Microfiber Towels Explained! We Talk Blends, GSM, Weaves & Edges

Your Ultimate Guide To Microfiber Towels!

We stock a wide range of microfiber towels with different blends, GSM, weaves and edges. This blog looks at the key information that you need to know when it comes to selecting the correct towel(s) for each task.

Blends

Microfiber towels are made up of a Polyester and Polyamide construction, or blend. Polyester 'builds' the towel, Polyamide adds softness, absorbency and elasticity.

The Rag Company's towel blends are displayed as 70/30 or 80/20. The first number is the Polyester content (the base), the second number is the Polyamide content.

ℹ️ Other towels you may see for sale elsewhere, that appear to be good value, often feature a higher Polyester percentage, usually 90/10 or even 100% Polyester. These towels are the cheapest to produce. They are OK for the dirtiest of jobs, but should not be used on paintwork. The high Polyester content will create a 'rough' towel and will ultimately introduce damage to your paintwork and other delicate areas, such as gloss black trim. Always check the packaging and/or label before use.

The Rag Company towels are made up of two main blends.

• 70/30: 70% Polyester, 30% Polyamide. These are the softer, more absorbent towels, the most expensive to produce and are the gold standard. They can be used for drying and buffing wax, sealants and detailing sprays. Depending on the overall construction, these towels can also be used for many other detailing purposes.
• 80/20: 80% Polyester, 20% Polyamide. These towels are best for specific tasks, such as levelling ceramic coatings, glass cleaning and more.

GSM (Towel Weight)

GSM, or Grams per Square Meter, is the measure of how thick a towel is. A 245GSM towel is thinner than a 500GSM towel.

Everybody has their own preference of towel thickness. For example, you may prefer a 500GSM Eagle Edgeless towel for buffing, whereas the next person may prefer the same towel, but in 350GSM, depending on how your hand feels when using these towels. This is the bonus of having different GSM options throughout our range of towels; you're able to pick and choose depending on what works for you.

Weave

Each towel will be manufactured using a different weave.

• Terry Weave - This is the most common weave and the style that you may be familiar with when thinking about microfiber towels. The physical size, GSM (weight) and edge differentiates each kind of Terry towel depending on usage.
• Pearl Weave - These towels feature a tighter weave compared to a Terry towel, are lint-free and are one of the best choices for removing/levelling ceramic coatings. Customers also use these towels for glass and PPF. 
• Waffle Weave - These towels have a waffle-like appearance, feature 'thirst pockets' and are therefore one of the best kinds of towel for drying. They're also good for cleaning glass and wiping down Paint Protection Film (PPF).
• Diamond Weave - These towels will have a diamond-shaped finish, do not 'bunch up' and are lint-free. They glide over glass and other surfaces, so lend themselves perfectly to glass cleaning and PPF care.
• Herringbone Weave - A dedicated, silky weave for the Premium Blue Glass Towel. This towel glides over glass and PPF as it does not bunch together.
• Twisted Loop Weave - The microfiber strands are twisted to create a wide surface area. Twisted loop towels are perfect for drying as they have huge absorbency and are also great for removing paint coating prep sprays.
• Circular Weave - Constructed from microscopic circles, plush towels will be made from this manufacturing technique.
• Hybrid Loop Weave - This is made up of Waffle/Circular weaves, which makes the towel plush and absorbent, the best of both worlds! The Pluffle towel is a great example that uses Hybrid Loop, as it's a super soft drying towel perfect for softer paintwork or freshly coated vehicles.
• Twist Loop Weave - Primarily found in The Rag Company's drying towels, this is a soft, closed-loop style of manufacturing allowing super safe usage on freshly washed paintwork, glass and trim.
• Corale Fleece Weave - This makes for a very soft, plush and bouncy towel! Fantastic for waterless washes where absorbency is just as important as reducing the chance of fine scratches or swirls. Check out the Minx & Dryer Wolf towels.

Edges

There are four main edges that The Rag Company's towels are finished with.

• Overlock Stitched Edge: This is the standard edge used on the all-purpose towels, such as the Edged 365. Otherwise known as the 'one corner zip stitch', this finishes off each towel so there's less chance of towel failure after multiple uses, compared to cheaper towels.
• Knifecut Edgeless: These towels are physically cut with some of the sharpest blades. Cuts are made 'with the microfiber grain' so that there's no fraying and therefore almost zero lint is created. (Lint is the result of a poor final cut/trim) The Eagle Edgeless towels feature this edge.
• Ultrasonic Edgeless: This trimming technique creates an extremely accurate, super soft edge with zero lint. The Edgeless 245 All-Purpose towel features this edge.
• 70/30 Buffersoft Suede Edge: This is a super soft, absorbent, microsuede that is as workable as the towel itself. The Everest, Gauntlet, and FTW towels feature this edge.

