Best Cleaning Cloths

When you need to clean the most delicate surfaces, only the very best cleaning cloths will work – which is why we spent hours reviewing dozens of products to find the best for you. Our top pick, MagicFiber’s microfiber cleaning cloths, are particularly careful in that regard: they’re designed to avoid any sort of scratches or dust damage, and each come in their own unique protective bag so they don’t get contaminated with outside debris. If you need a microwave, then you need to read our best kitchen products.

While many people think of microfiber cloths like MagicFiber as the best way to clean smartphone screens or camera lenses, they have broader applications, too: they can clean jewelry, security cams, crystal glasses, and also work great with silverware, stainless steel and much more. Plus, MagicFiber cloths are affordable even for a large pack. However, we also have choices for an even broader range of cleaning tasks. Take a look at all our top picks to see which will work for you!

Top 7 Best Cleaning Cloths Compared

 #1  MagicFiber Cleaning Cloths – Top Pick

WHY WE LIKE IT: These thin, supple 6×7-inch cloths are ideal for the most delicate cleaning jobs. Photographers, smartphone owners, those with glasses, and many others in similar situations will love them.

MagicFiber cloths are an easy recommendation, the best microfiber cloths for glasses and other delicate materials.. These 6×7-inch cloths are excellent for glasses, computer screens, crystal, and anything else that needs the software touch, but also a good cleaning. The cloths come in their own unique little plastic polybag for protection, and can quickly wipe away oils, skin cells, dust, and other accumulation to keep your prized belongings clean.

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Oh, and in case you were wondering what the one gray cloth is for, that’s so photographers can use it to set their white balance and other specs after cleaning lenses! The only downside is that these may be too small and thin for heavy duty tasks, and they’re also not machine washable. MagicFiber also keeps a secret about what exactly its “microfiber materials” are made of, so it’s hard to judge this pick based on material. Cleaning cloths are bathroom essentials.

 #2  Zwipes Cleaning Cloths – Honorable Mention

WHY WE LIKE IT: These large, 12×16-inch cloths are great for many tasks around the home and can stand 500 washes easily. Plus they won’t leave any scratches or swirl marks, making them one the best cleaning cloths for the bathroom.

While MagicFiber cloths (our #1 pick) are made for more delicate work, Zwipes cleaning cloths are designed for broader applications, anything from washing counters and dishes to serving as hand towels. The roomy 12×16-inch size helps a lot with this, and they can stand up to 500 washes easily for lengthy durability. Zwipes encourages you to try its soft towels without detergents or cleaning sprays first just to see if you really need them!

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Unfortunately, Zwipes is another brand that keeps secret exactly what its made of. However, they do claim that a cloth can absorb 8 times its weight in water, which is very impressive. The different colors also make it easy to “assign” different cloths to certain tasks – i.e., using yellow for the kitchen and blue for washing the dog, etc. – you’ll see this feature in many of our top picks. It will help you get what the best vacuum cleaner leaves behind.

 #3  AmazonBasics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths – Best Budget

WHY WE LIKE IT: If you want affordability for your microfiber packs, try these 10% polyamide cloth packs out. They come color coded and are ideal for buyers looking to save for general household cleaning purposes.

If you are looking for one of the lowest prices per cloth that you can find, this AmazonBasics buy is a great deal for those who want high-quality towels on a budget. This makes these bundles (our current pick is for 24 but they go up to 144) a good pick for companies or offices that want to buy a lot microfiber cleaning towels for supplies.

Otherwise, these Amazon cloths have a lot in common with Zwipes, including easy color coding. They are made of 90% polyester and 10% polyamide (we talk about this a bit more below), not the greatest ratio we’ve seen but a good sign that the towels are capable of absorbing water when necessary (and given our research, this is likely the ratio for Zwipes as well). Speaking of absorbing water, check out the best mop.

 #4  Best Microfiber Cleaning Cloths – Best Bulk Buy

WHY WE LIKE IT: Buy in bulk the easy way with this bundle, which features 5 different colors and top-notch absorption. A great choice for businesses, offices, janitorial services, and more!

Do you need a lot of microfiber cloths all at once? Maybe you have a venue that’s going to need some cleaning, a classroom where messes are common, or a similar situation where you really need to buy in bulk? These Best cloths are available in 50 or 150 packs, ideal for bulk buying. They are also 80% polyester and 20% polyamide, which makes them more ideal for absorbing liquids than some of our picks, great for general cleaning purposes.

It’s also worth noting that while many packs come with three different colors, these Best cloths come in five different colors, which is nice if you want to differentiate them even more, or make sure you are throwing out a whole bundle of cloths at the same time, etc.  These Cloths come in handy when using the best toilet bowl cleaner too, so you can wipe it all down.

 #5  Simple Houseware Cleaning Cloth – Most Durable Cloth

WHY WE LIKE IT: 15% nylon keeps these multi-color cloths strong while still enabling them to absorb plenty of liquid, up to eight times their weight.

