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What Is the Best Chamois Towel for Drying? Read Our Chamois Towel Reviews!
We looked at well-known cleaning brands as well as specialty towel and shammy brands during our search. We chose brands that are known to use high-quality materials and effective designs. We've chosen a variety of sizes and combo packs so you can find an option that fits your needs. If you need a chamois towel for dogs, all of our featured products will work. But if you want something especially designed with your pooch in mind, we wanted to show you our top picks!
Related:How to Replace Windshield Wipers on Your Car — 4 Easy Steps & No Special Tools Required!!
Our Top Choice
CleanTools The Absorber XL Synthetic Chamois Towel for Drying - 29-Inch x 18-Inch Super Absorbent Microfiber Chamois, Available in Multiple Colors.
Features
CleanTools began operation in a garage and grew over time into a multi-million-dollar enterprise. It has always specialized in car-cleaning tools. Its founders took a "hands-on" approach from the beginning by personally attending trade shows and keeping in contact with car manufacturers, paint specialists, car customizers and customers.
The term “XL” in CleanTools Absorber XL doesn’t mean an extra-large size but rather more drying power for larger jobs. The towel is slightly bigger than the original model but offers a smooth, textured surface that holds more water and covers a wider surface area within a shorter time. The Absorber XL outperforms several leather chamois and terry cloth towels, making it great for boats, trucks, or yachts. You’ll not find a single drying product that can match its performance, so you can easily throw away your stack of towels by replacing them with a single Absorber XL.
Here are more features of the CleanTools Absorber XL chamois towel:
- Super absorbent power and covers more surface area within a shorter time.
- Soft and scratch free, hence, protecting your investment.
- Resistant to most chemicals, so you can use it with confidence.
- Machine washable, making it reusable without affecting the environment.
- Resistant to mildew and molds and will last for several years when well taken care of.
- It comes with a handy tube for protection, so you can dry the towel on the go or at home.
- Available in two colors: blue and natural.
Best Value
The Man Sham is designed with lightweight PVA, so you can easily wring it out and keep on drying – no more stubborn wet spots. Looking for more than just a towel? The
Armor All Car Wash Kit includes 64 oz Ultra Shine Wash & Wax Car Wash Soap, microfiber wash mitt and a microfiber chamois towel for drying.
The Man Sham Chamois Towel for Car - Ultimate Towel for Fast Drying of Your Car or Truck, Scratch and Lint Free Shine
Features
The Man Sham is a company that was created with a simple philosophy. When you're passionate about keeping your ride at its best, you need serious tools to make the job a breeze. An old rag or sub-par shammy can leave your truck or motorcycle with splotches of moisture, while a superior cloth can have your ride looking spotless in no time.
That's why the Man Sham is made to dry your vehicle easily, without leaving any specks on your newly buffed or washed car. This lightweight yellow shammy is built with high-quality PVA and designed to make it easy to wring out all the moisture you've collected. That way, you're not left with a soaking rag halfway through the job. This chamois gets the job done from start to finish. It's machine washable and happens to make a great gift for anyone who takes pride in their vehicles.
Made of 100% genuine sheepskin leather, the Ever New Auto NATURAL CHAMOIS has an open fiber that makes it absorbent or hydrophilic. The marine oil on the protein chain further enhances the absorption capabilities, enabling this chamois to suck up and retain large amounts of water. Don't need the mega 6.5 square foot size? Go for
the large natural chamois towel which is only 3.5 square feet.
Ever New Automotive Premium New Zealand Sheepskin for Drying Cars, Boats, & RVs - 6.5 sq ft Chamois Towel Dries and Polishes
Features
Ever New Auto has established itself as a leading provider of high-quality preservation and chamois accessories for automobiles, trucks, boats, RVs, and much more. Their select product offering has been designed to save time and money. Every product is made with renewable resources and backed by a 100 percent customer satisfaction guarantee.
A leather chamois is still the most cost-effective, efficient, and safe product available for drying cars. A great-quality chamois cloth is extremely soft, absorbent, hydrophilic and durable, and it offers a lot of nap. The Ever New Auto chamois towel saves time and effort when drying a vehicle, in addition to reducing scratching and marring of paint. It is extremely absorbent, hence, eliminating the need to make multiple passes across the vehicle’s surface – this significantly reduces the drying time.
Let’s look at more features of the Ever New Auto chamois towel:
- Made of 100 percent genuine New Zealand leather from sheepskin that is tanned in Turkey and assembled in the US.
- Has thousands of uses, including on automobiles, home, bath, boats, and much more.
- Highly absorbent and hydrophilic due to the high-quality sheepskin used, with open fiber structure.
- The absorption capability is further enhanced by the marine life effect on the protein chain, which allows the tanned leather to effectively absorb and retain water in large amounts.
