Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 7
Review: Cobra Super Plush Jr Microfiber Towels - How to safely wash your car with a waterless wash
The Cobra Super Plush Jr Microfiber Towels
Waterless Wash - What is it?
A waterless wash is a way to clean you car when you don't have access to the normal water hose and bucket method. In my opinion, the best and safest way to wash a car is to hand wash using the traditional water hose and bucket method but there are simply times and situations where this is not possible.
For example,
For instances like the above, a waterless wash is an alternative method for getting your car clean. The key is simple and that is to use a LOT of towels.
Won't a waterless wash put swirls and scratches into my car's finish?
Good question and the answer is "yes" if you only use one or two towels.
How many towels do I need?
Figure a minimum of one towel per body panel and two tales for larger panels like a large hood or roof.
Why does using a lot of towels make washing a car without running water safer?
It's all in your technique, which I'll show below but the key concept is this, after you use a towel to wipe a section of paint, you flip the towel to a clean, un-used side to make the next wipe. By never using a side of the towel that's already been used you avoid cross-contamination. It is cross-contamination, that is where you take the dirt removed from a section of paint that is now on the towel and then rub this dirt-on-towel over a new section of paint. Theoretically, washing a car by flipping your towel to a clean side often and/or switching to a clean towel you never rub removed dirt over a section of paint.
Gather your supplies
Here's what you'll need to safely wash your car using the waterless wash technique.
A clean supply of high quality microfiber towels. Figure a dozen at a minimum and more is better.
A quality waterless wash. There are dozens of these on the market and it's likely your brand of choice has a product in this category.
A clean bucket to place used/dirty towels into so they don't end up on the floor where they can get contaminated.
A brush for cleaning the wheels.
A dedicated wheel and tire towel for wiping down the wheels and tires. (Never use your paint care towels on wheels)
Always have a clean table or workbench to place your towels.
Here's a stack of 24 new towels that I have dedicated to ONLY be used for waterless washing.
Remove the tags
Seems like a no-brainer but I've see lots of people in my life using microfiber towels on their car's paint with the tag still attached.
Technique Tip
These tags are held on by a small amount of adhesive, the technique to remove the tag 100% along with all the adhesive is to remove the tag S-L-O-W-L-Y as this gives the adhesive glue time to RELEASE from the fibers. If you simply yank the on the tag you'll tend to rip the paper tag in half leaving the portion that didn't have any adhesive in your fingers and the portion that was attached to the towel still on the towel.
Griot's makes a great waterless wash and the sprayers are also really nice in that they will spray down a large volume of waterless wash.
My personal recommendation
For your special towels, have a dedicated storage container to protect them from becoming contaminated and to also dedicated them for specific detailing tasks. You can pick up a wide range of types and sizes of storage containers at most department stores.
Your Clean Dirty Towel Bucket
The words might not make sense so let me explain. Before placing any used towels into this bucket I personally washed it and wiped it clean and dry. I know 100% for sure this bucket is CLEAN. As I use towels to clean the car, after using a towel, I place it into the bucket. Therefore the only dirt or contaminants on the towel are from the dirt and contaminants that were on the car.
After I'm done washing the car the towels in this bucket will go directly to the washing machine. They will be washed, then dried, then inspected and folded and then stored in the above clean storage container. I have complete control over the Microfiber Towel Cycle. You MUST have protocols in place like this to preserve your towels so that you can have confidence that any time you use them they are clean and un-contaminated.
Technique - How to correctly use a waterless wash
Cleaning a car without a hose means thinking differently about the waterless wash than you normally think about products like spray detailers. Spray detailers are for removing,
A waterless wash is for removing actual dirt and road film off of a car. A waterless wash has more cleaning ability than a spray detailer. Spray detailers tend to have more shine and gloss ingredients, this is why you should use a dedicated waterless wash for cleaning your car and save your spray detailers for light cleaning in-between normal washing.
Step 1: Spray down a lot of waterless wash.
The goals is to remove dirt without scratches and to do this you want LOTS of LIQUID on the surface. The liquid, that is the waterless wash is your LUBRICANT. Lots of lubricant plus lots of towels equals safe cleaning.
Spray down a heavy or wet application of waterless wash so you can see a layer of the liquid on the surface but no so much that the waterless wash is running or streaming off the paint. This just wastes product.
Step 2: Fold your microfiber towel 4-ways to give you 8 sides of the towel to wipe with.
Hold the towel like you see in the picture below so that the leading edge (of the folded towel), picks up all the dirt and traps it onto the towel.
Continue your wiping pass from one end of the panel to the other end of the panel. In this example I wiped from the windshield side of the hood to the front of the car.
Step 3: Lift the towel to make a second and even third wipe only now all the dirt on the car will be picked up in the middle of the towel or when you make a third wipe, at the back of the towel.
