Micro-Fiber - What is it?

Micro-Fiber is a revolutionary man made fiber that can be processed, woven and finished in a variety of different ways to achieve a specific result. Unprocessed (fibers not split) Micro-Fiber, woven in a flat weave, has very poor water absorption characteristics. In fact, it is used to manufacture water resistant clothing. The same Micro-Fiber thread, processed by splitting the individual threads and weaving in a loop or waffle pattern, is now super absorbent. It will absorb over seven times its weight in fluids!

Micro-Fiber is a man-made product that combines two basic fibers, Polyester and Polyamide (a nylon by-product). These fibers are usually "split" and formed into a woven fabric of 80% Polyester (the scrubbing and cleaning fiber), and 20% Polyamide (the absorbing and quick drying fiber).

These threads are very small in diameter making them super soft. Rated in denier, the unit for measuring fineness of fabric, a strand of cotton has a rating of 200. A human hair has a denier of 20 and a strand of silk has a denier of 8. Micro-Fiber has a denier of 0.01 to 0.02! At minimum, 100 times finer than a human hair. Softer than silk, yet bull-dog tough, split Micro-Fiber cloth attracts dust, grime, oily films and salt residues like a magnet.

The unique surface structure of split Micro-Fiber cloth contain hundreds of thousands of micro fiber "hooks" per square inch! These micro-hooks grab, lift, and hold dust and grime without the need for cleaning solutions. Micro-Fiber cloth can be used damp or dry. Used dry, Micro-Fiber cloth works like a chamois. The super absorbent weaves holds up to seven times its weight in fluid and will not scratch paint, glass, acrylics or plastic window tint films.

What's the difference between a $2.00 Micro-Fiber towel and a $15 or $20 Micro-Fiber towel?

With demand for Micro-Fiber products increasing monthly, factories in Korea and China are now flooding the American market with very cheap "Micro-Fiber" products. There is a huge difference between inexpensive and quality Micro-Fiber:

1. The strands are not split. 70 to 75% of inexpensive Micro-Fiber now coming out of Korea and China is unprocessed, non-split Micro-Fiber. Unless you want a water-resistant material, unprocessed, non-split Micro-Fiber is worthless! Many of you have seen packages showing a drawing of a snowflake-looking fiber with wedges around the perimeter scooping up dust particles. While this looks great it is a picture of non-split, unprocessed Micro-Fiber! Processed, split Micro-Fiber looks like a tangle of spaghetti ends. The reason for the abundance of this fabric is simple. Machines that produce the raw Micro-Fiber thread can be purchased for under $100.000. The machines that do the splitting and processing of the thread into the Micro-Fiber "hooks" cost over $1,000,000. Only the largest fabric producers in Korea can afford these machines and according to industry insiders, few of these machines exist in China.

2. The Micro-Fiber threads are larger. The industry standard for Micro-Fiber is a denier of 0.02 or smaller. We have found some "Micro-Fiber" cloths coming out of China with a denier of 0.5. This is fine but 50 times larger than the best Micro-Fiber thread. Chinese and inexpensive Korean Micro-Fiber products have very poor absorption and scrubbing qualities.

There are also differences between quality, processed and split Micro-Fiber products:

1. The ratio of the blend. While 80% Polyester and 20% Polyamide is typical, a 70/30 blend that contains more Polyamide fibers can be more expensive.

2. The density of the fibers per square inch. At 221,000 fibers per square inch, our Magic Towel contains the maximum density commercially available with today's technology. This density translates into greater cleaning power. A cloth with 50,000 fibers per square inch can cost less but will not clean as well.

3. The thickness or "plushness" of the towel. The thicker the towel the more it will grab, lift and hold grime and residues.

4. The finish on the cloth. Depending on the specific task the cloth is designed to perform, the fiber ends can be tightly "hooked" (better for grabbing and holding grime and residues), feathered (best for general glass cleaning), or finely polished, like suede (best for cleaning eye glasses and optical glass). Newer weaves include a waffle weave, cross hatch and zigzag weave which are relatively obscure.

5. Quality of construction. Like anything else, it costs more to make a quality Micro-Fiber cloth. The largest Micro-Fiber producers do the final splitting and finishing in clean-room-like environments. These are the finest, lint-free towels.

Why do some Micro-Fiber towels leave a trail of fine, lint-like fibers?

The best Micro-Fiber towels are split to produce millions and millions of tiny fiber "hooks" on the surface of the towel. If the weave is too broad or the pile is too high, some of these fibers break off when the towel is used. This can be excessive if the manufacturer is trying to produce an inexpensive, split towel and is using a wide weave to reduce the amount of Micro-Fiber in the towel. Unfortunately it is a common practice among mills to try and increase their profits by skimping on the amount of Micro-Fiber used in the weave. We have rejected thousands and thousands of towels when we find our towels have an excessive lint problem. Our suppliers now know that we are very picky so they rarely try to get something past us.

