Best Drying Towels for Cars

Created: Tuesday, 16 February 2021 10:03

You've spent all afternoon cleaning your car so it shines. But then you take a rag to dry it, and all you can see are streaks and spots. If you use caution when washing your car, you should do the same when you dry it. And that involves knowing the best car drying towel to use.

There are plenty of towels out there, from sizes to materials. Before you pick a random one to dry your car, consider the most efficient and effective options. Discover the best drying towels for cars below, along with useful tips for maintaining those clothes and drying your vehicle.

Why Use Car Drying Towels?

While you may be tempted to reach for a rag to dry your car after washing it, you have better options. Auto detailing and car drying towels are either made with vehicles in mind or treat your vehicle delicately while still providing absorbency, durability and quality. You take pride in your car and the job you've done washing it, so you should use the best drying towels possible.

If you own a car wash and dry customers' vehicles by hand, you especially want to use the best towels for cars. Doing so will give their automobiles the professional dry and shine they expect from a car wash. Whether you're drying dozens of cars a day or washing and drying yours occasionally, use a vehicle drying towel to:

• Avoid streaks: You don't want to put in the effort of cleaning your car only to dry it and create a spotty, streaky finish. Keep your car's paint looking shiny and smooth with the right towels and drying methods. That'll make all the time you put into cleaning your car worth it.
• Protect the paint job: The wrong towel can scratch your car's finish, and no vehicle owner wants that. Rough or dirty cloths leave marks on the clear coat, etching into the finish and impacting your vehicle's once pristine appearance.
• Dry it efficiently: With poor absorbency, a rag will make you work harder to clean your car. Use an absorbent car drying towel instead, and you'll make the task much easier on yourself.
• Save on waste: Some vehicle owners reach for a roll of paper towels to dry their cars. Using disposable paper towels creates waste and risks scratching the paint job, so you should choose drying towels over those one-use alternatives.

Best Car Drying Towels

You want the best towel to dry your car, and that involves picking the best size and material for your purposes. Overall, look for something that's:

• Convenient: The best car drying towel will be the perfect size. But bigger isn't always better — you don't need a bath towel to dry your car. At the same time, if you have a larger vehicle, you'll want a linen that's bigger than the average washcloth. Pick a cloth that's around hand towel size so you can easily fold it in your hand to dry small areas or unfold it for large vehicles.
• Soft: Choose materials that are soft from the beginning and only become softer with every use and wash. That'll help protect your car's paint job and clear coat from scratches.
• Absorbent: You need to dry your car quickly and efficiently. An absorbent towel soaks up all the water and prevents any from remaining on your car, which can dry and create spots.
• Durable: Whether you're buying towels for a car wash business or home use, you want them to last. Your cloths should stand up to repeated uses and washes, which will save you money over time.

Get those benefits by shopping with a quality linen manufacturer and picking the best towels for drying cars. Those linens include:

1. Microfiber Cloths

Microfiber drying towels are an affordable option for drying your car, especially when you shop wholesale pricing with Towel Super Center. These cloths have fibers thinner than silk thread, usually in a polyester and nylon blend. While polyester blend towels with thicker threads can potentially scratch your car's paint, the thin ones on microfiber drying towels don't pose that same threat.

Car washes and car owners alike tend to choose microfiber over other cloths. These come with various benefits that make them appealing as a towel to dry your vehicle:

• They can absorb up to seven times their weight in moisture.
• They are often denser than other cloths, giving them better quality and absorbency.
• They come in various sizes and colors.
• They offer a lint-free finish for drying your vehicle.

Be sure to choose quality microfiber cloths to get those and other benefits. Cheaper towels can leave behind fiber particles, which impact your vehicle's finish. You may also need a few microfiber towels to dry your vehicle fully, especially if it's a larger one. Have a few on hand and avoid trying to dry your car with a damp microfiber, as that can leave streaks behind.

2. Chamois Towels

You might also know these towels as "shammies," and they're a popular option to dry your car with. A chamois towel has a smooth finish, almost like felt, and can also be called chamois leather. Natural varieties use hide, while synthetic options often feature viscose rayon. The material offers high absorbency, and many car owners find they only need one chamois towel to dry their cars, depending on the vehicle's size.

There might be more of a learning curve with a chamois than there is with a microfiber towel. If you use a chamois towel correctly, though, you can avoid scratching your car, so you should:

• Use it slightly damp: A chamois becomes stiff when it's dry, and that could potentially scratch your vehicle. These cloths are absorbent, so using a slightly damp one won't impact your drying time or ability.
• Use it carefully: Because a chamois towel is so flat, it can easily suction to the car's surface. If you press the cloth too hard and drag it, it'll pull along any debris, possibly scratching your paint job.

Which is better in the battle between chamois versus microfiber? Most car washes and auto detailing shops choose microfiber based on quality and cost. But if you're a car owner looking for a drying solution for one vehicle, you could consider chamois and microfiber.

3. Cotton Washcloths

Use these clothes for drying your tires. Washcloths and hand towels made with 100% cotton are soft and absorbent, suitable for cleaning your vehicle. To get the best possible dry, we recommend saving cotton towels for the tires and car interior. You should use different towels to clean and dry these parts of your car anyway, so you might as well choose the most efficient option.

