How to use and wash microfibre cloths

What do you do with a new cloth before you first use it?

One soak per cloth, and only when it is new. Never again after that.

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  Soak the new cloth for 15 minutes in lukewarm or warm water. Soaking opens up the fibres, so they absorb at full strength from the very first wipe. You do this once per cloth, only when it is new. So not before every use, and not after a wash either.

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  Then wring it out well. A cloth that is too wet smears instead of absorbing. Lightly damp is exactly right.

This step is only for new cloths. After that you simply take your iZi-Clean Wonder Cloth out of the cupboard and get going.

How damp should the cloth be?

Always damp. Not dry, not wet.

Damp is the state in which the cloth does its work. Run it under the tap, wring it out firmly and wipe with light pressure. That way the fibres lift the dirt and the surface dries behind you virtually streak-free.

Looking for something else for around the house? Have a look at cleaning.

Do not use it dry. A dry cloth feels harder and glides less easily across a surface. That is exactly when it can damage something delicate, think of a spectacle lens, a screen or high-gloss paintwork. Damp, the cloth is softer, it picks up more and it works more safely.

Too wet is the mistake people make most. The water left behind on the surface dries into precisely the marks you were trying to remove. Pressing harder does not help, because then you are pushing moisture around instead of taking it up. If your cloth has gone too wet after all, just dry the surface off afterwards with a dry cloth.

Which side do you use, and how do you fold it?

Fold it into quarters. That gives you eight clean faces, one after another.

A cloth only works for as long as the bit touching the surface is still clean. So fold it into quarters: that gives you eight faces to work through one at a time. As soon as a face is full, you turn it over instead of walking back to the tap.

Noticing smears again? Then the cloth is saturated. A full cloth hands the dirt and grease back to the surface. Rinse it out or pick up a clean one, and the problem is gone.

Do you need cleaning products?

For most jobs, no. Water is enough.

The fibres lift the dirt off by themselves, so you do not have to loosen it chemically first. That saves you bottles in the cupboard, and it saves soap residue, which comes back later as a thin haze on glass and mirrors.

On a greasy or very dirty surface you can add something. A little washing-up liquid, multi-purpose cleaner or vinegar is fine. Leave the harsh products where they are: bleach and ammonia attack the fibres.

Does the cloth work on every surface?

On almost anything smooth. On delicate materials, test on an out-of-sight corner first.

How do you wash the cloths?

At 40°C, apart from your cottons, and without fabric softener.

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  Sort by colour. Coloured cloths can go on releasing dye for a long time. That goes for a lot of textiles; you just rarely notice, because there is usually all sorts in the drum at once. So wash coloured cloths together.

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  Wash them apart from cotton. Towels and cotton laundry leave lint behind that catches in the weave. Together with other microfibre is fine.

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  Wash at 40°C. Hotter is not necessary and not good for the fibre.

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  Use iZi-Wash Sheets or powder detergent. If you go for powder, add a splash of vinegar to the fabric softener compartment.

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  Let them air dry. Not in the tumble dryer, not on the radiator, and no ironing.

What must not go in: fabric softener, liquid detergent, capsules or laundry pearls, bleach and ammonia. The iZi-Wash Sheets are the easiest choice here, because they dissolve completely and leave no residue in the fibres. You will find all the varieties in the laundry sheets collection.

How often should you wash the cloths?

After a big clean, or every one to two weeks with normal use.

A clean cloth absorbs more and lasts longer, so waiting until it is properly dirty works against you. If you have a set, you just put the whole lot in the machine together at the end of your round.

What is the best way to store them?

How long does a cloth last?

Maintenance decides the lifespan more than anything else does.

A cloth that keeps its structure will keep giving you the same result for years. Our cloths take dozens of washes without you noticing anything change, as long as you stick to the washing advice above.

With fabric softener, or one spin in the tumble dryer, you notice within a few washes that something is off. So the difference between a cloth that lasts a year and one that lasts five is not in the product, it is in the machine.

My cloth will not take up water any more. What now?

In almost every case it is fabric softener, and that can be put right.

If the water runs over your cloth instead of into it, wash it a few times at 40°C with iZi-Wash Sheets, or with powder detergent and a splash of vinegar in the fabric softener compartment. Then let it air dry. The absorbency usually comes straight back.

If it keeps pushing the water ahead of it, there is a good chance it has been in the tumble dryer. That fibre damage is permanent and no wash will undo it. A cloth like that can still do the rough jobs, but for glass and other fine work it is time for a new one.

Why treat these cloths like a piece of jewellery?

They are woven. That makes them even and lint-free, and sensitive to sharp edges.

Drying a pizza wheel or cleaning a rough, unfinished windowsill can pull a thread out of the weave. The cloth carries on working perfectly well afterwards, it just is not as smart to look at. Keep a separate cloth to hand for that kind of job, such as the Dark Pack, and your good set stays neat for years.

A coarser, tougher weave would stand up to that better, but it never gets the same clarity on your glass and your worktop. That result is what we choose, deliberately.

What households notice about this

The questions we get are almost never about the cloth itself. They are about fabric softener, about the tumble dryer, and about a cloth that has been dragged along a sharp edge. That is why the washing advice above is written out so fully: it is the only thing you need to remember.

Frequently asked questions about use and care

Streak-free windows: the six golden rules

"I do exactly what you say and I still see streaks." This is the question we get most often. It is nearly always down to one of these six.

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  Wring the cloth out harder than you think you need to. This is by far the most common cause. If too much water stays in the cloth you get wet smears that dry into streaks, and in sunlight you see them at their clearest. Wring it out well by hand after rinsing. If you want to get even more moisture out, wrap the long side of the cloth around a tap and twist it round. It should feel damp, not soaking.

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  Dust sticks to wet smears. If moisture is left standing on the glass, dust particles settle into it. Compare it with a freshly washed car: a few hours later there is already a thin film on it. If you live on a busy road or near building work, you see it sooner. So wringing out well keeps your windows clean for longer as well.

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  Degrease greasy windows first. Cooking fumes, smoke and some cleaning products leave a film of grease behind. Wipe the glass first with water and a splash of vinegar. If you still see a light haze, that is usually an old layer from your previous cleaning product; repeat it a few times and it goes on its own.

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  Struggling to wring it out? Use the spray method. Mist the window lightly with water and then wipe it off with a dry iZi-Clean cloth. That way the cloth never gets too wet. This is also the kindest method if you have less strength in your hands or wrists.

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  Put a little vinegar in your spray bottle. That degreases a bit more and helps you to a streak-free, hygienically clean result, without having to reach for a bottle of glass cleaner.

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  Give really dirty windows a first pass. If there is sand or coarse dirt on them, take that off first with a separate cloth or a sponge. Grains of sand can scratch. For something greasy like an extractor hood, warm water with a little washing-up liquid or a degreaser works fastest. Then wipe it off with your iZi-Clean cloth.

Still seeing streaks after three goes at the same window? Then look above at My cloth will not take up water any more, because in that case it is the cloth and not the technique. There is more to read too: which cloth to use in which room and why microfibre works better than an ordinary cloth.