Microfibre Cloths

Microfibre Cloth Buyer's Guide: What the experts want you to know about buying microfibre cloths

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If you've ever cleaned your car, kitchen, or pretty much any other surface in your home with a microfibre cloth, you probably don't need to be sold on them anymore. You've tried it, and it works!

That said, like most things in life, not all microfibre is created equal. Beyond just the obvious differentiating factors like manufacturing quality and plushness, premium microfibre manufacturers may also create specific surface finishes that perform better at certain tasks, apply coatings or additives to achieve specific characteristics such as colour-fastness, and rely on advanced weaving techniques to enhance durability and cleaning efficiency.

As the leading UK suppliers of domestic and commercial microfibre products, we've put together this guide to help you pick the right microfibre cloth for the right task, every time!

The three most important considerations when buying microfibre cloths

High-quality microfibre products may last in excess of 500 machine wash cycles. Poor quality microfibre starts fraying after no more than a handful of uses. Frustratingly, the price difference between the two is often no more than marginal, and if you're willing to spend just a little bit more and know what to look for, you should be able to identify the right microfibre to serve you for years to come.

1. General material quality

Admittedly, it can be tricky to visually identify lower-grade microfibre just by sight; however, there are a few indicators to look out for.

• Inspect the packaging to find the polyester-to-polyamide ratio. High-quality microfibre typically sits around 70% to 30%, with lower-quality manufacturers often adding more polyester to save costs.
• Check the edges. High-quality microfibre products should have thoroughly stitched or rounded edges to prevent fraying. Low-quality microfibre often has raw or sloppily stitched edges.
• Try a test swipe on some dust. Good microfibre will trap and lift the dust. Poor quality microfibre will push it around.

2. GSM (Grams per Square Metre)

A microfibre cloth's GSM rating indicates how thick and plush it is. For quick, light dusting or for cleaning delicate, moisture-sensitive electronics like screens or laptops, lower-GSM microfibre cloths (200–300 GSM) are a good choice—they're lighter, thinner, and dry faster. 300 to 400 GSM, or medium-GSM cloths, are ideal for most cleaning tasks, especially in the kitchen, workshops, and for vehicles. High GSM cloths (500+) are incredibly plush and absorbent, and usually reserved for detailing, drying, and polishing delicate surfaces.

Where lower-GSM cloths are less plush and absorbent, they're lightweight, quick-drying, and fold down small. As the GSM increases, the towels become heavier, softer, and more absorbent at the cost of time-to-dry and thickness.

3. Weave type and surface finish

Generally, microfibre is flexible and most cloths will yield at least acceptable results. That said, choosing the right weave type or surface finish can help you get even better results with less effort.

• Terry weave: This is the most common type of weave for most microfibre cloths and towels. Featuring a looped surface that loosens, lifts, and traps dust and grime, Terry weave is the go-to for most general-purpose cleaning tasks.
• Tight or closed weave: These cloths have a smooth and flat surface that is ideal for streak-free cleaning on glass, mirror, or polished metal surfaces.
• Plush or long-pile cloths: Ultra-soft and absorbent, choose long-pile for drying tasks where you can't afford any scratches, for example, drying your car.
• Pearl knit, waffle, and fish scale: Specialist weaves may be used for better performance on specific surfaces. Scroll down to learn more.

When to consider specialist microfibre cloths

Beyond the factors mentioned above that affect all microfibre cloths, premium microfibre suppliers often stock specialist cloths with some interesting and unique features.

• Silver nitrate antimicrobial cloths: Microfibre cloths treated with a silver nitrate solution offer antimicrobial properties, making them suitable for food prep areas, hospitals, and bathrooms.
• Disposable microfibre rolls: Similar to paper kitchen towels but more absorbent and less likely to tear when soaked, disposable microfibre rolls are ideal for the hospitality industry, cleaning up chemical spills that will harm other cloths, or to keep in the car.
• Microfibre cloths with built-in scourers: While microfibre is unequalled in lifting and trapping dirt, tough or caked-on grime can sometimes be a bit more of a challenge. A built-in, glass-safe scourer works wonders on tougher grime and can be a game-changer when it comes to cleaning ceramic hobs.
• Colour-coded cloths: An absolute must where cross-contamination is a risk, for example, in hospitals or commercial food-prep areas, colour-coded microfibre cloths make it easy to dedicate specific cloths to specific tasks. At home, ‘the red ones go in the kitchen, the yellow ones live in the bathroom, and you wash your car with the blues.'

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A closer look at weave types

We stock many cloths with many different weaves, which can, admittedly, be confusing when scrolling through our range. This guide should help you pick the best options for your cleaning tasks.

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Paragon Microfibre's Top Cloths

Here is a list of our top product recommendations for your specific needs.

Most affordable - EcoWipes

Our general-purpose cloths are far superior to traditional J-cloths and supermarket microfibre cloths. We have designed our cleaning cloths to the highest quality possible for a very affordable price. Also, you can launder these cloths over 300 times, and if they are cared for properly, they can last for many years.