In some cases, like our Viper Detailing Cloths, the weave and pile that works best for polishing and buffing has a tendency to shed some fibers. We keep this to a minimum by increasing the density of the weave which adds to the cost of the towel. The few fibers that come off are not a problem when the towel is used for general detailing and we do not recommend these towels be used to clean glass.

Ironically, the least expensive, un-split Micro-Fiber towels do not leave a fiber trail because the fibers are not split! Just because a towel is lint free does not mean it is a quality towel!

Lastly, some lint can be picked up in the manufacturing process because the air at the factory is saturated with fine Micro-Fiber particles. This can be completely eliminated by doing the splitting and finishing in a special clean room but this also adds to the cost of the finished product.

HOW DO I CHOOSE THE MICRO-FIBER CLOTH BEST FOR ME?

We have evaluated dozens and dozens of Micro-Fiber cloths and selected three that fill specific detailing requirements:

The Micro-Fiber Magic Towel. This is the highest quality, plushest, Micro-Fiber towel we could find. It is a 70% blend of Polyester and a 30% blend of Polyamide. The Magic Towel absorbs over seven (7) times it's weight in water yet dries in 1/3 the time of ordinary cleaning towels. With 221,000 fibers per square inch, The Magic Towel will clean virtually any stain from any surface. It wipes most glass streak-free with just water, quickly removes polish residues and buffs wax to a brilliant shine. If you want one Micro-Fiber towel for a variety of tasks, this is the one to choose.

The Viper Micro-Fiber Glass Cleaning Cloth. This is a high grade, 80/20 blend of Polyester and Polyamide specially designed to clean glass. Standard Micro-Fiber cloths use fibers that are "hooked" on the ends. These hooks actually "scrape" across the surface grabbing and holding dirt particles and surface films. The Viper Glass Cleaning Cloth's fibers are "feathered" on the end, not "hooked." This produces a cloth with substantially greater absorption. Grime and oily films are vacuumed off the surface by capillary action.

The Viper Glass Cleaning Cloth cleans glass and plastic surfaces better than any other Micro-Fiber product except the Magic Towel and leaves less droplet residues. The cloth can be used wet, with just water, or dry with your favorite glass cleaning solution. This cloth should not be used for general detailing or removing wax or polish residues. This would clog the fiber ends and damage the cloth's effectiveness.

Viper Micro-Fiber Detailing Cloths. This is the best $5.00 Micro-Fiber towel you can buy with over 190,000 micro fibers per square inch. These are separate strands, 100 times finer than a human hair, not just the split-end count other manufacturers advertise! Our Viper Micro-Fiber Cloths are an 80/20 blend of Polyester and Polyamide with "hooked" ends for grabbing and holding residues and grime.

These are great towels for applying polish and one step cleaner/protectants (like Klasse) and for removing wax and polish residues. They leave a polished, streak-free surface with a mirror-bright shine. Use our Viper Cloths with spray-and-wipe "quick detail" products. Even black cars will come out haze and steak free! Used dry, they will wipe the dash, instrument panel, console, seats and interior panels clean and lint free.

These are not the best towels to use on glass and clear plastic. We chose a weave and finish best suited for polishing and removing residues. These towels may leave a slight fiber trail if used on glass.

HOW DO I USE MICRO-FIBER CLEANING CLOTHS?

Simply wet the cloth with clean water and wring as dry as possible. If the cloth is too wet it will leave streaks. Wipe the cloth over any glass or plastic surface and walk away. Remaining swirl lines and water beads will disappear in seconds! Cleaning solutions are usually not required! Use a dry cloth for dusting, touch-ups or removing oily films. On especially difficult inside windshield films, try using your favorite glass cleaner and wiping the glass with a dry Micro-Fiber cloth. Use a dry cloth to remove polish and wax residues, as a final wipe towel after detailing, or with any spray-and-wipe, quick detail spray.

REMEMBER: WET - WRING - WIPE!

PROPER CARE:

If the towel becomes too dirty, it will begin to "streak". It is then time to wash the towel. This is easily done by just throwing the cloth into any washing machine and washing with any soap or detergent. The only restriction is to NEVER USE any type of FABRIC SOFTENER or BLEACH. The towel will treat the fabric softener as if it was dirt. It will try to store the tiny particles of the softener in the towel fibers. This will clog up the micro fibers and render the towel ineffective.

For best results always wash Micro-Fiber products separate from other towels. They will attract lint in the wash water which can leave lint residues when next used.

You may also dry Micro-Fiber cloths in any dryer, just be sure that the dryer does not dry at temperatures above 235 degrees F., as Micro-Fiber will melt if heated too high.

Yes, we have a complete list of the "Material Safety Data Sheets" for all of our products. click here to view and download.

If you have a question about a specific Detail Devils product or component, feel free to email us. You'll get a personal response, or look for a reply here in the FAQs section.