General purpose
The most common type of cloth is created with a standard terry cloth weave that is a combination of 80% polyester and 20% polyamide. This is a great all-purpose option and useful for wiping leather, plastic, vinyl, glass and paint. Also, it helps to have a relatively good thickness for this cloth.
Glass and polishing
The preferred cloth for a lot of glass cleaning and polishing work is certain to be 100% lint free. It will have short naps compared to the general cloth, but must still offer sufficient scrubbing power. This cloth must be able to remove streaks or other marks left by water. Also, a microfiber cloth with no edge is a great choice because it will minimize the risk of scratching a delicate surface.
Drying
The preferred options for drying include the microfiber cloths with a waffle or terry cloth weave. Cloths with a very short terry loop are practical for drying. It is best to avoid cloths with a plush, heavy nap because it will be difficult to wring out in the event of getting wet. The waffle and terry cloth are both great at absorbing water, but the waffle pattern is just a little more effective at holding water longer to limit the number of times it becomes necessary to wring the cloth out.
Cleaning
The microfiber options for cleaning have a very course and tight nap with strands that aren’t split. This type of cloth isn’t intended to give the most reliable option when it comes to soaking up water. It should be used for basic janitorial work and not the fine car detailing steps. A few of the good options include the polishing and waffle weave cloths for this work.