I went to a local shop the other day and saw there are many colors for it:

• blue
• green
• yellow

what are each for? is there a specific usage for each?

i'm looking to use them for interior cleaning dash, leather seats, etc...

and for exterior cleaning, most probably with QD.

Thanks

 

AFAIK, colors don't mean anything, unlike pads.

 

The ones I saw at the store that were colored seemed like they each had different textures/surfaces.

Thats how my question has come about

 

No colors don't matter. There are different texture MF towels though. I usually pick the fluffiest one to dry the car. The ones that has almost NO fluffiness are good for wiping windows because no lint is left behind.

 

Types and Uses for Detailing Towels

Like detailing pads there is no standard colour system to denote what a towel is used for, each manufacturer uses a different colour for their towels

General Purpose - a micro fibre towels with a standard terry cloth weave, a medium thick nap and an 80/20 blend of polyester and polyamide. Used for buffing paint, glass, vinyl, plastic and leather. Ideal for quick detailing (QD) this will be the most frequently used towel.

PolyFiber2 - micro fibre towels, are very soft while having more bite and polishing ability than traditional micro fibre, it's 25% more absorbent using 80/20 Polyester/Nylon micro fibre mix woven in Brazil with no generic polyamide (typically referred to as a nylon by-product).These towels are finished and inspected in the USA under the strictest quality control standards.

Glass cleaning - towels fibre is feathered as opposed to hooked; this produces a cloth with substantially greater absorption. Soil, grime and oily films are removed from the surface by capillary action. Micro fibre towels that work well for polishing and glass cleaning seem to have similar characteristics, the towel ideally should be 100% lint free; this means the weave is going to have a shorter nap than a general purpose towel. A decent glass towel needs scrubbing power to successfully remove the residue that cause streaking, sharing the same characteristic that makes a good polishing cloth.

This micro fibre towel is so effective at cleaning glass that often a glass cleaner chemical isn't even necessary. It features a very low-pile cut in a zigzag pattern which literally attracts and removes off-gassing, residue, smudges and oily finger prints. Its efficient cleaning action is truly a time saver.

Drying - There are two different micro fibre towelling weaves that make good drying towels: terry cloth and Piqué or waffle weave. [Piqué isn't more absorbent than terry but the ridges act as hundreds of little squeegees which push the water up into the cups giving the fabric time to absorb.] Leo Cerruti

Waffle Weave Towel (Piqué) - is a synthetic micro fibre woven with a dimpled pattern, which provides thousands of small pockets to trap dirt or grit. The absorbency of these towels is quite remarkable; they are able to hold seven or eight times their weight in water. when they are wet they’re very soft and super absorbent, and glide easily over the surface, the ‘pockets’ in the weave ‘hold’ any dirt or surface debris unlike some other super absorbing products that trap dirt between the towel and paint surface with the potential to cause serious scratches (never use it when it’s dry as it can potentially scratch) That goes for whatever you use for drying, including cotton towels. Ensure that the towel is really wet and then wring it out thoroughly before using.

You may find micro fibre towels labelled for other uses, but most will fit into the categories listed above

An extract from one of a series of in-depth, unbiased detailing articles © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2008, all rights reserved.