Aqua Deluxe XL - Drying Towel

Assuming you’ve cleaned and rinsed your vehicle thoroughly before drying with our Silk, Aqua Deluxe or Aqua Deluxe XL Drying Towel you can simply hang it up and let it air dry indoors, ready for next time. That said, it’s always good to wash these products periodically, just to keep them fresh. Cleaning your towels is simple, they can be hand or machine washed with a little Micro Wash Microfibre Detergent, before being hung to air dry. Always separate your drying towels from other microfibre cloths when washing, because these won’t have been exposed to any chemical products. If machine washing, limit the temperature to sub 30 DegC, and use a fast spin cycle to expel most of the water. Never tumble dry or hot wash, as this can melt the fibres. For more information on washing our Aqua Deluxe Drying Towels, and our other microfibre cloths, check out our article – How To Wash Your Microfibre Cloths The Right Way.

To revive your Aqua Deluxe or Aqua Deluxe XL give it a good wash first, and upon removing from the washing machine, give it a good shake. Leave your drying towel to air dry naturally indoors. Once dry, use a soft bristle brush (like an Upholstery Brush) to work all the fibres of the towel into one direction. This will help bring the pile up nice and fluffy. When completely dry give the towel another good shake and it should be ready to go. Although the towel will never look or feel as it did when it was first purchased, it will still perform just as well. 

Despite being clear, drinkable and pH neutral, tap water – the water which you’ve probably just cleaned your car with – is crammed full of mineral impurities. If left to air-dry, the water is allowed to evaporate off and these are deposited all over your paintwork. These may even require polishing out to remove the ‘spotting’. The best way of ridding your car of these impurities is while it’s still wet and they're trapped in the water (before they’re deposited on the vehicle), using a suitable drying towel to absorb them safely, without scratching, and without merely pushing them across surfaces. Rainwater on the other hand is relatively pure, which is why you don’t need to dry your car off every time it rains. 

Although, we often use the word microfibre as a generalised term for a whole towel or cloth it actually refers to each fibre in the material. In order to be a microfibre, by definition, the single fibres have to be finer than 1 denier, which roughly equates to a single strand of silk. The premium cloths we develop have microfibres between 0.1 and 0.3 denier, which is up to 200 times finer than a human hair. Microfibre cloths are made from a synthetic blend of polyester - which makes up most of the structure - and polyamide (Nylon) used for increased absorption and density. These single fibres are also split to make them extremely fine during the manufacturing process and then woven into various constructions that have different attributes that are ideal for specific tasks. A split microfibre strand has a cross section much like an asterix (*), this not only means it has a hugely increased surface area, but that it can lift away fine particles within the strand itself. So, when these fibres are run across any wet or dry surface, they will pick up the fine particles or water molecules and hold them within the single fibres. This is why a microfibre will grab dust, grime and water, rather than simply move it around. For more on the science of microfibre see our full guide – Microfibre Car Cloths – Getting The Right Towel For The Job.

Yes, when it comes to our Aqua Deluxe, Aqua Deluxe XL or Silk Drying Towels, a single towel is always enough for at least one car. These have been specially developed by professional detailers to tackle everything from estate cars to pickups and SUVs and even standard sized vans, without the need for another towel. That said, due to the increased surface area, the Aqua Deluxe XL does mean less drying passes on any vehicle, and the Silk Drying Towel is a twist-loop weave designed specifically to be fast, so you may find those a little quicker than a standard sized towel. The Aqua Deluxe XL product is also designed to be able to take even more water - all the surface water from lager vehicles like HGVs and large vans, or for use when drying multiple vehicles in a single day.   

GSM (grams per square metre) is the dry weight – otherwise known as the density - of a microfibre cloth, regardless of the type of weave or length of the pile. As a general rule, the higher the GSM, the softer and more suited to absorbing moisture or liquid detailing products a cloth will be. Our ultra-deep pile Aqua Deluxe and Aqua Deluxe XL are designed purely for drying and utilise an ultra-high 1200GSM microfibre material, helping them to absorb a huge amount of water. A high GSM is also suitable for sensitive surfaces like soft paint and easily-scratched gloss plastics. Our Ultra Plush Microfibre and Primo Plush Microfibre Towels are also extremely absorbent, but these thick, long-pile 800 and 600GSM towels are also the ultimate premium cloths for safely buffing away finishing and protection products. Lower GSM figures are not quite as absorbent and more suited to heaver cleaning tasks and cleaning away harsh polish or coating residues, our Microfibre Work Cloths for example are still extremely soft, durable and scratch free, but these are constructed with a 300GSM microfibre to make them seriously versatile for a wide variety of detailing and valeting tasks.