Using this technique you can actually get 3 wipes pers side fo the towel and never cross-contaminate the paint.
As you work around the car, place used towels in your clean dirty towel bucket.
And that's how you do it!
Review
First lets go over some scientific jargon as it relates to microfiber towels.
GSM
The The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel are heavy GSM towels. What does GSM stand for? GSM stands for grams per square meter (g/m2). Material with a higher GSM weighs more than material with a lower GSM. High GSM fabric is typically thicker, and if there is a pile, it is more plush. Heavier GSM towels will absorb more liquid than lighter towels. The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel has a GSM of 600, which is fairly hefty. This high GSM offers plenty of absorption with a towel that's very plus to the touch.
The Polyester to Polyamide Blend
The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel has a 75/25 blend of . Polyester and polyamide are polymer fibers, most microfiber for cleaning is made of a blend of the two materials. These filaments have different characteristics:
Polyester
Polyamide
The goal with your choice of microfiber towel is to use a blend that offers a balance of the characteristics listed above and with a 75/25 blend of polyester to polyamide that's what you get with the The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel.
The Practical Aspect for using Microfiber Towels
Now that the above is out of the way, here's what's really important and that's the PRACTICAL ASPECT. When I'm using a waterless wash I like a microfiber towel that has a high absorption rate so will blot up all the liquid off the surface. A plush nap is helpful because any dirt on the surface can bury into the weave instead of being trapped against the weave when wiping.
These are really nice towels with a quality heavy duty construction. I have a LOT Of these towels in Autogeek's Show Car Garage and we use them primarily for,
If you're looking for a quality heavy weight, plus microfiber towel you can use for all of the above PLUS also use for things like,
Then these are great choice but like any towel, the key is to have protocols in place to keep your towels clean when not in use and also to have protocols in place for the washing, drying, inspecting, folding and storage aspects of your microfiber towels.
On Autogeek.com
Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel - 16 x 16 inches
Cobra Super Plush Deluxe Microfiber Towel - 16 x 24 inches
Cobra Super Plush XL Microfiber Towel - 25 x 36 inches
The Cobra Super Plush Jr Microfiber Towels
Waterless Wash - What is it?
A waterless wash is a way to clean you car when you don't have access to the normal water hose and bucket method. In my opinion, the best and safest way to wash a car is to hand wash using the traditional water hose and bucket method but there are simply times and situations where this is not possible.
For example,
- Winter time when temperatures are extremely cold outside.
- If you live in an area of Government restrictions.
- If you live in an area of drought where car washing is not allowed to preserve water supplies.
- If you live in an apartment or condo where washing is not allowed.
- If you're traveling long distance and stopping at hotels along the way.
For instances like the above, a waterless wash is an alternative method for getting your car clean. The key is simple and that is to use a LOT of towels.
Won't a waterless wash put swirls and scratches into my car's finish?
Good question and the answer is "yes" if you only use one or two towels.
How many towels do I need?
Figure a minimum of one towel per body panel and two tales for larger panels like a large hood or roof.
Why does using a lot of towels make washing a car without running water safer?
It's all in your technique, which I'll show below but the key concept is this, after you use a towel to wipe a section of paint, you flip the towel to a clean, un-used side to make the next wipe. By never using a side of the towel that's already been used you avoid cross-contamination. It is cross-contamination, that is where you take the dirt removed from a section of paint that is now on the towel and then rub this dirt-on-towel over a new section of paint. Theoretically, washing a car by flipping your towel to a clean side often and/or switching to a clean towel you never rub removed dirt over a section of paint.
Gather your supplies
Here's what you'll need to safely wash your car using the waterless wash technique.
A clean supply of high quality microfiber towels. Figure a dozen at a minimum and more is better.
A quality waterless wash. There are dozens of these on the market and it's likely your brand of choice has a product in this category.
A clean bucket to place used/dirty towels into so they don't end up on the floor where they can get contaminated.
A brush for cleaning the wheels.
A dedicated wheel and tire towel for wiping down the wheels and tires. (Never use your paint care towels on wheels)
Always have a clean table or workbench to place your towels.
Here's a stack of 24 new towels that I have dedicated to ONLY be used for waterless washing.
Remove the tags
Seems like a no-brainer but I've see lots of people in my life using microfiber towels on their car's paint with the tag still attached.
Technique Tip
These tags are held on by a small amount of adhesive, the technique to remove the tag 100% along with all the adhesive is to remove the tag S-L-O-W-L-Y as this gives the adhesive glue time to RELEASE from the fibers. If you simply yank the on the tag you'll tend to rip the paper tag in half leaving the portion that didn't have any adhesive in your fingers and the portion that was attached to the towel still on the towel.
Griot's makes a great waterless wash and the sprayers are also really nice in that they will spray down a large volume of waterless wash.
