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geraintthomas · 10-13-2016, 05:37 AM

I had the same thoughts a few years back bud. Basically, a chamois is incredibly smooth and it's great at absorbing water, which sounds perfect. Trouble is with them is that they're not good at trapping minor bits of dust and dirt that are naturally on the paint while the water is drying, so the chamois will push them around, swirling the paint over time. Believe it or not, this makes drying a car almost as harmful as washing it incorrectly.

A damp microfibre drying towel is designed to trap the tiny bits of dirt inside of the fibres safely, so that you're not pushing them around, while still absorbing water

So while a chamois is lovely and soft and absorbs water, it can't trap dirt inside of it. And if you think "well there shouldn't be any dirt on the car", there's tiny quantities of grit within the pours of the paint (which is what a clay bar removes) that'll still get picked up and pushed around by a chamois. This is why myself and other detailers use drying towels as opposed to a chamois. I only use a chamois for engine bays and boot shuts.

If you lay a damp and wrung out microfibre drying towel out flat on the bonnet of a wet car, then gently pull it off by the corners so that the towel is being lightly dragged on the surface, that's the best way to dry a car with a spotless finish. With the sides of the car, just fold the microfibre and brush lightly, re-folding it as you go. It's a much, much better way of drying a car, and you'll get a better result. The other added benefit of using a drying towel is that, if required, you can further lubricate the damp microfibre towel with a detailing spray (or spray wax), which will top up any wax on the car.

Hope that helps!

10-13-2016, 05:37 AM	#7
geraintthomas Registered User Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: South Wales, UK Posts: 852	I had the same thoughts a few years back bud. Basically, a chamois is incredibly smooth and it's great at absorbing water, which sounds perfect. Trouble is with them is that they're not good at trapping minor bits of dust and dirt that are naturally on the paint while the water is drying, so the chamois will push them around, swirling the paint over time. Believe it or not, this makes drying a car almost as harmful as washing it incorrectly. A damp microfibre drying towel is designed to trap the tiny bits of dirt inside of the fibres safely, so that you're not pushing them around, while still absorbing water So while a chamois is lovely and soft and absorbs water, it can't trap dirt inside of it. And if you think "well there shouldn't be any dirt on the car", there's tiny quantities of grit within the pours of the paint (which is what a clay bar removes) that'll still get picked up and pushed around by a chamois. This is why myself and other detailers use drying towels as opposed to a chamois. I only use a chamois for engine bays and boot shuts. If you lay a damp and wrung out microfibre drying towel out flat on the bonnet of a wet car, then gently pull it off by the corners so that the towel is being lightly dragged on the surface, that's the best way to dry a car with a spotless finish. With the sides of the car, just fold the microfibre and brush lightly, re-folding it as you go. It's a much, much better way of drying a car, and you'll get a better result. The other added benefit of using a drying towel is that, if required, you can further lubricate the damp microfibre towel with a detailing spray (or spray wax), which will top up any wax on the car. Hope that helps! __________________ Porsche Boxster S Type 986 Bi-xenon Headlight Upgrade \| 987 S 18" Anthracite Alloys \| Android Head Unit \| 5000k 55w HID's \| 5000k Cree DRL's \| 5000k Cree number plate lights \| Cree LED Indicators \| One-touch roof operation \| Bypass exhaust pipes \| Parking sensors \| Ambient footwell lighting Last edited by geraintthomas; 10-13-2016 at 05:45 AM.