I remember when I was young; I used to help my father wash his car. I recall those bright, clear mornings where both of us got wet because of running around with the garden hose while talking, and laughing as we cleaned the car. Back then, we didn’t have any of those fancy car wash tools; all we had was just some water and some good old-fashioned sponge that is big and irregularly shaped. My dad also had a precious suede cloth that he uses to wipe the car, especially, the windshields dry.
I still reckon that smooth suede cloth and how good it felt in my hands, how the nice texture felt as I was wringing it over and over so as to get the Jaguar nice and shiny. Although good, it was far from being perfect. It easily ripped and was very prone to stains. It also didn’t hold much water as I would have hopes it can. I used to wonder if there was something out there that was even better than this suede cloth to be used in cleaning cars and boats. As I grew older, my search for this ultimate cloth began to intensify as I got interested into boats. I spent endless hours searching for that ultimate cloth along with some suitable boat cleaning supplies, boat chrome cleaners, and streak free boat cleaning cloths.
I finally discover that there is something better than the suede cloth my father used to use. Much like how natural sponges were replaced by men made ones simply because they are cheaper, more durable and are better in terms of performance. It also will not require the harvesting and extinction of the natural sponges in our oceans. With this line of thinking, the old fashioned suede cloth are now being replaced by microfiber cloths. They are better than the suede cloths by far and I, personally, have been using them for years to clean my boat.
So the question is, what are microfibers anyway and how come they work a lot better than the suede cloth my dad used to use? Well, microfibers are very fine fibers made out of polyester, nylon, or any other polymer. They basically weigh nothing at all but can be woven in to something very strong and durable. They have the capability to absorb and hold liquid much more than any other natural material. They are nice and soft and can also hold oils. That is why they make better cleaning materials than suede cloths. And their best feature is that they can hold dust and lint which makes them perfect in removing dirt and grime and is a favorite for polishing and cleaning detail.
Though all of them share the same characteristics, not all microfibers are made equal. They come in various shapes, sizes, materials, designs, and constructions. The ones that I use for cleaning my boats are about a two hundred times finer than human hair. They may seem small, but when woven together, they can hold up to seven times its own weight in liquid—including oil and water. The microscopic spaces in between the fibers can absorb and hold dirt, dust and oils and not just spread them around as opposed to the conventional cloth and rags. This in turn absorbs the dirt in my boat rather than spreading and scratching them al over the place.
But perhaps the real value of these microfiber cloths is that they contain no chemicals and yet they can easily remove and hold grease, tar, dirt, grime or basically anything that sticks and dirties the surface of the boat with the greatest of ease. They can be washed with regular water alone with no added chemicals or detergents needed and can be bleached as well. And these will last you for years.
This makes the ultimate cleaning cloth also the ultimate green cleaning machine. I used to have a closet full of cleaning materials and products for my boat and my house. They are all lined up according to what they can clean or on what surface they can be used on. These chemicals are biohazards and that is why I had to put them in a cabinet with a child lock so that my kids will not have access to those chemicals. But the worst part about these is that I still find streaks and smudges on my glass windows and appliances even after I cleaned them.
I discovered that I can use the microfibers not just on my boat but on any part of the house as well. And since they are non-toxic I can use them freely without thinking about if they might harm my kids or my family. And best part of all, they leave any surface streak free without a hint of lint, dust and spot.
Another good thing about using these microfibers for cleaning is that they actually saved me a lot of money in the long run. Since they are machine washable, I can just put them in the washing machine after using them to clean my boat and my house and just have them cleaned like any piece of cloth and they will come out good as new. Up till now, I still haven’t bought new sets of these microfibers and I’ve been using them a lot.
And since I also don’t use any artificial cleaning chemical when cleaning, I saved a ton of money in buying cleaning chemicals. My saving just keep piling and piling up just because I found a better cleaning cloth than what my father used to use when cleaning.
So if you, like me back then, are still looking for the ultimate piece of cleaning cloth, then try the microfibers and see the big difference it will make. Use them on you cars, boats, SUV’s, windows, furniture or basically anything that needs cleaning. You are bound to be surprised at how effective they are without the use of any chemicals what so ever. They are safe and eco-friendly and child-friendly so you never have to worry about them being biohazards. What a find these microfibers are!
Tags: cleaning, cloths, microfiber, Spectacular