The Forbes Home editorial team is independent and objective. To help support our reporting work, and to continue our ability to provide this content for free to our readers, we receive compensation from the companies that advertise on the Forbes Home site. This compensation comes from two main sources. First, we provide paid placements to advertisers to present their offers. The compensation we receive for those placements affects how and where advertisers’ offers appear on the site. This site does not include all companies or products available within the market. Second, we also include links to advertisers’ offers in some of our articles; these “affiliate links” may generate income for our site when you click on them. The compensation we receive from advertisers does not influence the recommendations or advice our editorial team provides in our articles or otherwise impact any of the editorial content on Forbes Home. While we work hard to provide accurate and up to date information that we think you will find relevant, Forbes Home does not and cannot guarantee that any information provided is complete and makes no representations or warranties in connection thereto, nor to the accuracy or applicability thereof.
When cleaning and detailing your vehicle, having the right textiles for the job is crucial. Use the wrong type of towel or cloth on your vehicle’s delicate surfaces and you could damage the finishes and create more detailing work for yourself. Thankfully, soft and purpose-built plush microfibers towels exist, which are specifically designed to grab residue, dirt, moisture and dust while being kind to your car’s surfaces. Cleaning Cloth
Microfiber towels, as depicted in the name, are textiles with a very fine weave pattern and unique composition of polyester and polyamides that make for one incredibly soft, plush and absorbent towel. Even by touch, one can feel the difference in softness with microfiber towels when compared to their thicker (and harsher) terry cloth counterparts.
Because microfiber towels aren’t exclusive to just the automotive care scene, the selection and availability of different kinds of microfiber cloths is vast and overwhelming. But despite the abundance and diversity, there are still different kinds of microfiber towels for different jobs. Thus, it’s always important to consider the towel “specifications” when shopping for the best—you don’t want to be using an aggressive microfiber towel meant for drying kitchenware on your precious car paint.
So we did our best to choose the top five microfiber towels in the automotive detailing space that money can buy. But like many of our automotive accessories list, our recommendations do not stop here.
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
Soaks up eight times its own weight, machine washable, non-invasive microfiber
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
Lint free, scratch free, silk-banded edges, two-sided pile
Waffle groove pattern, silk-banded edges, lint-free, can hold 8-9 times its weight in water
Chemical Guys MIC_507_06 Professional Grade Premium Microfiber
The Chemical Guys is one of the premier names in car detailing and its “MIC_507_06” professional grade microfiber towels carry the same reputation for quality as its other products. The dual-layer 70/30 blend microfiber plush weave and silk-trimmed edges make these great not just for buffing and polishing, but drying as well thanks to excellent absorbency. Though if you’re looking for the best results when cleaning auto glass, you’ll want to check out the brand’s full lineup of microfiber towels, as some users report that they can sometimes attract and leave a lot of lint. But don’t worry as the Chemical Guys has a different microfiber towel for nearly every application you can think of.
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
If you’re looking for one of the best all-purpose microfiber towels, Amazon Basics’ set of microfiber cleaning cloths also offers some of the best value. For less than $20, not only does one get a hefty pack of 36 12-by-16 inch towels, but with over 67,000 positive reviews, one of the best all-around options as well. Their 90% polyester and 10% polyamide blend make these microfiber cloths useful for nearly every and all car cleaning and detailing tasks while making for a durable build for repeated use, guaranteed for up to several hundred times. They’re also streak-free, lint-free and come in a wide variety of colors.
Best For Buffing And Polishing
Best For Buffing And Polishing
Meguiar’s X2025 Supreme Shine
Need the ideal microfiber cloth for buffing, polishing and wax removal? It almost doesn’t get any better than Meguiar’s Supreme Shine. Similar to the Chemical Guys’ towel, Meguiar’s version features a thick dual-layer construction that provides extra grip and plush, making it tough against polish and wax residue. And it’s also great for drying thanks to excellent absorbency.