These high-quality microfiber cleaning cloths are made from a combination of 85% polyester and 15% Nylon, which gives them good absorbency. That – and their size at 12×16-inches – makes them great for storing in the laundry room or around the house for a variety of general cleaning tasks. If you intend to add a lot of elbow grease to these cloths, this brand may be the way to go. They also come in four different, vivid colors for easy task assignment.

As always, be careful about washing these cloths and look at the instructions: This particular pack advises washing separately in cold water with no softener and airing, which is good advice overall for microfiber (and individual brand instructions are always important). Also, read about the best shop cloth.

 #6  Sinland Microfiber Facial Cloth – Best for Skin

WHY WE LIKE IT: Soft and reinforced, these 12×12-inch cloths are made for your skin. They’re the perfect fit for shower cloths, make-up removers, and other various hygiene tasks.

For those looking for soft microfiber for bathing purposes, these Sinland cloths are made specifically for washing up or other various hygiene tasks. Their 12×12-inch size is ideal, they’re easily washable, and the reinforced edges will keep them from disintegrating even under regular use.

Made from 80% polyester and 20% polyamide, these cloths have no problem absorbing water for cleaning your skin, and are non-abrasive – a.k.a., extra soft on your skin, which is always a benefit. However, they are more expensive per cloth than most of our picks.  Despite the extra cost, pair these with one of the best plastic spray bottles, and you’ll be ready to take on any mess!

 #7  Mr.Siga Microfiber Cleaning Cloth – Best Quality

WHY WE LIKE IT: Outdoor tasks pose no problem for these 15% nylon cloths. If you want to wash a car, wipe down a deck, or scrub at at siding without risking damage, these cloths are for you.

If you want durable cloths that really can handle anything, these Mr.Sigma packs are a great pick! They have heavily enforced edges and are around 12×12-inches, ideal for scrubbing, the best microfiber cloths for detailing, etc.. If you’ve had problems in the past with microfiber cloths that weren’t really tough enough for jobs like washing your car, you may want to try again with these cloths.

Made of 85% polyester and 15% nylon, you can use these cloths for nearly anything, and once again there are four different colors if you want to separate tasks out!

How We Decided

We looked for the best cleaning cloth options with the most versatile features – durable cloths fit for all kinds of cleaning tasks. Microfiber was easily the best material for the job, seen as microfiber towels are more eco-friendlier than paper towels, but we needed to take a look at just what kind of microfiber cloths performed the best.

To start, we looked for cloths that could absorb as much liquid as possible. Microfiber is naturally good at absorbing, but blends that include less polyester are usually the best, so we focused on those. We also preferred to see cloths with well-defined or reinforced edges that can resist fraying more easily. The toughest cloths generally include materials like nylon that are more resistant to tearing, too.

Size is also important! Cloths with a diameter of six inches or less are good for small tasks like cleaning lenses, but not great at household cleaning. Clothes 12 inches in diameter or more are better at bigger projects. You can also run through these cloths fast, especially in a professional environment, so we gave some bonus points to cloths you could buy in larger bundles.

Product Category Buying Guide

The Most Important Features to Consider

1. Softness
   A high quality cleaning cloth should feel great! The softness means that it won’t damage your glass, paint, or skin when you use it, so this is actually a strong indicator of cloth quality. Softness depends on many factors like the material itself, how small the threads are, thread count, and even how the cloth is woven. For example, our top pick, MagicFiber, uses threads that are 200x smaller than a human hair, woven in a sawtooth pattern – this helps keep those clothes particularly soft and supple for the most delicate tasks. Keep in mind that softness is great, but debris can get in the way. A dusty microfiber cloth, no matter how soft, may still scratch delicate materials because it’s no longer clean. Always clean and store your cloths properly!
2. Size
   Size is key based on the job you’ll be doing. For polished lenses or glasses, you only need a cloth that’s a few inches across. Polishing larger screens requires a cloth that’s several inches wide or more. If you want to use a cloth for the shower or household cleaning, it’s better if it’s closer to a foot or so in diameter. And rougher tasks like washing cars benefit from even larger sizes.
3. Durability
   How long will your cloth last? This depends on the quality of the materials and how the cloth is constructed. Note that some of our picks, like MagicFiber and Sinland, have specifically made edges to help prevent unraveling, which means that the cloths have a better chance of lasting longer. Otherwise, we look for denser fabrics that will be able to hold out for longer periods of time even with dirty tasks.
4. Absorbency
   Every cloth brand likes to claim that their cloths are super absorbent. That’s not very helpful. Instead, we took a closer look at materials. Most of these high-quality microfiber cloths are made of synthetic materials, which already narrows down the field. However, in this particular case it pays to watch out for too much polyester. Polyester is in fact a water retardant, so it’s really not a material you want for absorbency, although it does tend to be a base material for many of these products in its microfiber form. Cloths with lower polyester ratios and more absorbent materials like polyamide are often better in this category. Weave also matters, as looser weaves may be able to hold more water, and thinner threads may be able to absorb more effectively.