Towel Usage (based on main menu)

• Glass: Our Herringbone-style weave towels are a firm favourite as the tightly-packed, 70/30 microfibers absorb your glass cleaner residue and contaminants with each wipe of the window. They can also be used for PPF wipe-downs. The Diamond weave towels feature a hybrid Herringbone and Waffle weave, has an 80/20 blend and so are ideal for scrub-action and will leave you with streak-free glass.
• Drying: Drying towels really come down to personal preference. You may prefer something like the Liquid8R towel; 70/30 blend, but it features closed-loop fibres for safety and can be used with a drying aid for the ultimate finish. The Liquid8R is recommended for those new to detailing. On the other hand, the Dry Me a River towel is a 70/30 Waffle weave towel and features the 'thirst pockets' we talked about earlier, so water is easily absorbed. The Buttersoft edges ensure each wipe is a soft as possible.
• Polishing: Depending on your preference, 80/20 and 70/30 blends both work, however a low-GSM is best for polish residue removal. This is because plush towels can become clogged very quickly. The Edgeless 245 (245GSM, 80/20) or 365 (365GSM, 70/30) covers both bases, and they're edgeless for safety. Final buffing can be done with your favourite 70/30, plush towel, such as the Eagle 350.
• Wax, Sealants & Detailing Sprays: Very similar to polishing, lower GSM towels are best for the initial wipe, such as the Edgeless 365 (365GSM, 70/30), followed by an Eagle 500 (500GSM, 70/30) to finish. If you'd prefer one towel, The Creature Edgeless, which has a 70/30, dual-pile blend, will remove any excess wax, sealant or spray on one side and, once flipped, can buff to a shine.
• Coating Removal: With levelling and general wipe-downs of ceramic coatings, you need to have as much control over the towel as possible. Similar to polishing, 80/20 Short Pile / lower-GSM towels, such as The Pearl, work best. Ceramic coatings are 'grabby' and so plush towels will struggle due to the longer fibres. For final buffing, longer-pile, higher-GSM towels, such as The Creature Edgeless or Eagle 350, will work due to their plush construction.
• Wheels/Tyres: Generally lower-GSM, all-purpose towels are fine for these areas, as you're dealing with brake dust and road grime. 70/30 blends will be safer for delicate wheel surfaces. For wheel coatings you simply treat them the same as normal ceramic coatings, see Coating Removal above.
• Dirty Jobs: Similar to wheels and tyres, dirty jobs can be attacked with all-purpose Terry towels. These tasks can also include cleaning jobs around the house. 80/20 or 70/30 blends with lower-GSM are absolutely fine, such as the Edgeless 245 towels (245GSM, 80/20). If you're dealing with delicate surfaces, you may wish to opt for a 70/30 towel, such as the The Blue Collar, as these are the softest option at 380GSM.
• Rinseless Wash: The towel you choose for your rinseless wash is crucial, as you need to absorb what's left of Absolute, and then buff to a shine. Our go-to towels for this currently are the Minx Royale and Dryer Wolf. Both are 70/30 blends and feature the Corale Fleece weave. They're soft, plush and act like a sponge. The Minx is 400GSM and the Wolfe is 550GSM. So, depending on your personal preference, you have two great options for drying waterless washes. Then you can opt for a buffing towel for final wipes, such as the Eagle 500.
• Detailing Sprays: For these, you'll need 70/30 super soft towels for buffing. The Eagle Edgeless 350 is a great starting point. There's also the 70/30, dual-pile, Creature Edgeless, which can remove any excess spray on one side, then flip the towel to buff.

Caring for your towels

• Wash before first use. This removes any minor factory contaminants, lint and loose fibres. We highly recommend Rags to Riches detergent, as this has been developed by The Rag Company.
• Ensure you wash each kind of towel together. For example, if you have a new pack of Eagle Edgeless 500 towels and a pack of FTW towels, wash these two packs separately. This is to avoid the two types of microfiber affecting each other (the velcro effect).
• Wash with like-colours. If you have different coloured towels, wash those separately to avoid potential colour transfer.
• ℹ️ Towels used to level and buff ceramic coatings: These should be treated as consumables. Dispose of them after use, as the coating residue itself will eventually solidify.

Conclusion

No matter which task you're tackling on your car, van, truck or in your house, we have every kind of towel with the correct blend, GSM, weave and edge available. We have you covered.

Whilst there is a lot to digest in this blog, it's worth understanding everything to ensure you're happy with what you're buying. If you do need help we're always here to assist, visit the Contact page to reach out.

The Rag Company UK Team.