Customised microfibre cloths have become a staple in Australian households over recent years because of their seemingly magical ability to pick up dirt and dust particles. But have you ever wondered exactly how these fabled cleaning cloths work? The answer might surprise you.

The Science Behind Custom Microfibre Cloths

When using a microfibre cloth the main difference, you'll notice, other than the soft texture is that you don't need water or harsh chemicals to start busting dust. Whether you're wiping down a bench or cleaning your television or phone, there's no need to use anything other than your promotional microfibre cloth. While there are circumstances that call for using cloths with water and chemical agents, when you're looking to avoid them then microfibre cloths provide a great (scientific!) option.

As the name suggests the difference between a regular cloth and a microfibre cloth is how fine the material is. Because promotional microfibre cloths are composed of ultra-thin plastic threads, the sheer number of these millions of fibres means dirt particles attach themselves directly to the cloths using van der Waals forces. Regular cleaning cloths are chunky and don't have the advantage of these forces attracting materials together, so to ensure you are cleaning with a regular cloth you need to use water and often chemicals as well.

The clean, efficient power of the van der Waals forces means microfibre cloths pick up dirt without scratching your screens or needing to be moistened with potentially dangerous chemicals. When you use a microfibre cloth, you're wiping away dirt with absolute ease! The best way to stop your microfibre cloths from getting dirty is to wash them in clean, hot water to get all those hidden dust particles off. Who knew the science of cleaning could be so interesting?

Details first spotted here: http://www.explainthatstuff.com/microfibercloths.html