What is Microfibre
Microfibre is a revolutionary man-made fibre that can be processed, woven and finished in a variety of different ways to achieve a specific result. Unprocessed Microfibre (fibres not split), woven in a flat weave, has very poor water absorption characteristics. In fact, it is used to manufacture water resistant clothing. The same Microfibre thread, when processed by splitting the individual threads and weaving in a loop or waffle pattern, is super absorbent. (The General Purpose Cloth can absorb over seven times its weight in fluids).
Microfibre combines two basic fibres, Polyester and Polyamide (a nylon by-product). These fibres are usually 'split' and formed into a knitted or woven fabric of 80% Polyester (the scrubbing and cleaning fibre), and 20% Polyamide (the absorbing and quick drying fibre). These threads are very small in diameter, making them super soft. Rated in denier, the unit for measuring fineness of fabric, a strand of cotton has a rating of 200. A human hair has a denier of 20 and a strand of silk has a denier of 8. Microfibre has a denier of 0.01 to 0.02, at minimum, 100 times finer than a human hair. Softer than silk, yet extremely tough.
The unique surface structure of E-cloths contain hundreds of thousands of microfibre 'hooks' per square inch. These micro-hooks grab, lift, and hold dust and grime without the need for cleaning solutions.
E-cloth Microfibre for Cleaning
Microfibre is made from a mix of nylon and polyester, in varying proportions and processed in many different ways to achieve a specific result. The performance characteristics of the fabric made from the fibres is dictated by:
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The initial quality of nylon/polyester used
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The weight per square centimetre of cloth
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The percentage mix between the nylon and polyester
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The method that is used to split the fibres into microfibre
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Whether the fabric is woven or knitted and the quality of these processes
Lower quality microfibre products are unprocessed and have a
flat weave resulting in poor absorption and cleaning properties.
Cloths made from low quality microfibre have a shorter life and can
only be washed at low temperatures.
Only high quality fibres are used in the manufacture of E-cloths
and we ensure that each fabric specification has the cloth's
end-use in mind. Cloths requiring higher absorbency use fibres that
are split differently to those where absorbency is not so
important. For instance, it is important for a smear free
finish on glass that the cloth absorbs moisture quickly, and this
is more important than the overall amount that it absorbs. A
kitchen cloth, however, needs to have more absorbency and deeper
cleaning power. Different mixes and length of fibre, therefore,
have a major affect on performance.
As an example:
Our General Purpose E-Cloth uses high quality microfibre in
an 80/20 mix to give it a long life and the right level of
absorbency. Knitting, rather than weaving, gives the cloth
more volume and surface area. This gives it its enormous
cleaning power and the ability to remove thick grease and dirt. It
also retains its shape throughout its life.
Our Glass & Polishing E-Cloth also uses high quality microfibre
in an 80/20 mix to give it a long life. As overall absorbency is
less important, lighter and shorter fibres are used and the fibres
are split in a different way and knitted more loosely. The
ends of the fibres are designed to give a perfect smear free finish
on all hard surfaces.
