Microfibre Cloths
Author
Discussion

Cbull

Original Poster:

4,483 posts

202 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Picked up some cloths from B&M last week. My son noticed straight away that it had scratched his panel. I have Emailed B&M to make them aware of this, fingers crossed they do the decent thing and propose to replace the part but I've not got my hopes up.

Unfortunately I also gave the car a T-cut and my bike a good wipe last week too. Strangely I didn't notice the damage of either until I had a closer look in this weekend sun. The car has them swirly scratches all over it with an odd type of mark that can be seen in certain angles and the bike the odd scratch here and there. The bike I'm not overly fussed about but the car paint looks awful.

So, word of warning, don't buy your microfibres from B&M. Does anyone recommend any good quality cloths?

Prof Prolapse

16,163 posts

221 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
I buy mine from ASDA...

Cbull

Original Poster:

4,483 posts

202 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Will try there. Think I usually get them from Quality Save.

coldel

11,385 posts

177 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Worth spending a bit more on edgeless branded ones? Ultimately its your paintwork, its kinda important, decent microfibres cost just a couple of quid more...

Pica-Pica

16,703 posts

115 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
I ventured inside a B&M shop once - soon turned round and walked out.

MattOz

4,021 posts

295 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Might be the cloth, but was the label still on it? Often the label that causes marks etc. Always remove the label from microfibres before using them.

sonnenschein3000

733 posts

121 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
I've found that spending extra money on higher quality microfibre cloths is definitely worth it.

Also, even the best ones don't last forever; after several washes they tend to become hard and can cause marring.

I can't comment on cloths from B&M as I've never used them

coldel

11,385 posts

177 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
It could have been the cloth, it could have been a dozen other things if you are talking about swirl marks. Swirl marks can be done at the wash stage as much as at the drying stage, did you use a clean mitt? Two buckets? How did you dry it? On smaller surfaces you can use maybe a drying agent along with just padding it with the microfibre to reduce the dragging across the surface.

Go online, read reviews, buy something decent - you might get lucky picking something up in a pound shop or the like but if damage to paint bothers you then put a few extra quid into looking after it properly.

Mike 820

570 posts

218 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
In future you can try something called the 'CD test'.

If you're unsure if a microfiber is soft enough for paintwork you can rub it on a CD (the side the laser would read from).
Then look at the CD in the sunlight. If it is swirled/marked then chances are it will do the same to your paint.


Prof Prolapse

16,163 posts

221 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Mike 820 said:
In future you can try something called the 'CD test'.

If you're unsure if a microfiber is soft enough for paintwork you can rub it on a CD (the side the laser would read from).
Then look at the CD in the sunlight. If it is swirled/marked then chances are it will do the same to your paint.
Presumably "CD" stands for "Compulsive Disorder", yes?

coldel

11,385 posts

177 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Prof Prolapse said:
Mike 820 said:
In future you can try something called the 'CD test'.

If you're unsure if a microfiber is soft enough for paintwork you can rub it on a CD (the side the laser would read from).
Then look at the CD in the sunlight. If it is swirled/marked then chances are it will do the same to your paint.
Presumably "CD" stands for "Compulsive Disorder", yes?
I thought they meant Col Del...

Pica-Pica

16,703 posts

115 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Prof Prolapse said:
Mike 820 said:
In future you can try something called the 'CD test'.

If you're unsure if a microfiber is soft enough for paintwork you can rub it on a CD (the side the laser would read from).
Then look at the CD in the sunlight. If it is swirled/marked then chances are it will do the same to your paint.
Presumably "CD" stands for "Compulsive Disorder", yes?
Colonic debridement for some.

RemaL

25,103 posts

265 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Been using Costco microfiber cloths for years and they have been excellent and a very good price. If you have the membership of course
https://www.costco.co.uk/Food-Wine-Household/House...

Taglioni

71 posts

101 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
RemaL said:
Been using Costco microfiber cloths for years and they have been excellent and a very good price. If you have the membership of course
https://www.costco.co.uk/Food-Wine-Household/House...
Plus one for those.........got a big pack a while ago - no problems at all and plenty of positives
When wetted with shampoo they feel like a big plump cushion, very thick and plush
Also really good for drying off afterwards, very absorbent

I tend to avoid the OCD elements of detailing, but.........Never use fabric conditioner on them, and tumble dry on low heat only, excessive heat melts the tiny filaments in the MF

Cbull

Original Poster:

4,483 posts

202 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
MattOz said:
Might be the cloth, but was the label still on it? Often the label that causes marks etc. Always remove the label from microfibres before using them.
The label was on it but definitely not the cause.

I'm actually sad enough to try that Mike 820. Good tip.

I'm not a member of Costco but that's a lot of cloths for the money so I'll try and find someone who is. Cheers.

SAS Tom

3,755 posts

205 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
To be fair, t cut is more likely to cause swirl marks than the cloths.

coldel

11,385 posts

177 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
SAS Tom said:
To be fair, t cut is more likely to cause swirl marks than the cloths.
Was going to say you are using a harsh abrasive, if used incorrectly, or on poorly prepared surfaces you will get problems.

lazybike

1,011 posts

122 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
Microfibre cloth....or as I like to call it, an old T shirt.

podman

9,086 posts

271 months

Monday 25th June 2018
quotequote all
I used to sell pukka, hospital grade microfibre cloths (which was what microfibre was invented for) from its inception back in 2003 IIRC

Each cloth cost around £15 back then and they used to me washed by the contractor in a lockable mesh laundy bag, just because of pilferage as they operatives found the cloths so good they went walkies constantly....

At that time, only 1 machine could make ultra fine microfibre cloth (the strand of thread in these cloths is 1/100 the width of a human hair) and IIRC that was in Sweden.

I still have a quantity of cloths and microfibre mops n attachments kicking around in the eves of the garage.

Running your hand over the cloth , you can feel the cloth acting like a velcro and pulling the moisture from your skin, so its no wonder it marked your paint, its the loop put of the cloth that pulls the dirt and bacteria from the surface, they was never designed for oil, grease, wax etc and automotive use..

The only good quality safe microfibre cloth to use on paintwork is one designed for glass, its much finer and less "abrasive" then a general microfibre cloth.