Cloth absorbency etc

[fenderjaguar]

btw, when I talk about absorbency, I'm not necessarily talking about how much water any given cloth can hold until it becomes saturated, more how well it can soak liquid up. One example of this would be that an applicator sleeve can hold loads of water, but if you try to use a completely dry one to wipe a damp window it'll just push the water around.

One frustrating thing I noticed about using cloths/materials of all kinds over the years, is that you can't seem to have both absorbency and the ability to wring out.

If something is super absorbent, it is also hard to wring out. If something is easy to wring out, its absorbency is poor. Or if something is an ok absorber, it's ok at wringing out.

So the scale goes:

Chamois: incredibly absorbent, almost impossible to wring out.

Flax scrim: very good absorber, difficult to wring out.

Microfibre (microwipe type/flatweave?): ok absorber, ok to wring out.

Fluffy fibre leaving microfibre/polyester dishcloth etc: not very good absorber, very easy to wring out almost to being only damp.

Foam sponge: terrible absorber, wring out almost dry.

 

[TolishAPurd]

btw, when I talk about absorbency, I'm not necessarily talking about how much water any given cloth can hold until it becomes saturated, more how well it can soak liquid up. One example of this would be that an applicator sleeve can hold loads of water, but if you try to use a completely dry one to wipe a damp window it'll just push the water around.
One frustrating thing I noticed about using cloths/materials of all kinds over the years, is that you can't seem to have both absorbency and the ability to wring out.

If something is super absorbent, it is also hard to wring out. If something is easy to wring out, its absorbency is poor. Or if something is an ok absorber, it's ok at wringing out.

So the scale goes:

Chamois: incredibly absorbent, almost impossible to wring out.

Flax scrim: very good absorber, difficult to wring out.

Microfibre (microwipe type/flatweave?): ok absorber, ok to wring out.

Fluffy fibre leaving microfibre/polyester dishcloth etc: not very good absorber, very easy to wring out almost to being only damp.

Foam sponge: terrible absorber, wring out almost dry.

Thats what is so good about scrims, just have a few on the go in this weather- 1 dries whaile the other is in use. No need to ever wring out.

 

[rugbywolf]

btw, when I talk about absorbency, I'm not necessarily talking about how much water any given cloth can hold until it becomes saturated, more how well it can soak liquid up. One example of this would be that an applicator sleeve can hold loads of water, but if you try to use a completely dry one to wipe a damp window it'll just push the water around.
One frustrating thing I noticed about using cloths/materials of all kinds over the years, is that you can't seem to have both absorbency and the ability to wring out.

If something is super absorbent, it is also hard to wring out. If something is easy to wring out, its absorbency is poor. Or if something is an ok absorber, it's ok at wringing out.

So the scale goes:

Chamois: incredibly absorbent, almost impossible to wring out.

Flax scrim: very good absorber, difficult to wring out.

Microfibre (microwipe type/flatweave?): ok absorber, ok to wring out.

Fluffy fibre leaving microfibre/polyester dishcloth etc: not very good absorber, very easy to wring out almost to being only damp.

Foam sponge: terrible absorber, wring out almost dry.

I have used hand towels for many years. Terry towelling, as it's called is one of the best wiper uppers, I buy them new, best quality Egyptian cotton 50 by 50 cm cut in half. they also last a very long time (years). As for wringing out cloths, I found that a bit of a waste of time whatever you use, and these days I use them from dry until too wet then start with a clean dry one. At the end of the day, run them through in cold water and bleach then spin dry. In hot weather I'll hang them on the van to dry. I've heard that people use tea-towels, but like scrim, they are very thin and won't soak up much.

 

[cheapncheerful]

yep me use loads of dry scrims...

as soon as they are damp fling em to the front of the car..

AND YES TOLISH...they stink somat rotten in this weather..

but it is kinda my fault as I just sling em over the washing line when I get home and never really wash em...

but I DO give em a good shake before I use em...

must buy some more scrim....off shopping again..

 

[Posh]

Paragon micro fishscale. Use same one all week. Use 1 day. Dry. Use next day. Dry. Use next day & bring in & rinse through in warm water then use next 2 days. Fantastic cloths. The waffles pretty good as well.

 

[cheapncheerful]

yep love my taytay cloths posh..

think I have about 15...

trying my best yesterday to make one last as cba to go back to the car...and it lasted../emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[MrBump]

I find sponges are good absorbers. Infact thats got me thinker, I might actually start using them on things, though nog glass obviously! I like the thin grey vikan microfibres for glass.

 

[boarcity]

now n then you see windies with a wet scrim hanging from the ladder as the car/van motors along

i thought hmmm, thats a nifty idea to get it dry - but it never works! i drove 20 miles once , top gear for the most part and scrim was wet exactly same as when i started off

 

[cheapncheerful]

dried two on my car roof today...whilst working just left em there.../emoticons/biggrin.png

 

[rugbywolf]

yep me use loads of dry scrims...
as soon as they are damp fling em to the front of the car..

AND YES TOLISH...they stink somat rotten in this weather..

but it is kinda my fault as I just sling em over the washing line when I get home and never really wash em...

but I DO give em a good shake before I use em...

must buy some more scrim....off shopping again..

Years ago I used scrims (that was real trad), but always thought it was expensive for what it was, so was glad to find something else. I remember also that they used to get very holey!!

 

[cheapncheerful]

yep got loads of scrims that have only been used to clean churches...

yeh some more holes than scrim...still work for drying cleaning sills though..

and when they get small enough...

handkerchiefs...really good...:rofl:

 

[Danfire]

Bought some scrims when I started a couple of years ago and they seem to do a good job. I also cut up some towels that had been abandoned in my works drying room, they seem to work just as well.

 

[fenderjaguar]

I finally got round to trying the paragon micro's.

These are the only cloths I've ever tried which go against the 'rules' I layed out in my first post. They absorb very well, yet are also very easy to wring. They absorb possibly better than scrim, maybe as nearly as well as a real leather. Yet they are about as easy to wring as a poly dishcloth, near damp.

I have to say though, they do leave fibres, and seem highly susceptible to damage.