Microfibre Cloths
Microfibre Cloths
Available in red, blue, green & yellow.
Microfibre cloths are also available in high quality 200gsm or 280gsm and are colour coded in accordance to the hygiene colour coding standard as follows:
- Red - Bathroom/Restroom Areas (Toilets & Unrinaals Only)
- Blue - General Areas (Excluding Kitchens & Food Preperation Areas)
- Green - Food Preperation Areas
- Yellow - Washroom (Excluding Toilets & Urinals)
CHOOSING THE RIGHT MICROFIBRE CLOTH
Are all microfiber towels the same? No, there is a difference between quality microfibre cloths and not-so-quality products. This can be based on a variety of factors, the microfibre quality itself (GSM) and so much more. When purchasing a microfibre cloth, there are three main aspects to consider.
How Well Does It Dry? - A good qulaity microfibre cloth is more absorbent than cotton.Higher quality microfibre cloths should dry and clean up spills both better and faster than lower quality ones. So do the water test to see how absorbent your microfibre cloth is. Simply pour water on a flat, smooth surface, place your microfibre cloth on the surface and slowly slide it toward the puddle of water. Observe how the towel interacts with the water. Does it suck it up like a vacuum, push the water away, or somewhere in between?
If your towel pushes the water away then it’s not very absorbent. You want a towel that acts like a vacuum, sucking the water up, wicking it through the towel. These are signs of highly absorbent microfibre cloths. Make sure your microfibre cloth is an 80/20 or 70/30 polyester to polyamide ratio. There is much debate on which of these blends is better. Some say one is better for cleaning and the other for drying, others say there is no difference at all. Wherever you stand on the argument, everyone agrees that your microfibre cloth needs to be somewhere between these ratios. Make sure to avoid 100% polyester microfiber towels.
How well does it pick up dirt and dust? - You want to make sure your microfibre cloth has a "grippy" feel. The more "grippy" feel of the towel, the more dirt, dust, water, and even bacteria it will pick up! Don't worry, the grippy feel does not take away from the softness of the cloth, so you won't have to be concerned with scratching anything delicate. Here's how to do the Touch Test:
- Run your hand over the towel. Is the cloth soft?
- Would you use it on the finish of your car?
- Does the material grab the imperfections in your skin, getting caught on your hand?
If your towel catches on your hand, it is made with split microfiber. High quality cloths have gone through a splitting process, leaving the fibers to look like an asterisk in cross section. The spaces left by the process is what gives your cloth the ability to pick up dirt and absorb liquid. If your cloth isn’t split, it won’t be any more effective in cleaning than a cotton towel. Another factor that contributes to how well your towel will clean is the size of each fiber. The smaller the fibre, the more it can pick up. Microfibres are measured in denier, which is the diameter of each fiber. By definition microfibre must be lower than 1 denier, which is equal to 10 micrometers. Good quality microfibre cloths usually have below 0.5 denier. This makes it small enough to pick up a variety of germs, bacteria, and microbes.
How long will last? - When taken care of properly, high quallity microfibre cloths should be able to last hundreds of washes! There are 2 ways to test the thickness of your microfiber towels.
The Weight Test
- Weigh the towel (if you have a GSM scale, GSM=grams per square meter)
- Is it at least a 200 GSM Microfibre cloth? As a rule of thumb, a high quality cloth has at least 200 GSM or more
The more a microfibre cloth weighs, the more microfibre it has. There are a variety of different GSM of Microfibre cloths, and this is because there are a variety of tasks they can be used for.
Sunlight and Stretch Test
- Take the cloth outside in the sun
- Stretch the cloth while holding it up to the sun, does it stretch easily?
- Can you see the sun through it like cheesecloth?
If you can see a lot of sunlight or the cloth stretches easily, then you don’t have a quality cloth. It is also important to look at the binding of the cloth, make sure the edges are nicely sewn, this prevents any fraying.
WHY USE A MICROFIBRE CLOTH?
Microfiber mops prevent cross-contamination as they use less or no water to prevent spreading of bacteria and viruses, are easily changed and can be used for one task.
CLEANING A MICROFIBRE CLOTH
A microfibre cloth can last a long time, which means they are good for the environment. These are the basics:
- Rinse off debris before laundering.
- Wash in the machine with other microfibre cloths.
- Air dry or tumble dry on a low heat.
- Don’t use bleach or fabric conditioner.
Please contact us for further assistance
