The 5 Best Microfiber Towels (2020 Review)

Patricia
 
 

Microfiber towels can be used for a wide range of car maintenance tasks. They can scrub off dirt, absorb liquids, apply wax, spot treat upholstery, and wipe down vinyl to preserve your car’s value over time. To learn about the best microfiber towels on the market and what tasks to use each for, read our review below.

Review Standards

The microfiber towels in this article went through two rounds of reviews. We started by researching the best towels on Amazon, looking at factors like average customer rating, number of customer reviews, price, Amazon superlatives, and Prime shipping eligibility. From this research, we chose five microfiber towels to have shipped to our team for testing.

We washed five cars using the towels. Each towel was assigned to one car, and since the towels came in a pack of more than one, we used one towel for scrubbing and one towel for drying. After we finished the car washes, we examined each car to see if the towels left behind scratches, and we washed the towels to see if they were durable enough to last more than one use. We also looked at the materials used to manufacture the towels. 

After conducting these tests, we gave each towel a score out of 5 stars, which was used to place them in the order they are listed in this article.

Best Overall: Chemical Guys MIC 507 06 Professional Grade Premium Microfiber Towel

 
 

These microfiber towels come from a reputable car company, which means they were designed with cars in mind. They have the highest percentage of polyamide out of the towels in this review, which gives them an ultra soft texture that absorbs liquid and doesn’t scratch surfaces.

These microfiber towels come in three sizes, which allows you to pick the size that will work best for the task you’re trying to complete.

  • Pack choice of 1, 3, 6, or 12
  • Size choice of 16 inches x 16 inches, 16 inches x 24 inches, or 25 inches x 36 inches
  • Orange color
  • 70% polyester, 30% polyamide
  • Scratch, lint, and swirl free
  • Silk banded edges
  • Machine washable

About 9,700 customers reviewed this product on Amazon and gave it a score of 4.7 stars out of 5. This is 0.1 stars above the Amazon average for all five microfiber towels in this review. Its score increased to 4.9 stars with reviews from other leading e-commerce companies, which is 0.2 stars above the overall average for all five towels on all websites.

Customers said that they liked how the towel’s sides were different textures because they could use one side for drying and one side for scrubbing. They also said that the towel was super soft and dense. However, some customers complained about the towel leaving lint on their car after washing it in a washing machine.

Material

We started off the testing by looking at the towel’s materials. The balance of 70% polyester and 30% polyamide is found in higher quality towels, so we expected good results from the start.

Scrubbing Ability

We used the side with shorter fibers to apply the soap to the car. The shorter fibers were abrasive enough to remove all of the dirt particles from the car without too much scrubbing on our team member’s part.

Absorbency

We used the side with the longer and thicker fibers to dry the car at the end of the car wash. The towel was able to absorb the water from one side of a sedan. We could then wring it out, and soak up the rest of the water on the other side.

Scratch Resistance

The towel had the right balance of softness and abrasiveness. We used it in every step of the car wash process, and it didn’t leave behind any scratches.

Longevity

After the car wash, we put these in our clothes washer and dryer with the rest of the microfiber towels. They felt just as soft after the wash as they did at the beginning with no signs of holes or tears.

This is the only microfiber towel in this review that received a perfect score of 5 stars. Its material percentages allowed it to perform a wide variety of car maintenance tasks without leaving any scratches or showing signs of wear and tear.

Best Value: Simple Houseware Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

 
 

These microfiber towels offer the best bang for your buck. You can purchase up to 150 at once, and since they’re reusable, they will last for years before they start to wear out and need to be replaced.

These towels work for a variety of car maintenance tasks, but especially for drying. They can hold eight times their weight in liquid and dry quickly.

  • Pack choice of 20, 50, or 150
  • 12 inches x 16 inches
  • Blue, green, orange, and yellow colors
  • 85% polyester, 15% nylon
  • Soft texture prevents scratching
  • Holds 8 times its weight in liquid
  • Dries fast
  • Machine washable

This product received 4.7 stars from 3,280 customers on Amazon, which is 0.1 stars above the Amazon average. Its score increased to 4.9 stars with reviews from other e-commerce websites, putting it 0.2 stars above the overall average.

Customers liked how you could buy these microfiber towels in a large pack at an affordable price. They also liked the four colors because they were able to assign each color to a task. However, several customers said that these towels were too thin and lightweight to perform some tasks.

Material

The tag of this towel said it was made of 85% polyester and 15% nylon, which falls into the standard range for microfiber towels.

