Microfiber Towels everywhere!
Quality microfiber towels are at the center of nearly every detailing operation; wax, sealant or coating application, washing & maintenance, paint correction…all depend on quality towels for safe, efficient results. Standard weave, waffle weave, twisted loop; satin edge, rolled edge, edgeless; short nap, long nap, no nap…the microfiber landscape can be a bit confusing and sometimes even dangerous with all of the Creatures prowling about.
Here at ESOTERIC we have distilled our microfiber needs down to the most effective elements and while we’re continually testing new products in this area, it’s going to take something pretty special to become a contender given our current, time-tested and proven lineup.
The Details – Do specs really matter?
Does it really matter what GSM the towel is (grams per square meter, a measure of density of the towel) if it works for the task at hand? Do you feel better using a towel where the blend is 70/30 or 80/20 (polyester/polyamide) if it simply performs as expected? Does the origin of the towel matter or should we not care much if the fibers produced in Korea are thought to be of higher quality than those produced in China; if the towel works, the towel works! Well that was unexpected…a few technical details slipped in there! And for those keeping score at home we prefer towels in the 300-500gsm range, with a 70-30 blend. It’s not that we looked for towels in those ranges and then put them to use but rather we tested many towels, those were the ones we liked and the specs, well…they are what they are!
Staying Organized
One item that helps keep us ‘in-the-loop’ with our voluminous stock of microfiber towels, that is working effectively and efficiently with them throughout our day is simply color-coding the towels based on usage/type. When we need a soft, exterior towel…look for lavender; a less dainty towel for wheels and door jambs, look for black. A glass towel is going to be gray…all easily identifiable with a glance with no worry of weight, softness or type. Makes the somewhat unpleasant task of microfiber laundry a bit less painful as well, less sorting based upon “Where has this towel been…” considerations!
Tip: Cut a corner off of your “No Longer Ready For Prime Time” towels to easily identify those that have seen better days but can still be used as rags around the garage. You can NEVER have to many garage rags!
Microfiber Towel Care & Feeding
How should you wash your microfiber towels? To begin with, wash them all by type, something easily done if you have color-coded your towel usage. Use a quality microfiber detergent such as Gyeon Towel Wash or Micro-Restore Microfiber Detergent. Some fear melting their microfiber towels by washing in hot but unless your water heater/water supply for the washer is providing source water in excess of 140 degrees F, there is no fear of melting the fibers. As for drying, *that* is something best left to the lowest setting on your dryer. And skip the fabric softener sheets!
A bit more from Todd on caring for your towels:
The Best Exterior Towels
The Rag Company Lavender EAGLE EDGELESS 350
The Queen of exterior work; polish removal, the final wipe on a ceramic coating application, wax, sealants, Cosmic Spritz, Overcoat…all meet the tender fibers of this towel at some point!
ESOTERIC Red Premium Microfiber Towels
The plushest towels we use, often for fine paste wax removal as well as polish removal.
The Rag Company CREATURE Black Microfiber Towels
The tough but tender choice for the dirty work of wheels, metal polishing, door jambs and other rough neck jobs.
Gyeon Q2M Silk Dryer EVO Microfiber Towel
Our preferred drying towels, used in conjunction with a BigBoi air dryer for safe, convenient drying!
The Best Interior Towels
The Rag Company Yellow EAGLE EDGELESS 350
Where only the softest touch will do, i.e. piano black, nav screens, gauge clusters, etc.
Esoteric Premium Glass Towels
Twisted loop, the preferred choice for glass cleaning!
The ‘All-Arounder’
The Rag Company EDGELESS 300
The workhorse; from the initial wipe when applying a ceramic coating to interior work and even polish residue removal on occasion, you can never have too many of these economical towels in your cabinet!
Conclusion
LIke many things, towels can be a matter of personal preference as well as functionality; some folks just like plush towels, some don’t. I don’t seem to do too well with overly plush towels, not sure why but it is what it is! Once you find ‘your’ towels though, you may find you really don’t need a closetful to accomplish what you need to. For all of the different vehicles cars that come through the studio & all of the different jobs, finishes and requirements that present themselves, we’re able to do it all with only 6 different types of towels, a collection we’ve combined into a single ESOTERIC Essential Towel Kit.
Esoteric Essential Microfiber Towel Kit
Esoteric’s Essential Microfiber Towel Kit contains all of our favorite microfiber towels, discounted over individual purchase pricing!
The Kit contains:
- 10x The Rag Company EDGELESS 300 Microfiber Towels
- 5x The Rag Company EAGLE EDGELESS 350 Lavender Microfiber Towels
- 5x The Rag Company CREATURE Black Microfiber Towels
- 4x ESOTERIC Red Premium Microfiber Towels
- 3x Esoteric Premium Glass Towels
- 2x Gyeon Q2M Silk Dryer EVO Microfiber Towels