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Are Microfibre Cloths Better Than Traditional Ones?

Over the years, we have heard our customers asking "Are Microfibre Cloths Better Than Traditional Ones?" to find out whether microfibre cloths really are any better than your traditional options. In this blog, we want to share what we know.

Cleaning & Janitorial News

2 min read

April 1, 2025

What is microfibre?

Fortunately, it's one of those words where there's a clue in the name. Comprising of a really fine mixture of polyester and polyamide made into fibres with a strand thickness less than silk. The fibres are split, which then allows for greater water absorption, but you can find the quality can vary.

Microfibre products are available in a range of formats including multi-purpose cloths, window cloths and all-purpose mops. They can be produced in a variety of colours to help with colour-coded cleaning regimes.

What are the benefits of microfibre?

In short, the combination of synthetic fibres gives it a variety of properties including greater water absorption (holding several times its weight), toughness and static charge (helpful when lifting dust) and can be more effective in removing bacteria. Environmentally, microfibre requires less water and chemicals, which is also cost-effective. This property also reduces allergen improving the indoor air quality and environment of an office or school.

Due to their construction, it can trap dust and dirt more efficiently than traditional fabrics, and can be used with or without chemicals. The split fibres naturally create a static effect when dry and a capillary suction action when wet, which scrape the surface and capture any bugs or bacteria on the surface.

Microfibre doesn't kill bacteria, but it effectively lifts and removes 99.9% of anything that is on a surface. It relies on a laundry wash to kill and remove any bugs/bacteria caught in the microfibre network to ensure no cross-contamination. Because the products can be washed and reused many times, it becomes much more cost-effective than traditional cleaning product lines. But remember to not use fabric softener when washing your microfibre items - the oils clog the fibres and make it less effective.

We also recommend you ask to see technical and test data, because not all microfibre products are made equal - retail equivalents are not often as robust or as effective when dealing with bacteria. This is particularly important in healthcare and production environments.

Some manufacturers are producing a range of nanosilver microfibre products. The concept being bacteria is not able to survive in silver exposure, therefore, surface-to-surface cross-contamination is negligible.

Do traditional mops and wipes still have a place?

Yes - they still have a role to play in any hygiene orientated organisation. They can tackle the issues microfibre products can't readily deal with, e.g. traditional mops handle large spillages better because the mops are easy to wring out. For heavy-duty cleaning, many still prefer a cleaning machine or a large mop such as a Kentucky to help with the task.

An industrial laundry system will give you long-term value for microfibre, however, this isn't always a viable option. Buying extensive microfibre systems, such as trolleys, mops and cloths etc. can require a large initial outlay. For some tasks, it is necessary to use cleaner disinfectants, and this can dramatically reduce the life span.