How to wash microfiber cloths
Wash microfiber cloths only with other microfiber (or alone), in cold or warm water on a normal cycle, with plain detergent — no fabric softener, no bleach — and air dry. Microfiber works because millions of split synthetic fibers grab dust and water; anything that coats or melts those fibers permanently blunts the cloth.
The three microfiber killers, in order: cotton lint (embeds in the fibers), fabric softener (coats them), and dryer heat (melts them).
Typical machine settings
| Water temperature | Cold (60–80°F / 16–27°C) is the safe default; warm is generally OK when needed |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Delicate / gentle (default) — normal also generally safe |
| Spin | Medium spin at most |
| Drying | Do not tumble dry — hang to dry |
| Bleach | Bleach damages microfiber's split fibers. |
| Fabric softener | Skip it — softener clogs microfiber permanently and ruins its ability to grab dust and water. |
Between machine washes, a used cloth can be hand-rinsed in warm water and hung to dry. For machine loads, warm water releases oils and grime better than cold.
These settings match what our laundry checker uses. The garment's own care label always wins.
What microfiber cloths can usually be washed with
- Other microfiber cloths and towels — the ideal load is 100% microfiber.
- Lint-free synthetics (polyester mesh, nylon) if you must combine, though a pure microfiber load is safer.
What to keep separate
- Cotton towels, terry, and anything that sheds lint — the lint embeds permanently and turns a grabby cloth into a smeary one.
- All regular clothing — partly lint, partly the cleaning-product residue cloths carry.
- Heavily soiled rags with solvent or oil residue — those are their own hazardous load and shouldn't share with cloths you use on kitchen counters.
Color considerations
- Microfiber is usually colorfast, but cheap brightly dyed cloths can tint a load when new — first wash alone.
- Many people keep colors dedicated to tasks (blue for glass, yellow for kitchen); washing colors together is fine once they're established.
Fabric considerations
- Split-fiber cleaning microfiber (the grabby kind) is the sensitive kind — everything on this page is aimed at it.
- Car-detailing towels deserve extra care: grit trapped in the pile scratches paint later, so rinse debris out before washing and never wash them with anything abrasive. See the note on your specific towels' labels.
- Flat-weave microfiber (glass cloths) tolerates the same routine; it's just less prone to trapping debris.
Drying
- Air dry — hang them and they're dry within hours.
- If you must tumble, use air-only/no-heat: microfiber melts at temperatures ordinary dryers reach.
- Never dry microfiber with cotton items, even if they washed separately — dryer lint transfers just as effectively.
Common mistakes
- One stray cotton towel in a microfiber load — the whole load comes out linted.
- Fabric softener or dryer sheets — one exposure noticeably reduces performance, and it builds up.
- Hot dryer "to sanitize" — it melts the fiber tips; use warm water and detergent instead.
- Bleach — it degrades the split fibers.
When the usual advice changes
- Heavily contaminated cloths (raw chicken juice, bathroom deep-clean) can take a hot wash if the label allows — accept some fiber wear for the hygiene benefit, and still air dry.
- Cloths used with wax or polish may need a dedicated degreasing wash (hotter water, extra detergent) separate from your general microfiber load.
- Once a cloth is retired to garage duty, none of this matters — wash it however; just never let it back in the microfiber load.
This is general guidance. If a garment's care label says something different, follow the care label.
Sources
- Established fiber and fabric care practice — Widely documented fabric-care knowledge. Well-established, uncontroversial properties of common fibers — e.g. cotton shrinks in heat, wool felts with agitation and heat, dark dyes can transfer when new, terry cloth sheds lint, microfiber attracts lint, elastics degrade in high heat. Used only for claims of this uncontroversial kind.
Last reviewed: . See our editorial policy for how this page was checked.