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Just say "NO" to the chamois leather and use a microfibre drying towel
There are many reasons why you should say no to a chamois leather. Let's look deeper into why chamois leathers should be a thing of the past.
Traditionally, a chamois leather was the go-to product for drying a vehicle, along with the dreaded water blade, before microfibre drying towels were a thing. Although a little absorbent, they are too harsh a material to use on your paintwork and work on the principle of pushing the water around and off the vehicle rather than safely absorbing.
Basically, a chamois works by dragging water, like a squeegee, towards yourself as you dry your vehicle. As mentioned above, it does absorb a small amount of water, but mainly, its purpose is to push the excess water from the vehicle's surface. This raises alarm bells immediately. If you look at a chamois, you'll notice it is completely flat, with no pile, unlike a plush microfibre drying towel. Why is this important? Let us imagine there were still some tiny pieces of dirt remaining on the vehicle after washing. These would be picked up and safely trapped away from the vehicle's surface, resulting in a scratch-free drying process.
As well as being a much safer way of drying your vehicle, they are also incredibly absorbent, much more so than a chamois, making them very efficient, and reducing the time needed to dry your car physically.
Another reason to chuck that old chamois leather in the bin is that they
require much more 'maintenance' than a microfibre drying towel. Being a natural product, traditionally made from sheep or often lambs' skin, they take some TLC to keep them usable. This is true even before you use them for the first time. The tanning oils must first be removed. The excess fats and oils that protect the chamois cloth during transport and storage will also leave a horrible streaky finish if not removed. To remove these excess oils, the chamois must be washed in lukewarm water with mild soap. To clean them after use, they must be again, hand washed with mild soap to retain the natural oils within the chamois. Failure to keep up with this maintenance or the incorrect use of soap to clean it will become very hard, brittle and unusable quickly.
On the other hand, a microfibre-drying towel can be used straight from the packet, with no pre-use maintenance required. Ongoing maintenance is also a breeze, with only a few things to look out for. The towel must be washed with a dedicated microfibre wash solution such as Laundry Microfibre Wash or a non-bio detergent. Only a very low-temperature tumble dry or air dry routine should be followed to dry the towel.
Considering all the pros of the microfibre drying towel, efficient and safe drying and minimal maintenance, it makes it the only choice for any car or detailing enthusiasts.
Remember, when it comes to chamois, SAY NO!
Traditionally, a chamois leather was the go-to product for drying a vehicle, along with the dreaded water blade, before microfibre drying towels were a thing. Although a little absorbent, they are too harsh a material to use on your paintwork and work on the principle of pushing the water around and off the vehicle rather than safely absorbing.
Basically, a chamois works by dragging water, like a squeegee, towards yourself as you dry your vehicle. As mentioned above, it does absorb a small amount of water, but mainly, its purpose is to push the excess water from the vehicle's surface. This raises alarm bells immediately. If you look at a chamois, you'll notice it is completely flat, with no pile, unlike a plush microfibre drying towel. Why is this important? Let us imagine there were still some tiny pieces of dirt remaining on the vehicle after washing. These would be picked up and safely trapped away from the vehicle's surface, resulting in a scratch-free drying process.
As well as being a much safer way of drying your vehicle, they are also incredibly absorbent, much more so than a chamois, making them very efficient, and reducing the time needed to dry your car physically.
Another reason to chuck that old chamois leather in the bin is that they
require much more 'maintenance' than a microfibre drying towel. Being a natural product, traditionally made from sheep or often lambs' skin, they take some TLC to keep them usable. This is true even before you use them for the first time. The tanning oils must first be removed. The excess fats and oils that protect the chamois cloth during transport and storage will also leave a horrible streaky finish if not removed. To remove these excess oils, the chamois must be washed in lukewarm water with mild soap. To clean them after use, they must be again, hand washed with mild soap to retain the natural oils within the chamois. Failure to keep up with this maintenance or the incorrect use of soap to clean it will become very hard, brittle and unusable quickly.
On the other hand, a microfibre-drying towel can be used straight from the packet, with no pre-use maintenance required. Ongoing maintenance is also a breeze, with only a few things to look out for. The towel must be washed with a dedicated microfibre wash solution such as Laundry Microfibre Wash or a non-bio detergent. Only a very low-temperature tumble dry or air dry routine should be followed to dry the towel.
Considering all the pros of the microfibre drying towel, efficient and safe drying and minimal maintenance, it makes it the only choice for any car or detailing enthusiasts.
Remember, when it comes to chamois, SAY NO!