The Best Dust Cloths

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Thurber
Published on
March 12th, 2019

Expert BioExpert Bio

Ben has over a decade of experience in cleaning projects of all types along the entire eastern seaboard of the United States. Ben’s formal training and certifications in cleaning include the AMRT (Applied Microbial Remediation Technician), WRT (Water restoration technician), CCT (Carpet Cleaning technician), as well as several other certifications from the IICRC. Ben has managed teams involved in cleaning projects around the United States. Ben’s passion for cleaning and leading teams goes back as far as he can remember.

The Cleaning Institute

Dust cloths come in a variety of shapes, sizes, textures, and qualities. When it comes to eliminating dust and dirt, or absorbing liquid, it is important to choose a quality cloth that will hold up. It is important to find dust cloths that don’t push around the dust or the liquid, but rather trap the dust or liquid and lock it in to the cloth. You also want to ensure the cloth is a quality product that won’t scratch your surfaces. In this instance, choose a soft, fluffy product. For other hard surfaces and glass, you want to choose less absorbent, flatweave cloths. There are a variety of types and brands of dust cloths. We set out to test an assortment of them to see which were the best. In order to prescribe our recommendations, we tested them among a few testing categories, like absorbency, quality, and multi-use.

Testing Categories

It’s important for you to understand how we chose the top pick, honorable mention, and green pick so that you can choose the best product for your needs. We evaluated dozens of products and scored them in a few categories to solidify our selections.

Absorbency

For this category, we looked at the absorbency of the products and the ability to collect and trap dust, dirt, and allergens. We also took into account the amount of liquid a cloth can absorb and how quickly it dries.

Quality

When choosing a product, it is important to choose a product that is high-quality. Whether it is a disposable wipe or a reusable microfiber cloth, the product must be durable and lasting.

Multi-Use

Another important category is the ability for the cloth to be multi-use on a multitude of surfaces. We want to ensure that the dust cloths have multi-use capabilities to ensure they make your cleaning more effective and efficient.

Top Pick

VibraWipe Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

These cloths are high absorbency, lint-free, and streak-free. They’re perfect for cleaning kitchens, cars, and windows. The cloths are high absorbency, holding 5-6 times their weight in liquid.

Price Check

Most notable upside: The VibraWipe microfiber cleaning cloths gently remove dirt and grime while holding onto dust and junk. These cloths don’t push the dirt and dust around, but rather hold on to it for thorough and easy cleaning. The cloths are thick, plush, and soft and are machine washable.The cloths are high-quality and safe on all hard surfaces. These are great for replacing the use of paper towels and are environmentally friendly due to their reusability and washability. This cuts down on waste and money. They have densely bundled fibers form a greater cleaning surface that is 40 times greater than cotton. These are durable cloths that can withstand hundreds of washings. With trong-overlocked stitched hems, the cloths withstand unraveling. They are safe on all hard surfaces, both wet and dry. You will find they are great for cleaning up kitchens and easily come clean in the washer. They clean water spots and smudges from bathroom fixtures. Ultimately, they are a great value and price point and eliminate the need for chemicals.

Biggest downsides: The microfiber of the cloths does start to repel after a while with lots of liquid contact and frequent use. They can be difficult to rinse the cloth and get the liquid out.

Honorable Mention

Clorox Triple Action Dust Wipes

These two-sided, bleach-free dust wipes trap and lock dust instead of pushing it around. Grabs and holds dust, allergens, hair, pet dander, and dust mites. All in one wipe simplifies cleaning.

Price Check

Most notable upside: The Clorox triple action dust wipes have a clinging power that grabs and holds dust and allergens. The interlocking weave truly holds on to the dust and doesn’t allow it to just be pushed around. These are dry and non-abrasive, which makes them great to use on all surfaces, like remotes, blinds and frames, counters, and more. They are safe to use on electronics like tablets, remotes, and smartphones. Lint and hair sticks well to the wipe and keeps it from falling back off as you clean. The cloths larger surface area cleans more space quickly and is great for use on wood furniture. You can also easily collect dust from cords or quickly grab dust from baseboards. You can expect to dust an entire room with just one wipe. These work really well on cleaning ceiling fans. They also pick up and hold pet hair and dander and are also great for cleaning the inside of vehicles. They are a very diverse and multi-use product.

Biggest downsides: Some customers do not like the sticky texture of the products and they are not ideal for a large buildup of dust.

Green Pick

Skoy Eco-friendly Cleaning Cloth-

Biodegradable multi-use cloths made of cotton and cellulose. Eco-friendly product that replaces paper towels. These can be used on most surfaces in your house from kitchen to bathroom and office.

Price Check

Most notable upside: Skoy Eco-Friendly Cleaning Cloths are a natural multi-use cloth. They are a thick but spongy material. These cloths are reusable, machine washable, and will last for months of reuse and absorb 15 times their weight in liquid. They are safe in the washer, dishwasher, and dryer. Additionally, the cloth dries very quickly. This makes them great for cleaning up and absorbing spills. They are ideal for cleaning counters, kitchen appliances, stove tops, and they don’t scratch surfaces. There is a bit of a grippy surface or texture to the cloths which makes them great for getting into nooks and crannies. They are excellent for hand-washing glass, ceramic ware, and cutlery. The cloths are soft but have a scrubbing ability like a scouring pad and get off tough messes. They also rinse out really well between uses, and they don’t lose shape or shrink when wet. Luckily, the cloths remove stuck on mess from dishes and non-stick pots and pans with ease. They scrub and are absorbent like a sponge, but they don’t fall apart like a sponge. You will find the cloths can be used in place of a sponge, wash cloth, or paper towel. This makes kitchen clean up quite a breeze. These cloths can replace the job of 15 rolls of paper towels. That means greatly reduced cost and waste. The environmentally-friendly cloths are made out of cotton and cellulose and are 100% biodegradable. The cloths are also a compostable product, which makes them very eco-friendly.

Biggest downsides: These cloths can reportedly become a little stiff with continued use.

All Our Picks

Tips for Effective Dusting

Dusting can be a very tedious chore. It can be messy and hard to do if you don’t dust correctly. When cleaning fans, molding, doorways, and other high surfaces, you can apply microfiber cloths on the end of a mop handle to get to those tough to reach areas. The tool will allow you to get into those hard to reach nooks and crannies. When dusting, remember that dust falls from top to bottom. It is also important to start with the highest areas and work your way down to the lowest. That will keep from spreading the mess. It’s also helpful to work in a spiral formation, working clockwise as you dust. When dusting, you should utilize microfiber cloths because they are electrostatically charged, which allows them to literally attract dust. The cloths will hold on to and trap all of the dust and dirt particles. They’re also very absorbent and won’t leave behind dust or lint. These cloths also ensure a streak-free clean on all surfaces.

A Note About Safety and Storage

Make sure you completely dry the cloths before folding and storing to avoid any opportunity for mold or mildew to develop. If air drying the cloths, make sure you first wring out as much water as possible. You want to hang them where all sides or surfaces of the cloth can dry, such as hanging by a clothespin or something similar. Otherwise, cloths have the ability to mildew if they’re not fully air dried.

The Best Dust Cloths

Your guide to this review today is by Cleaning expert Ben Thurber

The Cleaning Institute

Testing Categories

VibraWipe Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Clorox Triple Action Dust Wipes

Skoy Eco-friendly Cleaning Cloth-

All Our Picks

VibraWipe Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Clorox Triple Action Dust Wipes

Skoy Eco-friendly Cleaning Cloth-

Tips for Effective Dusting

A Note About Safety and Storage

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