Microfiber hairs

[Setec Astronomy]

I have to disagree. Sure better towels will not lint like cheap towels usually, but when you use on glass, very tiny fibers can sometimes be seen. I have towels from TRC, AG, MFT, MM, CarPro etc. Also in very large quantities and I can tell you from my own experience that even with the best care that there can be micro linting from the best of towels. Now just to be clear, im not talking about fuzzy lint that everyone can see but more like spider web thin lint. Not always detecible on paint, but can be seen on glass.

Completely agree. I've been trying for 12+ years and haven't found the right solution yet. WW towels help, wet wipe helps, but nothing is perfect.

[Kamakaz1961]

IMO there are a couple of things. There are dedicated Waffle Weave towels specifically for the windows. That would be one.
The other is after many uses any MF towel will start to lint. They are getting used to the point of failure....IMO any product will lose its overall integrity if used enough.
I have had to replace a few MF towels just from this. The Lint roller will help, however, that too will eventually not work. After 3 years of using some great MF towels, I am replacing them. I will dedicate the old used MF to the wheels and eventually the trash can.

My guess you just need a lint roller for the MF towels you have as my guess they are newer.

Us OCD Detailers make AGO and any MF towel company happy from re-buying....LOL

[fly07sti]

It is OK to disagree.

Microfiber towels by purpose and intent are designed to pickup anything they come in contact with, including very fine lint and particles. I can only guess that lint is being rendered from an inferior MF product, from lint picked up in the wash cycle or airborne, from the non-MF backing or from non-MF content of the weave itself.

I only use Kirkland MF and I have never seen lint on glass (or paint). I have some other brands of MF and I will try those this weekend on glass but the Kirkland MF towels I have are stacked and ready for use on my cart. All of our vehicles are white or silver, although my Prius has a gloss black spoiler that I use to test new products. I would be very interested to know how I can recreate the scratching and ill-effects that Kirkland MF is supposed to be doing to a finish. I believe there must be pros out there using Kirkland MF without issue. The latest version is thick, soft and very absorbent. I just want to see "harm done" and I will cease using them. Otherwise, it seems like the negative sentiment is more the result of negative brand sentiment without any real hands-on experience.

Disclaimer: I'm a hobbyist and I do not detail for a living. I have no financial interest or livelihood at stake here.

I use Kirklands also. Matter of fact I bought 2 more packs this past Sunday because I was down to just 1 pack. While they are a pretty good all around towel and will not install defects on harder paint or interior panels, I definitely would not use them on a black Subaru or a black Honda. They are quite soft and I agree are very absorbent. But when working on various types of vehicles one needs to have options. I am a firm believer in having as many tools as you can. I also believe that the lint roller procedure is that little extra step that gives me peace of mind and keeps my towels that much nicer. Just give it try and you might be surprised what shows up on your roller.

[aztec1987]

I tend to use Microfiber-waffle weave towels, they are great!!!!

[Route246]

I use Kirklands also. Matter of fact I bought 2 more packs this past Sunday because I was down to just 1 pack. While they are a pretty good all around towel and will not install defects on harder paint or interior panels, I definitely would not use them on a black Subaru or a black Honda. They are quite soft and I agree are very absorbent. But when working on various types of vehicles one needs to have options. I am a firm believer in having as many tools as you can. I also believe that the lint roller procedure is that little extra step that gives me peace of mind and keeps my towels that much nicer. Just give it try and you might be surprised what shows up on your roller.

I guess I'm just inexperienced. I still have yet to see side-by-side photos where Kirkland towels have yielded any perverse effects to a finish. I see a lot of comments of inference that they might do harm but has anyone provided definitive, side-by-side, comparative proof that these towels do damage to paint while a different brand of towel does not?

I am not calling out any of these statements as lies or untruth. I just think that when enthusiasts get together there tends to be statement becoming myth becoming reinforced factoid which is really counter-productive. I haven't found anyone who says, "Don't use Kirkland MF, it ruined my paint." I only hear speculative innuendo, third-person references and other irrelevant sourcing of information which is not fair to Costco or any other low-cost brand.

I do not think whatever you are seeing on the lint roller are microfibers themselves. See: Components of microfiber Cloth

The woven strands of fiber are actually split and then spun into a fabric in the form of a thin yarn which is then woven into cloth. What you may be seeing is the spun fabric itself which is being shed by the MF or non-MF backing cloth. Even if your eyes are young, true microfiber strands are going to appear as clear and very fine, as the above URL mentions in some cases 1/100 the width of a human hair.

[DScherer14]

It’s due to the fact as well that they’re so thin they don’t have a body to really evenly apply pressure to the paint unlike a 450GSM towel that Kirkland’s scratch too just as well as the quality of yarn being cheap china made in factory withnot the same quality or cleanliness.

Heck compare 10 packs of them and 5 will be soft 5 will feel harder just in the same case of them.

So I use them for interiors only and use edgeless 450GSM that you can buy for 1.50 a towel or so, compared to the .50 cents for sams club towels it’s way worth it.

Not spending $8 per polish towel though, $1.50 is perfect.

[fightnews]

U need dedicated glass towels I think. You can use them to buff polish 1 week then use them on glass the next week even if u wash them.

Then some towels are cheap and lint anyway. The glass cleaners can create a lot of drag

[DScherer14]

DedicAted glass cleaner helps for sure.
A different color of edgeless, a different color of Costco’s, a plush waffle weave, just can’t be contaminated.


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[Finick]

I used to struggle with grabby towels a linting, but swapping to a waterless/rinseless/detail spray works better than a dedicated glass cleaner ever has for me.

There’s tons of options; ONR, UWW+, Wolfgang Uber (no personal experience but highly recommended around here)

With ONR I can clean my windows with pretty much any towel and follow up with a waffle weave, no lint or issues.

With UWW+ I can skip the waffle weave because it makes the glass slick enough.


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[2black1s]

Cotton Terry Cloth is my fabric of choice for the final wipe of windows. Even if you use microfiber for the initial cleaning, the cotton terry cloth towel will remove any microfiber lint if you use it for the final wipe.

And plain water is my favorite glass cleaner. Obviously there are some contaminants that will require more than plain water to remove but good ole water works in the majority of cases and works especially well as a final solution when your fighting streaks from your other glass cleaner.