Microfiber cleaning products are highly regarded for their ability to lift and capture a diverse number of contaminates, including dust, powder residues, oils, and liquids. The fact that they can also capture certain microbes, including some of the bacteria known to cause illnesses in humans, is also of much interest right now. But using these products correctly isn’t always as simple as “apply cloth and wipe away mess,” especially given the wide range of surfaces and cleaning applications to which microfiber is applicable. As is often the case, selecting and maintaining your tools properly makes your work much more efficient.
The microfiber products that will probably be most familiar to our readers are the cleaning cloths that have been on the market since the late 80s/early 90s. These are sort of the “jack of all trades” of the microfiber world, because they’re handy replacements for a number of other handheld cleaning implements. They can be used dry to capture dust and other fine particulates, absorb liquids, or polish hard surfaces like glass and chrome; dampened microfiber cloths can be used to clean a host of different contaminates, both wet and dry, from hard surfaces.
In both instances, the cloths should be folded into quarters or thirds and each “side” should be used until it is either fully loaded with grime, stops absorbing new liquid, or starts shedding fibers. After use, cloths should be rinsed with warm water for 15 to 20 seconds (or until the rinse water runs clean for especially dirty cloths). Every week, cloths should be machine washed without bleach or fabric softener.
There are also several more purpose-oriented microfiber products available—the most popular of which are probably mops. Microfiber mops, like their traditional counterparts, generally fall into one of two categories: wet mops and dust mops (sometimes referred to as dry mops). These are used like any other mop heads or pads, but they have superior cleaning capability and durability. In fact, many microfiber mop heads and pads are direct replacements for existing clamp and hook-and-loop systems—you need only purchase the microfiber products themselves, not additional equipment to use them. Cleaning is essentially the same process as described for cloths, although wet mop heads may need to be machine washed more than once per week if they’re used in especially dirty or germ-friendly environments.
Lastly, there’s a category of microfiber products that are frequently overlooked by cleaning and facilities maintenance professionals—wiper mats. The benefits of proper floor mat use cannot be overstated (you can read our thoughts here), and adding microfiber to the equation makes them even more worthwhile. The positive charge and increased surface area of the material allow the mats to attract and capture more environmental pollutants like dust, pollen, and animal hair than olefin-only mats. They also hold roughly three times the liquid volume of olefin-only wipers. It all adds up to a cleaner, healthier environment and a lighter workload for cleaners and maintenance professionals.
Gergely’s Maintenance King has decades of experience and a reputation for reliability. We stock a wide range of janitorial, food service, and facilities maintenance products and our knowledgeable customer service representatives are available to help you make the right choice for your business.