Scrubbing Ability

The towel did a decent job at scrubbing off dirt particles. However, we sometimes had to use a little more force to get the tough marks off.

Absorbency

One towel was able to dry about a quarter of a sedan before needing to be wringed out. After wringing it out, it still felt wet, but we were able to continue drying with it.

Scratch Resistance

We inspected the car after the car wash and didn’t see any scratch marks from the towel.

Longevity

This towel was machine washable like the description said. The towel looked and felt the same after being in the washer and dryer.

We gave this towel a score of 4.5 stars out of 5. It received full points for material, scratch resistance, and longevity, but we took off a quarter of a point each for scrubbing ability and absorbency.

Best For Detailing: MR.SIGA Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

 
 

These microfiber towels from MR.SIGA work the best for auto detailing. Their small size and thin material allow them to easily fit into the nooks and crannies that would go untouched by thicker towels.

While these work on your car, they also work in your home. This means you can buy a pack of these and use it for cleaning in all facets of your life.

  • Pack choice of 6, 12, or 24
  • Size choice of 12.6 inches x 12.6 inches or 13.8 inches x 15.7 inches
  • Pink, yellow, green, and blue colors
  • 85% polyester, 15% nylon
  • Soft texture prevents scratching
  • Lint free
  • Absorbs more water and dries faster than cotton
  • Safe for your kitchen, home, furniture, or car
  • Easy to wash

This microfiber towel received a score of 4.7 stars from about 5,300 Amazon customers, which is 0.1 stars above the Amazon average. However, its score decreased to 4.4 stars with reviews from other e-commerce retailers, which is 0.3 stars below the overall average.

Customers used these towels on a wide variety of tasks, including cleaning dishes and detailing cars. They said that these were slightly smaller than most other microfiber towels, which made them good for detail work. Several customers mentioned that they started to smell after a few uses even when they machine washed them.

Material

Like the Simple Houseware towel, this one is 85% polyester and 15% nylon.

Scrubbing Ability

This towel was able to pick up particles that were just laying on the surface of the car. However, particles that were dried on the car required some scrubbing.

Absorbency

Like Simple Houseware, we had to wring out this towel after drying about a quarter of the vehicle.

Scratch Resistance

This towel didn’t leave any scratches on the car during the scrubbing or absorbing steps of the car wash.

Longevity

This towel didn’t show any signs of wear after using it once and washing it in a washing machine.

We gave MR.SIGA’s microfiber towel a score of 4.5 stars. It received full points for longevity, scratch resistance, and material, but it lost half a point for scrubbing ability and absorbency because it required some elbow grease to get all of the particles off the car and became soaked with water quickly.

#4: S&T Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

 
 

These microfiber towels can be bought in quantities of 25, 50, or 100. They either come as a white color in a tissue box, making it easy to store, or in a pack with five colors, allowing you to designate each color for a task.

Like the other towels in this review, you can reuse them. After finishing your task, wash them in your washer and dry them on a low setting in your dryer, and they’re ready for more use.

  • Pack choice of 25, 50, or 100
  • 11.5 inches x 11.5 inches
  • Color choice of white or red, yellow, green, blue, and orange
  • 88% polyester, 12% polyamide
  • Soft texture prevents scratching
  • Durable
  • Machine washable

About 6,300 Amazon customers gave this product an average score of 4.5 stars, which is 0.1 stars below the Amazon average. However, its rating increased to 4.8 stars with reviews from other retailers, which is 0.1 stars above the overall average.

Customers said these towels were lightweight without being too thin. This allowed them to fit into smaller areas that needed detailed cleaning. Customers also said that because of the large quantity, they likely won’t have to buy another pack of microfiber towels for years. However, several customers said they bleed color during the first few uses.

Material

This microfiber towel is 88% polyester and 12% polyamide, which is 3% less polyamide than a standard towel has. Because of this, we expected the towel to have poorer absorbency.

Scrubbing Ability

The towel was able to get most debris off of the car with a little scrubbing.

Absorbency

This towel could only be wiped on the car two or three times before it needed to wring out. By the end of the car, the towel was soaked.

Scratch Resistance

We didn’t notice any scratches after washing the car.

Longevity

The towel looked the same coming out of the washer as it did when we first opened the package.

This product received a score of 4 stars from our team. The towel had good longevity and scratch resistance. However, its higher polyester content prevented it from absorbing water well, and it required some scrubbing to get all of the dirt off of the car.

#5: AmazonBasics Blue, White, and Yellow Microfiber Cleaning Cloth

 
 

AmazonBasics’ microfiber towels are a customer favorite with over 18,800 reviews, more than 90% of which are positive. They are both lint and streak free, which means your car will look clean and shiny after use.

