Think Twice Before You Use A Microfiber Towel Again After Wiping A Ceramic Coating

Microfiber towels have incredible cleaning and water-absorbing properties, with synthetic polyester and polyamide fibers that can pick up and absorb dirt like a magnet. Those microscopic fibers are both positively and negatively charged, letting them act like tiny hands that grab dirt or absorb more water than any other textile.

However, their efficiency and effectiveness aren't without drawbacks. They're costlier than ordinary terry cloth, for starters, and their superior dirt-absorbing properties mean you'll need to grab a new one if you drop it on the ground while drying or buffing your car's paint, since the chances of scratching the paint dramatically increase when the towel absorbs dirt from the floor.

It's the nature of microfiber towels that makes them ideal for waxing, polishing, or ceramic coating, but you'll need to be wary of the latter: It is unwise to reuse microfibers after using them for applying or wiping off ceramic coating from your car's paint. There are many types of microfiber cloths, but they can all succumb to hardening of the fibers due to the polymers in ceramic coatings.

If you're into auto detailing and paint correction, you probably know that ceramic coatings start crystallizing as the product cures, and those crystals harden further and embed deep into the fibers of the towel. When the fibers stiffen, the microfiber loses its softness, and the remaining crystals might scratch or leave swirl marks on the finish the next time you wipe them over the paint.

Some might say we're bordering on obsessive-compulsive here, but we didn't say anything about junking your microfiber towels after using them for ceramic coating. Instead of throwing them away, repurpose them for jobs other than wiping paint. Towels that were used for ceramic coating can be washed and demoted to wiping the wheels, the engine bay, or other less sensitive areas of your vehicle.

But wouldn't washing be enough to remove the ceramic residue from the towel? Maybe it's fine if you dunk the towel in soapy water immediately after wiping it off, but it's a different story if you wait for the towel (and the crystals of the ceramic coat embedded in the towel) to dry before washing. And besides, it's highly impractical to wash towels while in the midst of treating a car, and the solvent-based formulas of ceramic coatings won't easily dissolve or wash away in soapy water.

Ceramic coatings are like an extra layer of clear coat on the finish, and their liquid polymer formulas are generally harder and more resilient to weathering and fading than wax. When properly applied, they can last two to five years or longer with proper care. However, they're somewhat harsh on microfiber towels, so avoid reusing towels previously used for ceramic coats to lessen the chances of damaging or scratching an otherwise flawless, shiny finish.