rinse, wring them out, and they’re ready for use. After use, wash the same way or throw them in the washer. Make sure you don’t add fabric softener or put them in the dryer, or they will pick up ALL the lint from everything in the dryer. You can get literally hundreds of washes from one cloth.

Give microfiber towels a try. You won’t be disappointed!

© 2005 Kathryn Weber, all rights reserved
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Cleaning Calender, that calender that puts you in control of your home by ending the power struggle. For more information log on to http://tinyurl.com/d9rh5.