Microfibers were invented by Japanese textile company Toray in 1970, but the technology wasn’t used for cleaning until the late 1980s.

The key, as the name suggests, is in the fiber: Each strand is really tiny—100 times finer than human hair—which allows them to be packed densely on a towel. That creates a lot of surface area to absorb water and pick up dust and dirt. Plus, microfibers have a positive electric charge when dry (you might notice the static cling on your towels), which further helps the towel to pick up and hold dirt. “They tend to trap the dirt in but not allow it to re-scratch the finish,” explains professional concours detailer Tim McNair, who ditched old T-shirts and terry cloths for microfibers back in the 1990s.

These days, the little towels are ubiquitous and relatively cheap, but in order to perform wonders consistently, they need to be treated with respect. Below, a miniature guide to microfibers.

Care for Your Towels: Dos and Don’ts

“They’re just towels,” you might say to yourself. But if you want them to last and retain their effectiveness, microfiber towels need more care than your shop rags:

DO: Keep your microfiber towels together in a clean storage space like a Rubbermaid container. They absorb dirt so readily that a carelessly stored one will be dirty before you even use it.

DON’T: Keep towels that are dropped on the ground. It’s hard to get that gunk out and it will scratch your paint.

DO: Reuse your towels. “I have towels that have lasted 15 years,” says McNair. That said, he recommends keeping track of how they’re used. “I’ll use a general-purpose microfiber to clean an interior or two, and I’ll take them home and wash them. After about two, three washings, it starts to fade and get funky, and then that becomes the towel that does lower rockers. Then the lower rocker towel becomes the engine towel. After engines, it gets thrown away.”

DON’T: Wash your microfibers with scented detergent, which can damage the fibers and make them less effective at trapping dirt. OxiClean works great, according to McNair.

DO: Separate your microfibers from other laundry. “Make sure that you keep the really good stuff with the really good stuff and the filthy stuff with the filthy stuff,” says McNair.

DO: Air-dry your towels. Heat from the dryer can damage the delicate fibers. If you’re in a rush, use the dryer’s lowest setting.

How Do You Know Microfiber Is Split Or Not?

A widespread misunderstanding is that you can “feel” if a microfiber towel is made from split microfiber or not by stroking it with your hand. This is false!

The theory is that if it feels like the towel “hooks” onto tiny imperfections on dry  unmoisturized hands, this is because the fibers are split and they microscopically grab your skin. Although this is partially true, you cannot feel split microfiber “hook” onto your skin. These microscopic hooks are way too small to feel, but do generate a general surface resistance called “grab”. Yet, this is not the “individual” hooking sensation you feel when you touch most microfiber towels. It’s the tiny loops in loop-woven microfiber that are large enough to actually feel grabbing imperfections on your hands (minute skin scales). 

Try it for yourself: gently stroke a loop-weave microfiber towel of any kind, split or not. If your hands are dry and unmoisturized, you will feel the typical “hooking” sensation most people hate. It’s simply the loops that catch around the scales on your skin like mini lassos. Take a picture of the microfiber material with your smartphone, zoom in and you can clearly see the loops.

Now try stroking a cut microfiber towel which is not loop-woven, split or not, and it will not give that awful hooking sensation. If you take a picture of this material, you will see a furry surface without those loops. Because there are no loops, it won’t “hook”.

Now you know the truth: it’s the loops that latch onto your skin when you touch a microfiber towel, regardless if the towel is split microfiber or not. Tightly woven microfiber towels without pile (e.g. glass towels) can also have the “hooking” effect, caused by the way their fibers are woven, but less pronounced than loop weave towels.

Another misunderstanding is that a towel that is made of non-split microfiber will “push away” water and is non-absorbent. This also is not true!

Although a non-split microfiber fiber is not absorbent, water is still caught in between the fibers. You can do the test: submerge a 100% polyester fleece garment (check the label), which is always non-split fiber, in a bucket of water and take it out after about 10 sec. Wring it out over an empty bucket and you’ll see that it holds quite a bit of water, meaning it is absorbent.

So, another myth is busted: non-split microfiber can’t be determined simply by testing if it holds water. You can however test how much water it holds. Compare it to a similar dry-weight towel that is known to be split 70/30 microfiber: Submerge both in a bucket of water. If they hold about the same amount of water, they are both split microfiber. If the 70/30 towel holds more than twice as much water, the test towel is more than likely non-split material.   

How do you know if Microfiber is split or not?

A widespread misunderstanding is that you can “feel” if a microfiber towel is made from split microfiber or not by stroking it with your hand. This is false!

The theory is that if it feels like the towel “hooks” onto tiny imperfections on dry  non-moisturized hands, this is because the fibers are split and they microscopically grab your skin. Although this is partially true, you cannot feel split microfiber “hook” onto your skin. Our friends at classiccarmaintenance.com have more to say about this- “these microscopic hooks are way too small to feel, but do generate a general surface resistance called “grab”.” Yet, this is not the “individual” hooking sensation you feel when you touch most microfiber towels. It’s the tiny loops in loop-woven microfiber that are large enough to actually feel grabbing imperfections on your hands (minute skin scales). 

Try it for yourself: gently stroke a loop-weave microfiber towel of any kind, split or not. If your hands are dry and unmoisturized, you will feel the typical “hooking” sensation most people hate. It’s simply the loops that catch around the scales on your skin like mini lassos. Take a picture of the microfiber material with your smartphone, zoom in and you can clearly see the loops.

Now try stroking a cut microfiber towel which is not loop-woven, split or not, and it will not give that awful hooking sensation. If you take a picture of this material, you will see a furry surface without those loops. Because there are no loops, it won’t “hook”.

Now you know the truth: it’s the loops that latch onto your skin when you touch a microfiber towel, regardless if the towel is split microfiber or not. Tightly woven microfiber towels without pile (e.g. glass towels) can also have the “hooking” effect, caused by the way their fibers are woven, but less pronounced than loop weave towels.

Another misunderstanding is that a towel that is made of non-split microfiber will “push away” water and is non-absorbent. This also is not true!

Although a non-split microfiber fiber is not absorbent, water is still caught in between the fibers. You can do the test: submerge a 100% polyester fleece garment (check the label), which is always non-split fiber, in a bucket of water and take it out after about 10 sec. Wring it out over an empty bucket and you’ll see that it holds quite a bit of water, meaning it is absorbent.

So, another myth is busted: non-split microfiber can’t be determined simply by testing if it holds water. You can however test how much water it holds. Compare it to a similar dry-weight towel that is known to be split 70/30 microfiber: Submerge both in a bucket of water. If they hold about the same amount of water, they are both split microfiber. If the 70/30 towel holds more than twice as much water, the test towel is more than likely non-split material.   

Tim’s Towels

The budget pack of microfiber towels will serve you fine, but if you want to go down the detailing rabbit hole, there’s a dizzying variety of towel types that will help you do specific jobs more effectively. Here’s what McNair recommends:

General Use: German janitorial supply company Unger’s towels are “the most durable things I’ve ever seen,” says McNair.

Drying: Towels with a big heavy nap are great for drying a wet car (but not so great for taking off polish).

Polishing: Larger edgeless towels are good at picking up polishing compound residue without scratching the paint.

Wheels and other greasy areas: This roll of 75 microfiber towels from Walmart is perfect for down-and-dirty cleaning, like wire wheels. When your towel gets too dirty, throw it away and rip a new one off the roll.

Glass: There are specific two-sided towels for glass cleaning. One side has a thick nap that is good for getting bugs and gunk off the windshield. The other side has no nap—just a smooth nylon finish—that’s good for a streak-free final wipe down.