- The loose wave of fiber allows the towel to hold up to five times its weight in water but still makes it easy to rinse and wring out.
The original ShamWow 8-Piece Set has four large and four mini shammy towels that each hold a whopping 10 times their weight in liquid. You can also purchase either the large (20 x 23.5 inches) ShamWow or
the mini chamois towel (15 x 15 inches) separately if you don't need both sizes.
The Original Shamwow Super Absorbent Multi-Purpose Cleaning Shammy - Machine Washable Chamois Towel Cloth, Will Not Scratch
Features
ShamWow became a household name with its high-quality shammy cloth. Its popular infomercial made many customers take notice of the superior cleaning power of the chamois in the first place.
The ShamWow 8-Piece Set is a value kit with four large towels and four mini versions for precise applications. Its shammy cloth is often described as a chamois, towel and sponge all in one because of its no-scratch surface and superior drying power. Unlike a towel or sponge, this shammy attracts liquids and debris for easy cleaning. It also tends to last much longer than common cleaning products, and it's machine washable.
The super-absorbent RennStar Products Chamois Pro Synthetic, Water Absorbent Drying Towel is used for motorcycles, trucks, cars, boats, or RVs. The company has infused an anti-mildew agent that prevents mold formation during storage, and also eliminates all water marks, ensuring a streak-free finish. And
don't forget to pick up your cleaners while you are at it!
Chamois Pro Synthetic Water Absorbent Drying Towel for Cars, Trucks, RV's, Motorcycles & More
Features
RennStar is dedicated to placing their customers ahead of their own interests. They have, over the years, produced high-quality chamois towels at affordable prices and continue to do so today. Whether you’re looking for a small towel for your car or a super-absorbent model for your truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle, RennStar has you covered.
The RennStar Products Chamois Pro Synthetic, Water Absorbent Drying Towel is a super-absorbent drying towel that is used on cars, boats, motorcycles, trucks, and RVs. To achieve optimum results when drying any surface, it’s critical to thoroughly wring out water from the chamois towel to effectively eliminate all water marks and achieve a streak-free finish. They have also impregnated the towel with a proprietary anti-mildew agent that keeps off any mold during storage.
More features include:
- High resistance to grease and oil, making it effective for boats and trucks
- Tough and lint free, hence, highly durable
- Highly absorbent, making it great for drying
- Anti-mildew treatment to prevent growth of mold and mildew
- Comes with a 100% RennStar customer satisfaction guarantee.
Best Chamois Towel Buying Guide – What to Look in a Chamois Towel for Swimming, Washing Your Pet, Drying Your Car or Cleaning Your Home
We should never underestimate the value of drying our cars after washing, rain or an accidental encounter with a sprinkler. Water contains traces of minerals such as salt, iron and calcium. When left behind during evaporation, these contaminants begin to seep into the exterior of your car, eating away at its clear coat. You will save yourself a lot of time and money by drying your car immediately after it catches water.
Although many products exist on the market for drying cars, a chamois towel remains the most efficient, cost-effective and safe product for drying a vehicle today. A good-quality chamois towel is very durable and highly absorbent, has lots of nap, and is extremely soft. These towels came into use in the early 1700s and have remained the benchmark by which every other drying towel is measured.
While chamois towels are mostly used to shine cars and boats, they can also be used to dry other surfaces in the home. Their high-absorbent nature makes them ideal for use in place of kitchen towels or sponges to clean several messes around the home. Others, such as The Water Gear Chamois Towels, can be used to dry oneself after a fun-filled water sport such as swimming or diving, or to dry your pet after a bath.
Natural chamois cloths made of sheepskin, are the softest on the market. But they are more expensive than synthetic chamois towels. Either type will dry a surface without scratching or marring its finish. They not only trap water, grit, and dirt, but also release the abrasive materials when rinsed afterward. So, now that you have decided to ditch the old rag you have been using to dry your car for a good-quality chamois, how do you choose the towel that will do the job right and last you years to come? To know which towel is the best, examine it for consistency in the material, and check for any spots or discoloration. Note that you can choose between natural and synthetic fabrics! While it’s important to consider your budget, be prepared to spend a little extra for a top-quality product.
It is also important to consider the size of towel you want. A large "shammy" will come in handy if you have a large area to clean. For instance, a 25-inch x 25-inch towel will make it easy and quick to clean a car. A smaller cloth will, however, be ideal for wiping the inside of a vehicle, such as the dashboard.
Just like bathroom towels, chamois towels come in a variety of colors for you to choose from according to your style and preference. Let’s now go into detail on what you should consider when buying the best chamois towel before jumping straight to our picks.
