September 18th, 2019 by Chris Chapman

The Best Way to Detail Your Car

When it comes to shampooing, buffing, or polishing your car, you can’t beat microfibre. This miracle fabric is the best way to get a showroom shine every time you wash your car – but what is it and how does it work? And is it really that much better than your trusty old sponge?

The Problem with Sponges

You probably know all about the streaks and swirls that can be left on your car after cleaning it with a sponge. Many people think these are just dirty water marks, but the truth is much worse! Streaks on your paintwork are actually tiny scratches caused by your sponge dragging dirt particles across the surface of your car. It’s possible to find special ridged detailing sponges, but these can be quite expensive. It’s much more cost-effective to pick up a quality microfibre washcloth or a mitt.

Why Is Microfibre Better?

During manufacturing, each fibre is split apart before being woven into a cloth. These tiny splits give the cloth an increased surface area, so they pick up dirt particles and lift them away from your car instead of dragging them across your paintwork. This means you don’t end up with tiny scratches on your car – just a streak-free shine!

What Does GSM Mean?

GSM stands for grams per square metre, and it’s a measurement of fabric thickness. Thicker microfibre cloths have many benefits, so it’s important to pick up a good quality one if you want your car to look its best. The thick fabric absorbs water and picks up dirt better, so you’ll find they’re much more effective for shampooing. As they’re so plush, they also give a deeper, richer shine when waxing and buffing paintwork because their thickness makes it easier for you to work the wax onto your car! Another big benefit of getting a heavyweight microfibre cloth is that they last for much longer than other cheaply-made cloths. The phrase ‘buy cheap, buy twice’ has never been more accurate! Poor-quality cloths will start to wear away after just a few uses, meaning they’ll start leaving streaks on your paintwork before long.

What GSM Should I Look For?

Most cheap microfibre cloths are anywhere between 100-400GSM. For most car detailing, you shouldn’t consider anything below 400GSM. We recommend looking for the best quality cloths you can find, though, which means picking up some 1000GSM microfibre cloths. These cloths are thick and heavyweight while still being soft and absorbent, so you can use them on your car’s paintwork, seat leather (or other material), glass, and sensitive plastics.

What About Microfibre Mitts?

Microfibre mitts are made in a similar way to cloths. They also have the added benefit of being made of dozens of soft fronds, which also work to increase the surface area of the mitt. This means they’re great for that initial contact wash as they pick up a lot of dirt particles. As a result, many people use a mitt for their shampooing and a microfibre cloth for follow up wash and wax treatments, buffing, and polishing.

Do I Need a Cloth or a Mitt?

There isn’t really one option that’s objectively “better” than the other. A quality washcloth is better for your car than a cheap mitt and vice versa. It’s best to pick up the best quality cloths and mitts you can afford and use them both to get the best results every time. We recommend using a microfibre mitt for your first contact wash to clean up most of the dirt from your car. Focus on your paintwork first. Then you can use a 1000GSM microfibre cloth to clean up your windows or other sensitive parts of your bodywork. After that, use a clean 1000GSM microfibre cloth to add a layer of wax and buff it out.