These microfiber towels are also durable, allowing you to get hundreds of uses out of them before they start to wear.

  • Pack choice of 24, 36, 48, or 144
  • 12 inches x 16 inches
  • Color choice of blue, white, and yellow or green, gray, and pink
  • 90% polyester, 10% polyamide
  • Soft texture prevents scratching
  • Lint and streak free
  • Holds 8 times its weight in liquid
  • Rinse and reuse hundreds of times

Over 18,800 customers have reviewed this towel on Amazon, giving it a score of 4.7 stars, which is 0.1 stars above the Amazon average.

Customers liked the fairly large size of this towel because it allowed them to flip and fold it in several directions before it needed to be washed. They also said they were easy to wash by using a washer and either air drying or using a low setting on the dryer. Some customers complained that they felt abrasive and left small scratches on the surfaces they cleaned.

Material

Amazon’s microfiber towels had a similar material makeup to S&T’s with 90% polyester and 10% polyamide.

Scrubbing Ability

Like with most of the other microfiber towels in this review, we had to use some force in order to get the towels to pick up dirt.

Absorbency

This towel did a poor job at drying the car. Toward the end of the car, the towel was almost unusable and moved the water around more than it absorbed it.

Scratch Resistance

We agree with the complaints left by Amazon customers. After washing the car, we noticed some small scratches on the hood of the car that weren’t there before.

Longevity

Like with the other towels in this review, they didn’t have any tears or holes after being in the washing machine.

We gave AmazonBasic’s towels 3.75 stars. They lost a quarter of a point each for scratch resistance, material, and scrubbing ability. The biggest hit to their score was half a point off for absorbency.

Pile Types of Microfiber Towels

Pile, which is the visible fiber strand of a cloth, is the most common way to classify microfiber towels. Take a look at the different pile lengths and what task they are best for.

Towels with ultra low piles are best at picking up human oils and tiny particles without smearing. This type of pile isn’t useful for car tasks and is typically only used for eyeglass and electronic cleaning.

This type is best at trapping particles, which makes it a good towel for removing car compounds, waxes, and polishes and for scrubbing particles stuck in the car’s paint.

Medium pile towels often have a low pile side and a medium pile side, which gives them versatility in terms of what tasks they can complete. You can use this one for general cleaning and for drying a moderate amount of water.

Long pile towels are super absorbent and soft, making them best for drying surfaces.

The 5 Best Microfiber Towels (2020 Review)

Buying A Microfiber Towel: Factors to Consider

Here are the factors we evaluated in our in-depth test of the microfiber towels.

Microfiber towels are made out of a combination of polyester and polyamide or nylon. Polyester usually makes up the larger percentage of the towel, and it plays the largest role in determining the towel’s strength, durability, and scrubbing ability. Polyamide or nylon makes up a smaller percentage of the towel, and it is responsible for absorbency. Standard microfiber towels have 15-20% polyamide or nylon with the remaining amount polyester. However, a towel that is 30% polyamide or nylon is considered top notch.

Microfiber towels are used throughout the car wash process. One use for them is for applying car wash soap to your car. The soap should produce foam to help with lifting particles, but you’ll use the microfiber towel for harder-to-reach particles that require scrubbing. 

A microfiber towel can also be used to dry your car after a car wash to prevent the soap from leaving streaks. You’ll want a towel that can absorb water, be wringed out, and used again to absorb more water.

No matter what task you use your microfiber towel for, you’ll want to ensure that it doesn’t leave scratches in any of your car’s surfaces. One way to tell if the towel will do this is by looking at its grams per square meter (GSM). GSM is a measurement of the density of the towel based on the number of fibers it contains. Quality towels that don’t leave scratches will have a minimum GSM of 300-500.

A microfiber towel should last for several uses. You shouldn’t use it once, throw it in the washing machine, and pull out a towel that feels thinner and has holes or tears.

Microfiber Towel FAQ

High quality microfiber towels are not likely to shed. However, they can pick up lint if they are washed with cloth that does shed, so it’s best to wash them with like material.

You can use a clothes washer and dryer to clean your microfiber towels. However, make sure you use a low setting on your dryer because exposure to high temperatures can cause the fabric to break down over time.

Different towel sizes work best for different tasks. A smaller towel works best for washing or waxing, and a larger one works best for drying. However, most towels come as 16 inches x 16 inches or 16 inches x 24 inches, which makes them capable of performing several tasks.

 
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