What many do not know is the secret behind microfiber that helps allow Envision Commercial Cleaning to be so successful in what we do.  Microfiber is a manmade material that is a combination of two different fibers: polyester and polyamide.  Polyamide is a nylon by-product.  The two fibers are split in a ratio of 80/20: 80% polyester which is for scrubbing and cleaning purposes, and 20% polyamide which is for absorbing and quick drying purposes.  There are 200,000 microfibers per square inch!  A single strand of microfiber is so small that it is almost invisible to the naked eye.  There are two types of microfiber cloth. The first is a “terry style” which is used for general cleaning purposes, whether it be domestic or industrial.  The other is a “suede style” which is used for polishing surfaces like glass or electronic screens.

Features and Benefits:

Microfiber cloths can be used either wet or dry – with chemicals or without chemicals.  The nature of the cloth is to scrape dirt form the surface trapping the particles in the tiny loops that the microfibers create.  Most conventional cloths just push the dirt around leaving a streaky residue behind on the surface. Microfibers lift and trap the dirt leaving a clean dry surface behind.  This process makes the effort to actually get surfaces clean a lot less than the effort needed with regular cotton cloths.

Very environmentally friendly, microfiber reduces the need for chemical cleaners and reduces disposal waste.  According to an independent study conducted by “Royal Roads University” in Victoria, British Columbia when used with only tap water microfibers are “99.94% effective in removing bacteria from smooth surfaces” as compared to conventional cloths and mops used with bleach which were “only 91.89% effective”.  Microfiber cloths and mops are five times less expensive to clean and due to their light weight they can be washed in large quantities reducing the water and energy use required to wash them.  They can also be reused a minimum of 500 times!

Microfiber cloths are durable and reusable.  They save time and energy both while being used and in washing. Washing of microfiber towels and mops is as simple as putting them in a washing machine with normal detergent on a cold cycle.  Just remember not to use heat as this will melt the individual fibers, or specific detergents that will become trapped in the fibers making the products less effective.

This blog article only scratches the surface when it comes to revealing the magic behind microfiber.  Be sure to follow our blog for there is more to come on this fascinating topic!

 

Sources:

“Microfiber Training” GCI- Janitorial Education.  2007 The Green Clean Institute .