I know I’m way late to the gate on this one, but… I’d never really tried microfiber cloths before. I was very confused about the whole safe-to-use-with-cleaning-fluids issue, and I don’t like the feel of them on my hand—they’re just so sticky and they get caught and pulled in microscopic fingernail tears I didn’t even know I had—and they remind me of nothing so much as pantyhose. Just, ewwwww.
But I kept reading about how they were literally the best thing to happen to 
housekeeping since sliced bread, and with the whole cloth diaper thing, it just seemed to make a whole lot of sense to try to reduce our astounding trash pile of paper towels. So I ordered a great big pile of microfiber cloths and chomped at the bit until they finally came in and I could see for myself if all the hype was true.
It is. The most amazing thing about microfiber cloths is to clean off semi-solid messes, like tomato sauce or peanut butter from R’s highchair; there is no comparison between these cloths and anything else I’ve ever tried. They’re really good about not just pushing messes around, but actually picking them up. They’re also more than competent at cleaning up liquid spills: one cloth, wrung out once, cleaned up about 10oz of spilt milk, which means they’re as efficient as most sponges and less work—and less leave-behind smearing. They’re obviously good at dusting and picking up very small particles (like crumbs), but they’ve surprised me with their grippiness and ability to de-stickyfy surfaces as well. Honey, for instance, is no match for the microfiber.
I’ve also been surprised by how often it’s efficient for me to simply rinse them, wring them, and keep using them. I bought 36, and expected to have to buy more (or do laundry all the time) because we easily were going through that many paper towels in a day just cleaning the counters, the floors, and various other kid-dirtied surfaces. And it is nice to have enough of them so that if one gets too grody, I can toss it in the laundry without worrying about whether or not it’ll make me run out too soon, but I definitely don’t anticipate buying any more. I keep one on our paper towel rack for drying hands, one on the counter for cleaning counters, and one on another towel rack in the kitchen for getting little drips off the floor as they happen. The floor and counter ones end up getting replaced at least a couple of times each day, but they still last a lot longer than paper towels did.
The only thing I really regret is that I didn’t know about microfiber cloths sooner!
huh. i have a stack i actually bought, just sitting around. i hate the stickiness, too, but you've piqued my interest.
we dumped paper towels a while ago and use dish towels and wash cloths. i hung them to dry outside today, and it was so nice to see a reminder of all the paper that DIDN'T get thrown away.
-another cloth diapering mama;)
I love, love, love my microfiber cloths! I even use a microfiber washcloth on my face with nothing but water and my skin is clearer and better than it's ever been. I'm glad you discovered them! :-)
http://homewithpurpose.blogspot.com/2010/09/zone-cleaning-concept-for-kids-rooms.html
I have been thinking of getting a stack of microfiber cloths. They are great for car washing. SO absorbent. I do love them. I just need a stack for cleaning now…
Thanks for sharing this tip.
I use microfiber cloths for dusting. Sometime I use them dry; sometimes dampened with water. They work very well, but I still don't like how they feel.
Julie, I have always figured microfiber was just a scam to get you to buy rags. I have looked at microfiber and wonder if everything advertised as microfiber is really microfiber? Are there varying qualities? Why should I buy rags when I have a box full of them? Looking for your input.
Janet
I do remember reading that different “microfiber” is very different, but I haven’t experienced that personally. The only ones I’ve used are the ones linked to the picture in the post… BJs has some 10/$10 and I think I’ll try those next time. At the time I just looked for what ones on Amazon seemed to be getting good reviews. I do think they’re VERY different than rags. They’re kind of like terry cloth in that they scrub pretty well, but they also literally pick up dust and small debris, whereas rags and even towels seem to just push it around. The one thing I don’t like is that they’re pretty difficult to rinse out because they are so “sticky.” I think the best use for them is cleaning surfaces of grime (like sinks and countertops, and of course dusting), because they really do seem to do a much better job than rags. But if I have a big pile of crumbs, I’ve stopped using them ’cause it’s much easier to throw a paper towel away than it is to clean out the microfiber cloth.