My personal recommendation
For your special towels, have a dedicated storage container to protect them from becoming contaminated and to also dedicated them for specific detailing tasks. You can pick up a wide range of types and sizes of storage containers at most department stores.
Your Clean Dirty Towel Bucket
The words might not make sense so let me explain. Before placing any used towels into this bucket I personally washed it and wiped it clean and dry. I know 100% for sure this bucket is CLEAN. As I use towels to clean the car, after using a towel, I place it into the bucket. Therefore the only dirt or contaminants on the towel are from the dirt and contaminants that were on the car.
After I'm done washing the car the towels in this bucket will go directly to the washing machine. They will be washed, then dried, then inspected and folded and then stored in the above clean storage container. I have complete control over the Microfiber Towel Cycle. You MUST have protocols in place like this to preserve your towels so that you can have confidence that any time you use them they are clean and un-contaminated.
Technique - How to correctly use a waterless wash
Cleaning a car without a hose means thinking differently about the waterless wash than you normally think about products like spray detailers. Spray detailers are for removing,
- Light dust
- Fingerprints
- Smudges
A waterless wash is for removing actual dirt and road film off of a car. A waterless wash has more cleaning ability than a spray detailer. Spray detailers tend to have more shine and gloss ingredients, this is why you should use a dedicated waterless wash for cleaning your car and save your spray detailers for light cleaning in-between normal washing.
Step 1: Spray down a lot of waterless wash.
The goals is to remove dirt without scratches and to do this you want LOTS of LIQUID on the surface. The liquid, that is the waterless wash is your LUBRICANT. Lots of lubricant plus lots of towels equals safe cleaning.
Spray down a heavy or wet application of waterless wash so you can see a layer of the liquid on the surface but no so much that the waterless wash is running or streaming off the paint. This just wastes product.
Step 2: Fold your microfiber towel 4-ways to give you 8 sides of the towel to wipe with.
Hold the towel like you see in the picture below so that the leading edge (of the folded towel), picks up all the dirt and traps it onto the towel.
Continue your wiping pass from one end of the panel to the other end of the panel. In this example I wiped from the windshield side of the hood to the front of the car.
Step 3: Lift the towel to make a second and even third wipe only now all the dirt on the car will be picked up in the middle of the towel or when you make a third wipe, at the back of the towel.
Using this technique you can actually get 3 wipes pers side fo the towel and never cross-contaminate the paint.
As you work around the car, place used towels in your clean dirty towel bucket.
And that's how you do it!
Review
First lets go over some scientific jargon as it relates to microfiber towels.
GSM
The The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel are heavy GSM towels. What does GSM stand for? GSM stands for grams per square meter (g/m2). Material with a higher GSM weighs more than material with a lower GSM. High GSM fabric is typically thicker, and if there is a pile, it is more plush. Heavier GSM towels will absorb more liquid than lighter towels. The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel has a GSM of 600, which is fairly hefty. This high GSM offers plenty of absorption with a towel that's very plus to the touch.
The Polyester to Polyamide Blend
The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel has a 75/25 blend of . Polyester and polyamide are polymer fibers, most microfiber for cleaning is made of a blend of the two materials. These filaments have different characteristics:
Polyester
- Wicking ability/Capillary Action
- Stiffness
- Scrubbing
- Less Expensive
Polyamide
- Absorbent
- Elastic/Stretch/Flex
- Softness
- More Expensive
The goal with your choice of microfiber towel is to use a blend that offers a balance of the characteristics listed above and with a 75/25 blend of polyester to polyamide that's what you get with the The Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel.
The Practical Aspect for using Microfiber Towels
Now that the above is out of the way, here's what's really important and that's the PRACTICAL ASPECT. When I'm using a waterless wash I like a microfiber towel that has a high absorption rate so will blot up all the liquid off the surface. A plush nap is helpful because any dirt on the surface can bury into the weave instead of being trapped against the weave when wiping.
These are really nice towels with a quality heavy duty construction. I have a LOT Of these towels in Autogeek's Show Car Garage and we use them primarily for,
- Waterless wash - wiping off the waterless wash.
- Claying paint - to wipe off the clay lube.
- Rinseless wash - spreading out the wash with one towel and wiping off the wash with a separate towel.
If you're looking for a quality heavy weight, plus microfiber towel you can use for all of the above PLUS also use for things like,
- Compounds
- Polishes
- Waxes and Sealants
- Spray Detailers
- Spray Waxes
- Spray Boosters
- Panel Wipes
Then these are great choice but like any towel, the key is to have protocols in place to keep your towels clean when not in use and also to have protocols in place for the washing, drying, inspecting, folding and storage aspects of your microfiber towels.
On Autogeek.com
Cobra Super Plush Junior Microfiber Towel - 16 x 16 inches
Cobra Super Plush Deluxe Microfiber Towel - 16 x 24 inches
Cobra Super Plush XL Microfiber Towel - 25 x 36 inches
