Cotton is a beloved staple in most households. After all, you can find it in everything from your clothes to bedding. However, the soft material drops the ball when it comes to one area: cleaning.
While cotton cloths may be your mom’s trusted go-to for wiping down counters and shining shoes, in reality, it’s probably making the dirty surface problem worse. Enter a new player in the game: microfiber.
FootFitter is here to break down why microfiber is superior to cotton when it comes to cleaning and how you should be using it to clean and polish your shoes.
Cotton v. Microfiber
First things first, the biggest difference between cotton and microfiber is the material.
Cotton is a natural fiber while the latter is composed of synthetic materials.
While cotton’ soft makeup makes it extra comfortable on your sheets, it works against your cleaning goals.
Cotton’s gentle touch ends up spreading dirt along surfaces instead of removing it. In addition, cotton often leaves behind a pesky layer of lint.
To make matters worse, cotton’s organic makeup also allows foul fragrances to linger after use.
On the other hand, microfiber cloths are essentially a series of ultra-fine threads that are thinner than silk or a single strand of human hair.
Typically, this is a blend of polyester and nylon.
Within these thin strands is where microfiber really comes in contrast with cotton. Unlike cotton’s sporadic and misshapen makeup, microfiber strands come in uniform star-shaped structures. This makes trapping dirt particles and covering surface evenly easy.
The synthetic blend is known for its impressive absorbing qualities and long lifespan. It easily soaks up liquids and clings to leftover dirt and debris, pulling them off your dirty shoe surfaces.
How to use microfiber cloths to shine shoes
Before you can start shining with creams or polishes, microfiber cloths lend a helping hand to dirt removal. A dry cloth will act like a dirt magnet on your dress shoes.
If your shoe color is coming across dull, these cloths are also useful for applying polish. For this process, you can bunch or fold the cloth to buff in shoe cream or polish. The key here is to use the cloth to distribute the product evenly across your shoes.
Searching for a simple shine instead? If you’re looking to shine your shoes sans polish, it’s important to keep the microfiber cloth pulled taut instead of gathered together. Sliding it back and forth vigorously will create the proper heat needed for a streak-free shine.
FootFitter microfiber cloths
In addition to needing heat to avoid streaks, tightly-woven microfiber helps avoid these unsightly smudges.
FootFitter microfiber cloths use their tightly woven structure to offer a consistent shine without wax buildup. The cloths are made up of 80 percent polyester and 20 percent chinlon, a fine nylon.
The 20.5 inch length of each cloth also offers better buffing and shining because it allows you to fully extend your arm when polishing your shoes.
Lastly, these cloths don’t skimp out on softness. Their gentle touch is suitable for smooth leathers including shell cordovan and calfskin.