Best For Drying Your Vehicle
Best For Drying Your Vehicle
Griot’s Garage 55590 PFM Terry Weave Drying Towel
Prefer using microfiber towels over the conventional terry cloth for drying your vehicle immediately after washing? Griot’s unique PFM Terry Weave Drying Towel is simply the best in the biz with its 80/20 blend fabric and industry-leading 1,120 GSM (gram per square-meter), which is designed specifically for drying. That means it can absorb and dry a car’s wet surface after washing in just one fell swoop. Not only are these extremely plush, but the plushness of its thick-weave long-loop microfiber terry weave means it can hold up to 5 pounds of water. Additionally, thanks to its large size at 25-by-35 inches, one towel should suffice for most cars, eliminating the need to use more than one. In addition to Griot’s 55590 drying towels, we also very much tip our hats to The Rag Company’s “Dry Me a River” Waffle-Weave drying microfibers.
Microfiber Wholesale’s Glass Cleaning Cloths
Need the best microfiber towel for cleaning automotive glass, windows and mirrors that don’t leave any streaks behind? Microfiber Wholesale’s Glass Cleaning Cloths do exactly that. With its bespoke two-step system, the kit comes with two different types of microfiber cloths, which are also color-coded. Simply dampen the green towel with clean water, wipe the glass, then dry it off with the blue lint-free microfiber towel. No need for any chemical or glass cleaning products.
Microfiber towels are miles apart from terry cloths. We looked at their thread quality, intended use (drying, polishing, glass/paint, etc), customer reviews and price. Since these towels are so popular for household use, we only included towels meant for automotive enthusiasts.
We rate all microfiber car cleaning towels on the following weighted metrics:
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
Soaks up eight times its own weight, machine washable, non-invasive microfiber
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloth
Lint free, scratch free, silk-banded edges, two-sided pile
Waffle groove pattern, silk-banded edges, lint-free, can hold 8-9 times its weight in water
Microfiber towels differ from other towels by their material composition and the thickness, or aggressiveness, of the weave and patterns, which determine a towel’s “softness.” Your traditional bath and kitchen towels are often made of thick cotton and polyester weaves are often too harsh for vehicle surfaces. Microfiber towels on the other hand are made of blended fabric consisting mostly of extremely fine polyester and polyamides. The result is a significantly softer and plusher towel that doesn’t sacrifice durability.
Yes. Similar to different grades of sandpaper, there are different types of microfiber towels, which allow them to be used in specific applications for the best results. The changes come down to the blend of polyester and polyamide to make the textile. The most typical microfiber blend consists of 70% polyester and 30% polyamide, or “70/30.” Other blends exist, which also change how soft and absorbent the microfiber towels are. Another “type” of microfiber is the 80/20 blend, which is less absorbent but harder and more abrasive on surfaces.
Yes! All microfiber towels are machine washable. While it’s best to follow the manufacturer recommendations for washing (if any are provided), it’s generally good to wash and dry microfiber towels on low heat to make sure they last.
While microfiber towels may be used for cleaning, it’s still important to handle them with care. It might seem counterintuitive, but microfiber towels and large debris don’t typically agree with one another. The microfiber weave specifically exists to trap dirt and residue when cleaning an automotive surface. Dropping a microfiber towel on a dirty garage door, for instance, may attract large debris that may be difficult to remove, contaminating the towel itself.
Some microfiber towels may attract or leave a lot of lint on some surfaces, especially if there’s a lot of static electricity present. Dryer sheets help prevent lint from sticking to microfiber towels when being washed and dried.
Eyeglass Cleaning Cloth Since picking up my first set of MicroMachine toy cars as a toddler, I knew I had a passion for automobiles embedded in my soul. After graduating from Rutgers University in journalism, I’ve devoted my career to becoming a professional photographer and emerging voice in the car industry with columns at Automobile Magazine, MotorTrend, Hagerty, DigitalTrends.com/Cars, GearPatrol, and beyond.