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You're Overcomplicating Microfiber Towels for Detailing!
Are you choosing microfiber towels based only on GSM? In this Quick Tip, Suds to Success explains why matching towels to specific detailing tasks matters more than getting caught up in specifications. Discover how to organize towels for interior cleaning, coating removal, paint preparation, rinseless washes, and drying. Learn how color-coding can simplify your workflow, help employees identify the right towels, and keep your shop organized. Plus, hear a practical approach to maintaining towels used for coating work.
Andrew St-Pierre
10/29/20263 min read
YOU'RE OVERCOMPLICATING MICROFIBER TOWELS FOR DETAILING!
CHOOSE MICROFIBER TOWELS BY THE DETAILING JOB, NOT JUST GSM
Choosing microfiber towels can get complicated fast. Detailers can spend a lot of time comparing GSM numbers and specifications, but the practical question is simpler: does the towel do its assigned job well in your shop?
In this Quick Tip, the Suds to Success team shares a straightforward approach: keep a selection of towels for different tasks, test them in your workflow, and make their roles easy to recognize. That can help you work consistently without relying on everyone to memorize product specifications.
MATCH EACH TOWEL TO ITS JOB
GSM and other specifications can be useful when researching towels, but the speaker’s emphasis is on how a towel performs during real work. A towel that suits one task may not be the best choice for another, so build your selection around the jobs you do.
The video describes several examples from the shop’s setup:
General interior and shop cleaning: The speaker uses Kirkland Signature towels for tasks such as cleaning interior surfaces and glass, as well as general shop cleanup. He also mentions using them for jobs where a towel may be difficult to reuse.
Coating removal and leveling: Shorter-nap towels are used for coating work. The speaker says he prefers short-nap towels for an initial wipe in part because they lint less in his experience.
Paint preparation: The shop keeps separate towels for paint prep, including towels designated for alcohol-prep work.
Rinseless wipe-downs and final wipes: The speaker describes using plush towels dampened with rinseless solution for polishing wipe-offs and, when needed, as a final wipe.
Drying: Drying towels have their own role, with a highly absorbent towel reserved for more demanding drying work and another towel used for basic washes.
These are examples of the speaker’s shop routine, not a universal ranking of towel brands. Use them as a reminder to choose towels according to the surfaces and tasks in your own workflow.
USE COLOR-CODING TO MAKE THE WORKFLOW CLEAR
Color-coding can turn towel selection into a simple system for the whole team. Instead of asking an employee to identify a specific weave or GSM, assign each color a clear purpose, such as paint prep, coating work, or general interior cleaning.
To make the system useful:
Decide which towel roles your shop needs.
Assign a distinct color to each role where possible.
Explain the purpose of each color to employees.
Keep the system consistent so team members know what to grab and where each towel belongs.
The goal is not to make the towel collection look organized for its own sake. It is to reduce guesswork and help employees follow the same process.
MAINTAIN TOWELS USED FOR COATINGS
The speaker also shares a way he treats towels used to level coatings. Rather than immediately throwing those towels away, he places them in a bucket of water with P&S Rags to Riches or another detergent he uses for breaking down coating residue. He leaves them there until laundry time, then washes them with the detergent. He says this helped restore towels he had previously discarded.
That is his experience, not a guarantee that every towel can be restored. The video does not provide a specific dilution ratio or soak time, so follow the detergent’s label and your towel care instructions rather than assuming one method fits every product.
FIND THE TOWELS MENTIONED IN THE DESCRIPTION
The YouTube description includes microfiber towel links for both regions. Choose the appropriate regional link:
The transcript also mentions P&S Rags to Riches, Kirkland Signature towels, Detail Popo towels, P&S towels, and The Rag Company Gauntlet drying towel. Direct product links for those specific items were not provided in the description.
Some links in the video description are affiliate links. Suds to Success may earn a small commission if you purchase through qualifying links, at no extra cost to you.
BUILD A PRACTICAL TOWEL SYSTEM
You do not need to choose towels by specifications alone. Start with the jobs your shop handles, keep towels assigned to clear roles, and use color-coding to make those roles easy to teach. Then pay attention to how each towel performs and maintain the ones that continue to work for you.
Watch the Quick Tip video for the full walkthrough, or
Visit the Suds to Success Podcast website for more detailed content.
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