Top Cleaning Cloth - Premiums

Our microfibre premium cloths contain a mix of 70% polyester & 30% polyamide. The polyamide content is what makes this cloth 'premium'. The higher the polyamide content, the more absorbent and softer the fabric is. Therefore, we have designed this cloth to reach the highest amount of polyamide possible. If we were to add more, it would become too weak and break down.

Also, we have designed these cloths with a high splitting ratio, called 'ultra-split'. After the ultra-split process, the fibres are 1/300 the thickness of human hair, producing an incredibly soft material. Our super soft and extra-dense fibres are much more absorbent and superior at picking up bacteria, dust, dirt and grime, which makes this cloth perfect for hundreds of uses.

Our best drying towel/cloth - Diamond Weave

Our high-tech 500GSM Diamond Weave Drying Towel is the best on the market. It has the highest absorption rate compared to any other towel we offer. It's constructed using a sandwich technique, which allows for three layers of super-absorbent microfibre. If you're looking for a high-quality drying towel, this is the one. Drying towels do not always need to be fluffy & plush to be absorbent. Also, having a drying towel which is not fluffy makes it far easier to rinse, clean and wring out.

Our best cloth for hygiene-controlled areas - Silver Nitrate

The silver nitrate qualities embedded in these cloths are best suited for bathroom and kitchen cleaning due to their bacteria-killing properties, making them far superior to other microfibre cloths for cleaning germ-infested areas.

Our best glass/window cleaning cloth - Fishscale

The next-generation glass cloth. We have designed this cloth to be more aggressive than our traditional standard weave glass cloth, with higher absorption qualities. The fish scale patterns also allow for easier grime removal.

Our best cloth for sensitive surfaces - Optical Quality

Our optical-quality glass cloth is ideal for all sensitive surfaces, such as cameras, laptops, mobile phones, wine glasses and much more. We make our optical cloths using an ultra-split ratio to produce a soft, sensitive work cloth.

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Microfibre buyers' guide FAQs

What are microfibre cloths made from?

Microfibre is a synthetic fibre. The material used is mainly polyester, polyamide & nylon. These materials are then woven together and dipped through a chemical process to break down the fibres. This process is known as splitting. The fibres get split down or even ultra-split (depending on the polyamide content) for premium products to be as small as 1/300th the diameter of a human hair. The higher the Polyamide content, the softer the cloth will be.

You may be thinking, why do the fibres need to be that small? Well, when fibres get split down to that size, it is super beneficial for collecting dust and grime & absorbing moisture. Each strand can absorb and hold on to the contained substance instead of pushing it around the area due to its ultra-fine fibres. In addition, the tiny fibres of the microfibre cloth can reach and remove dirt and grime that traditional cleaning cloths may miss.

Microfibre cloths are also great to use dry as the tiny fibres create a positive static charge which draws in dust & dirt. Unlike cotton cloths, which make a negative charge, which pushes dust & dirt away. When wet, the microfibres use capillary action, which draws in moisture.

In addition to their cleaning power, microfibre cloths are also known for their durability. These clothes can withstand hundreds of washings without losing their effectiveness, making them a cost-effective cleaning solution. They also dry quickly and don't leave behind lint or fibres, which can be a problem with traditional cleaning cloths. They are also lightweight, easy to handle and store, and take up less space than conventional cleaning tools.

Microfibre cloths are also environmentally friendly. You can wash and reuse them multiple times, reducing the need for disposable cleaning products. They also use less water, cleaning solution, and energy than traditional cleaning methods. This makes them an ideal choice for people looking to reduce their environmental impact and save money on cleaning supplies.

This leads to another massive benefit of using microfibre cloths. In most cases, you won't need cleaning chemicals. Instead, add water, and the cloth will collect and hold onto the soiling until washed. And with the ability to remove 99% of bacteria and germs, they are an ideal choice for cleaning areas that require a high level of hygiene.

What are the benefits of microfibre cloths?

• Excellent absorbing properties
• Cleaning chemicals are rarely required
• Super soft material for sensitive surfaces
• Reusable
• Collects bacteria until washed
• Premium cloths you can launder up to 500 times
• Collects and holds onto dirt, dust & grime
• Creates a static charge which draws in dust
• Uses capillary action when wet, which draws in moisture
• Strong durability

Our range consists of general-purpose cloths to specific specialist cloths. So whatever you need, we will have it, or we can make it!

Microfibre cleaning cloths are perfect for cleaning, polishing and wiping furniture and surfaces in kitchens, bathrooms and vehicles. These highly absorbing cloths can effortlessly pick up moisture, dirt, dust and grease from various surfaces.

What does GSM stand for?

Grams per square metre (GSM) is the density of the microfibre product. No matter what type of weave or length of the pile a cloth has, the higher the GSM, the more suited it is to absorb moisture.