Video: Demonstration of How a Chamois Cloth Works
What is a Chamois Cloth/Towel? | Courtesy of 84gman
Price
With all the tasks that a single chamois towel can perform around the home, you will be happy to note that these pieces of cloth will not cost you much. With between around $8 and $20, you can get a good-quality "shammy" that will serve you for a very long time. The prices are bound to go higher depending on the material, level of absorbency, and softness of the towel. Natural chamois towels are usually more expensive than microfiber chamois towels because the former dry with less discoloration. Beware of very cheap chamois towels, as they may not perform the required tasks optimally.
Features
Here are some features to look out for in a high-performance chamois towel:
- High Absorbency – The more permeable a chamois towel is, the fewer the passes required for drying. Fewer passes means there will be less chance of generating swirl marks from the grit missed during the washing process. What’s more, a more absorbent towel speeds up the process of drying, saving you time and energy.
- Releases Dirt Efficiently – The ability to pull out dirt and trap it in the chamois towel is the most powerful way of protecting your vehicle. But the towel is bound to become dirty or saturated, and rinsing it is essential at this point. The best chamois towel should also be able to release the trapped dirt when rinsed. Towels that cannot release the grit effectively will eventually become abrasive during the drying exercise and damage the paint.
- Soft or Non-Abrasive Fabric – A good drying towel is one made of soft, non-abrasive material. This is an essential attribute, as it helps protect the paint.
- Quantity of Nap /Pile – Nap, also known as pile, refers to small soft fibers that stick out from the fabric. These fibers make it easy for any dirt to be removed from a surface and be pushed up into the towel, preventing the undesirable swirl marks from marring the paint. So, the amount of nap found in a cloth determines the amount of grit it can pull away from a surface.
Construction and Design
There are basically two types of chamois – natural ones and artificial or synthetic ones.
- Natural chamois is made of sheepskin and absorbs a high volume of water, making it ideal for drying things such as automobiles. Natural chamois is very soft and non-abrasive, which makes it perfect for cleaning painted surfaces that are easily scratched. The fact that natural chamois is made of leather gives it more NAP, hence the ability to suck in all the dirt and grit from your paint. The downside to leather chamois towels is that they are very expensive compared to synthetic ones.
- Synthetic chamois, on the other hand, is made of PVA, natural cotton, or wheat starch. While these chamois towels work in the same way as natural ones to absorb moisture from surfaces, they lack NAP, so the dirt that is trapped between the paint and the synthetic chamois can mar your paint. Synthetic chamois is, however, inexpensive compared to the natural chamois.
Video: How to Use a Chamois and Microfiber Cloth
Drying a Car Using a Chamois Towel. | Courtesy of Autovehicle Frederin
Performance and Ease of Use
As discussed above, chamois towels are ideal for various tasks. These towels can quickly make any surface clean and dry at the same time, and they are incredibly easy to use. Natural chamois towels are never to be put in a washing machine or dryer, as this can result in the shredding of the material or bring spots and discoloration to the surface. These towels should be hand washed with a mild detergent and gently rinsed in cold water. Hang in the sun to dry!
A natural chamois is durable and might last you several uses, but it is prudent to replace it when you start noticing fuzz or tiny pieces of fabric left behind. Your towel might also begin to draw in less water after several uses due to the accumulation of wax or polish in the pores of the fabric. Unlike natural chamois towels, synthetic chamois towels can be machine washed to help them last longer.
Chamois towels are often listed as car-washing towels, car-cleaning towels, or car-drying towels. While you may feel that it is not a must to use a chamois to clean your car, it really helps to remove the water that might have left marks on a newly cleaned car.
Get the Best Chamois Towel of 2023!
Pay attention to customer ratings to get an idea of how effective different chamois towels can be. Consider how long you want your chamois cloth to last, and whether you want to grab a value pack while you're at it for added savings. Whether you're looking for a new cleaning solution or a great way to buff your vehicles, we hope we’ve helped you find the best chamois towel for your needs. But if we haven’t, these brands have a variety of options for you.
Our Top Choice
CleanTools The Absorber XL Chamois Towel
Best Value
The Man Sham Chamois Cloth Car Drying Towel
Ever New Auto XL Eco-Friendly Natural Chamois
ShamWow Chamois Drying Towel Bundle
PVA Synthetic Chamois for Cars, Truck, Motorcycle
Chamois Towel FAQs
What is a chamois towel?
A chamois towel is a towel made of a soft, felt-like material that feels great against the skin. It is ideal for placing into the car to absorb excess moisture, preventing the inside of the vehicle from becoming stuffy.
Where to buy a chamois towel?
You can buy a chamois towel from Amazon, which is undoubtedly the best online retailer. You wouldn’t find any other seller with incredible deals and a wide variety of products. If you are looking for a chamois towel to buy, we have reviewed.
How to care for a chamois towel?
To properly care for a chamois towel, rinse it thoroughly in warm soapy water. You may use car wash shampoo or ordinary soap but not bleaches and detergents that deplete the towel of natural oils, degrading it.
