Hands down, one of the most fantastic tools the Good Lord ever created for the automotive detailer is the chamois! If you’re detailing cars without one of these magic rags, then we really need to know what it is you’re using. Actually, don’t bother showing us. All we need for you to know is that chamois is king!
Because chamois has no abrasive properties, it can be used as a very effective — and very absorbent — drying material for any vehicle. And if you’re a big fan of doing your detailing by hand, then we’ve got a pair of tools that make drying a vehicle a walk in the park. And the results are stunning!
One of the first tools we recommend that you use in conjunction with a chamois is awater blade..This awesome item can be used to remove most of the water on your client’s vehicle. It can wipe away excess water from all of the larger areas with ease. And with a blade, the water disappears over the side of the vehicle, eliminating the time-consuming task of squeezing it out like you would have to do with a towel or chamois.
After you’ve used the water blade, follow up with either a microfiber chamois or synthetic chamois. The water blade will remove most of the water, but it certainly can’t get into all those bends, curves, cracks and crevices like a chamois can. Chamois are especially great for all those door jams, under the hood and trunk areas.
Warning: Some of these nooks and crannies will still contain dirt and debris that can scratch your client’s paint. Be certain to thoroughly rinse, squeeze and shake the chamois often.
We’ve found that both themicrofiber chamois orsynthetic chamois work great. But it’s entirely up to you to decide which works best for your situation. Most of us here at Detail King prefer using our super sucker — partly because it’s the biggest towel we carry and it can hold seven times its weight in water. But believe us when we say we also love the synthetic towels. Either way, the result is a sparkling gem on wheels.
So if you’re still using a regular hand towel — or worse yet, your kid’s old beach towel — to dry off your vehicles, you’re just wasting time and maybe even damaging your customer’s paint job. It’s time to check out what the professional use.