For the best results from washing your car, start by washing the tires first. Replace the water and move on to the rest of your vehicle. Using the same water you use on your tires for the rest of your automobile can track dirt and gravel onto the body. That could scratch the paint job when you dry your vehicle, no matter how clean your drying chamois or microfiber cloth is.

If you get new cotton washcloths or hand towels for drying parts of your car, be sure to break them in. Run the linens through a wash and dry cycle. That can make them more absorbent because some manufacturers use a coating on the fibers to make them feel softer. While that coating feels nice, it prevents how much water the linen's fibers can absorb. Even without that coating, an initial wash helps a towel become more absorbent.

How to Launder Car Drying Towels

You're using these drying towels to clean your car, so they should be clean themselves. Whether you want to use a few different linens for your car or choose one type, you should know how to maintain them. Consult the tag first for specific instructions — otherwise, you can follow the tips below for laundering your auto towels.

How to Wash and Dry Microfiber Cloths

If you're using these popular towels to dry your car, you need to care for them correctly. Correct laundering methods will preserve the thin fibers and keep your microfiber working well over time. Follow these steps to wash and dry your microfiber drying towels:

• Air dry them: Ideally, you'll air-dry your microfiber cloths for the best results. They'll maintain their quality longer, and they won't collect lint from other linens you would put in the dryer at the same time.
• Avoid high heat: If you do put your microfiber cloths in the dryer, use low or no heat. Because this cloth's fibers are so thin, too much heat could melt them and fuse them together, ruining the absorbency.
• Avoid fabric sheets and softeners: Microfiber cloths are effective at dusting surfaces because of their slight static charge. Using fabric softener or a dryer sheet could ruin that charge and make your auto towels less effective, especially if you also use them to dust the interior.

How to Wash and Dry Chamois

A chamois towel has natural oils that make it effective. Using the wrong washing and drying methods could remove those oils and ruin the cloth. The material itself is delicate, so when you launder chamois towels, be sure to:

• Wash them by hand: Use chemical-free water to hand wash your chamois towels. Machine washing would be too rough for this material.
• Wash them with soap made for vehicles: Reserve your chamois for car drying purposes only, and don't wash them with laundry detergent or dish soap.
• Air dry the chamois: Gently squeeze out the excess water once you're done washing and leave the towel to air dry. Hang it somewhere out of direct sunlight so it doesn't dry too fast.
• Work the cloth once it's dry: Chamois can stiffen once it dries, but if you scrunch the material and work it across a smooth, hard surface, it can become softer.

How to Wash and Dry Cotton Linens

Wash cotton towels with other cotton towels to prevent getting lint on your clothing or damaging your linens. With that in mind, you can machine wash and dry your cotton car drying towels. Use these tips to keep them long-lasting:

• Avoid dryer sheets: Just as dryer sheets can impact a microfiber cloth's effectiveness, it does the same for cotton towels. A dryer sheet coats a towel's fibers and limits its absorbency, making it inefficient for drying your car.
• Use the right temperature: Help your auto towels last longer by washing and drying them at the right temperature. Use hot water to wash white and light-colored linens and warm or cool water for dark colors. Dry your towels on low heat to avoid damaging the cotton fibers.

Other Tips for Towel Drying Your Car

Once you've rinsed the soap away, it's time to towel dry your car. To get the most efficient and best possible clean, use these tips for towel drying your vehicle:

• Avoid letting it drip dry for long: Leaving your car to air dry could create streaks and spots from the water droplets. While you can let some excess water run off, grab your towel and take care of the rest.
• Squeegee the windows first: Before you towel dry the windows and windshield, grab a squeegee. Squeegeeing the windows helps remove excess water that could otherwise streak the glass. Avoid using a squeegee on the car's surface as it could drag dirt left behind and scratch the paint.
• Start from the top and work down: Once you take the towel to your car, work your way down. Drying from the bottom up would mean you dry an area, move up and send water down to the spot you just dried.
• Shake and turn the towel frequently: As you dry, the absorbent material will collect water. Shake out the towel as you go to keep it from spreading water around on your car. Shaking the towel can also loosen any dirt or debris it might have collected.
• Keep these towels separate from others: Avoid storing your car drying towels with your household linens. You don't want someone drying off or cleaning up a spill with microfiber meant for your car. That could ruin the cloth and mean damage when you dry your vehicle.
• Use different colors: Keep your car drying cloths separate from other ones by getting different colors. You could even color-code your auto towels based on what you use them for, picking certain shades for the tires, interior, exterior and windows.
• Separate clean and used cloths: As you dry your car, avoid putting a used cloth in with fresh ones. You risk contaminating the clean, dry towels with water or debris from the used ones, which could impact your car's cleanliness or paint job later.

Shop Car Drying Towels From Towel Super Center

When you want the best drying towels for cars, you should shop with Towel Super Center. Choose from our wide range of towel types, sizes and colors to get what you require for your home or business. With quality manufacturing and materials, our linens are long-lasting. Combine that with our wholesale prices, and you get a great value for your home or car wash.

Shop our car wash towels and auto detailing towels today to keep your car or customers' cars looking pristine.