By Baxter Overman | December 15, 2024 in 
Microfiber towels should be a staple in your detailing arsenal, no matter your experience level! Why? Because they’re versatile and the best way to safely remove debris like dirt and dust on your interior and exterior. There are different types of materials, blends, weaves, and pile lengths to understand…but don’t worry. We’ll explain it all :)
Microfiber towels all serve different purposes, so there isn’t one perfect type you should use.
At Carwash Country, we recommend a large selection of towels to use for any situation; this guide will explain each type and what you need.
Keep towels separated based on interior use or exterior use AND separate them by what chemicals they make contact with. For example, your towels used to remove wax should be separate from your drying towels.
If you’re new to detailing towels, there are four microfiber towel concepts we’ll cover: material, blend, weave, and pile length.
Why microfiber is the preferred detailing material
Microfiber is the preferred material for vehicle paint because it can safely lift debris on contact (unlike sponges that tend to slide dirt around). The dust-lifting properties also make microfiber ideal for interior use. The term microfiber refers to the blend of manmade synthetic materials that are fused together (mainly polyester and polyamide). Depending on the fiber blend, these towels can be soft or rough to the touch.
Terry cotton towels tend to be rough and can scratch your clear coat, which is why we don’t recommend using them on paint. Cheap cotton towels also tend to shed tiny lint balls which can be annoying!
Microfiber towel blends
Microfiber towels are often made of blended polyester and polyamide fibers. Polyamide provides the softness and is more expensive, while polyester fibers provide structure. Without getting too deep in the weeds, polyester is derived from a type of plastic (polyethylene) while polyamide is derived from a softer synthetic polymer like nylon.
Microfiber towel weaves and pile construction
Fiber length and how fibers are woven together to create texture can be beneficial depending on what you’re trying to achieve. There are a few common types of microfiber towels out there:
- Standard weave: Uniform pile, no pattern. Most microfiber towels fall into this category and can be either high or low pile.
- Waffle weave: Ideal for removing stuck-on substances on non-painted surfaces. Some waffle weave towels are made of 100% polyester and 0% polyamide, others a bit softer.
- Diamond: Less common, but great for buffing and polishing; raised diamonds are designed not to streak on glass.
- Chenille: In this case, microfiber is woven into thick, caterpillar-like pile. Chenille microfiber wash mitts are commonly used to apply soap because they provide a large surface area to hold suds.
The role of pile length in detailing towels
Pile length isn’t just a trivial feature of microfiber towels, because the difference in length can be beneficial. Many towels on the market today have a raised (high-pile) side, and a no-pile side.
High-pile towels are great for drying
A high-pile, high GSM microfiber towel will absorb more water (due to increased surface area) than a low- pile towel. When a high polyamide is added to the mix…you get a super fluffy towel ideal for absorbing water.
Low-pile towels are ideal for polishing and cleaning glass
When cleaning glass or polishing a surface, a low-pile microfiber towel won’t trap and release contaminants like wax on the surface (which causes streaking). Raised pile is great for removing dirt or wax, but not spreading product or polishing.
GSM rating: a measure of density for microfiber
Microfiber towels used in detailing often come with a GSM rating. This stands for grams per square meter; the higher the GSM rating the heavier the towel.
A 70/30 blend towel with a high GSM rating will feel weighty compared to an equivalent but low GSM towel; this difference can be due to a thicker thread or a higher thread count.
GSM is not necessarily an indicator of softness or absorbency; absorbancy has more to do with the blend and the length of the pile. Compared to cheap microfiber towels found in a store’s cleaning section store, a good detailing towel maker will provide a blend and GSM rating.
Edgeless vs edged microfiber towels
Most microfiber towels have stitched edges to hold the towel together. Some edges are made of soft microfiber, others a 100% rougher polyester thread.
Edgeless towels are more expensive, but can help reduce the chance an edged towel will mar the paint. That said, some edgeless towels can lint depending on how it was cut. If you properly use a microfiber towel with an edge by folding it in quarters and removing the tag, you don’t have much to worry about.
At the end of the day, an edge isn’t going to provide irreversible paint damage. Clear coats are pretty resilient these days!
While technically edgeless towels are safer, the difference is extremely minuscule with proper technique. Flawless paint? Purchase edgeless if you like….but again, it’s a matter of preference.
What we recommend
If you’re a beginner, have a selection of blends and weaves. At minimum, you’ll want a drying towel, a glass towel, and some general-purpose towels. I personally prefer having a bunch of 70/30 blend towels for interior and exterior use made by an American manufacturer called The Rag Company.
The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless 500 70/30 Microfiber Towels (4-Pack)
🏆 Our Overall Top Pick
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Now that you know the basics of microfiber, consider our video course Washing and Detailing for Beginners if you want to boost your confidence in washing and detailing. It’s designed for beginners looking to see better results from home…and save some money in the process.
Learn the basics of car care and gain confidence in your ability.
This video course unpacks the fundamentals of washing and detailing. From exterior cleaning and blemish removal…you’ll learn the secrets that will give you spotless pro-level results!
