# Watch cleaning cloth



## mew88

Hi all,
im not sure if this has been discussed but what do you think is the best cloth to wipe down a watch?

Currently using a 3M microfiber cloth that I keep in an airtight container when not in use but im wondeirng if there are better alternatives out there.
Some of my watches have mineral glass and I'm afraid of scratching them in during the cleaning process.


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## TK-421

mew88 said:


> Hi all,
> im not sure if this has been discussed but what do you think is the best cloth to wipe down a watch?
> 
> Currently using a 3M microfiber cloth that I keep in an airtight container when not in use but im wondeirng if there are better alternatives out there.
> Some of my watches have mineral glass and I'm afraid of scratching them in during the cleaning process.


that is pretty extreme. i usually spit on the sapphire and use my shirt.


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## Beau8

I use a regular lint free cloth for cleaning sunglasses and a cap cod cloth on occasion~Cheers! ;-)


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## lvt

TK-421 said:


> that is pretty extreme. i usually spit on the sapphire and use my shirt.


This will affect the resale value of your watch


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## EHV

The Veraet Microsilk cloths are made for watches and are extremely soft.
All microfiber is not created equal so be careful.
I know this from detailing cars. Some microfiber cloths will scratch even though they seem very soft. 

If you have a cloth you want to use with your watch, take a blank CD or one you don't care about and rub the cloth on it. If it scratches, toss it out and find one that is not abrasive. They are not necessarily purpose designed/made. You need to find good ones and also consider the edging, which can be worse than the cloth. 
A lot of "optical grade" cloths are decent too.

How's that for neurotic?!


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## [email protected]

*Hi
Selvyt cloth
Paul
*


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## ulackfocus

[email protected] said:


> *
> Selvyt cloth
> *


Paul beat me to it. They're washable, and come in different sizes also.


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## IanC

How can microfibre cloths possibly scratch the glass? I thought mineral glass was hard enough to not be scratched that easily?

If you want a free one and wear spectacles, go to the shop you got your specs from and ask for 1 or 2 more cloths(the same kind that came free with your specs). They shouldnt charge you.


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## EHV

Selvyt's are great but the Veraet's are even softer.
I have no affiliation, just some OCD. b-)

I doubt you'd scratch a mineral crystal with any decent cloth.


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## Raza

EHV said:


> Selvyt's are great but the Veraet's are even softer.
> I have no affiliation, just some OCD. b-)
> 
> I doubt you'd scratch a mineral crystal with any decent cloth.


Microfiber can pick up tiny particles that will then scratch your crystal. That's why they say that if you ever put a microfiber mitt on the ground, you can never use it again to wash your car. Too risky.


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## cavallino33

I bought one of the Softshine cloths from ofrei last time I ordered something there. It works well.


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## hakgwai

i use the cloth that came along with my glasses.
dont know what type of cloth that is


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## James Haury

I use a jewelry cleaning cloth from wal mart.


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## niles316

At the end of the day,when i take off my watch,i just use whatever shirt that is on me to wipe it.


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## igorycha

Particularly because of tiny particles that could be stuck in microfiber clothes, I prefer not to wipe neither my watch nor photo lenses with the same material twice. So I use paper tissues or even toilet paper, which is soft enough.:-!


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## tfar

Good thread. The suede like microfiber cloths the come with watches are very good at taking finger prints off. Probably the best for this task. The next is the silk like cloths that come for optics and glasses. These will not scratch your watch or crystal as long as they are kept clean. You can wash them without a problem. They are made to safely clean polycarbonate lenses with AR coating. So mineral or sapphire will be totally super safe. Obviously, if there are big dust grains on the cloth and you rub those in, it may still scratch. That's why it's important to keep them clean.

The last option are the bathroom towel like mf cloths. I buy mine from target in the auto aisle. I did the CD test and am a car detailing nut (avowed). They work great on just about anything, are cheap and don't scratch. The advantage is that the pile of these cloths is so high that if there is a little dust grain it will be pressed into the pile of the cloth and not into the metal or crystal of your watch. The disadvantage is that these are not quite as good as the first two at getting fingerprints off. They require a little more rubbing. They are also thicker. The silk cloth especially is nice because you can pull it through the lugs and clean behind the strap. With the Target cloth that won't work.

I have all three types and those are my un-prejudiced observations. If I could have only one, I'd take a silk mf cloth and keep it clean. For the record, I don't keep my silk cloth in an extra baggie as is. My watches have never been scratched by the cloth and I wipe them down before I leave the house and often before I put them back in the case.

Till


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## rolekul

I use a special cloth I got from the Optical shop for cleaning hyper sensitive surfaces, such as glasses, camera lenses and even telescopes! They're also small enough to fold, and carry in my wallet.


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## SoCal C4S

Googalies. They are awesome.


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## nocnoc

I concur with tfar.

I recently found a really good MF cloth I use all the time now. It's specially formulated for stainless steel. 70 Polyester and 30 Nylon with big loops. Quickie brand #471. Cost just $2 at the supermarket. Won't scratch even a CD. If it doesn't scratch a CD, it doesn't scratch a metal watch or a hesalite/acrylic crystal. They take of finger prints even quicker, i.e. with less rubbing (less rubbing is good) than the ordinary mf clothes I used before and even better than the silk mf cloths that come with some watches.

Cape Cod is a polishing cloth that contains an abrasive paste. It leaves micro swirls that are a ..... to get out. Only recommended if the watch has micro swirls anyway and you want to polish away some slightly bigger spots. They are NOT for daily cleaning.


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## 92gli

EHV said:


> If you have a cloth you want to use with your watch, take a blank CD or one you don't care about and rub the cloth on it. If it scratches, toss it out and find one that is not abrasive. They are not necessarily purpose designed/made. You need to find good ones and also consider the edging, which can be worse than the cloth.
> A lot of "optical grade" cloths are decent too.
> 
> How's that for neurotic?!


Not neurotic at all. A friend of mine that owns a detail shop educated me years ago on the dangers of the edge stitching on many microfiber cloths. Do the cd test with most cloths you find in stores and you'll see that the edge stitching scratches while the towel itself does not.


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## jesse1

I've been using* DuPont Sontara aerospace wipes *for 10+ years . They are designed for use on the windshields of aircraft including use by* USAF, Boeing,* *USNAVAIR and NASA *. They're lint free and will not scratch 18k or anything else . They don't leave hairlines and are not chemically treated . I introduced them when I worked at JLC and they were a hit with my fellow watchmakers . They go for $15 for a box of a hundred , the sheets are big enough to be cut in half (9x16). If they get dirty throw it out or use it for something less sensitive. The problem I 've found with "cloths " is that people don't throw them away as soon as they should , at $.15 a piece this is not an issue . I order them on line through an aircraft supply company .

This post should be at the end . Sorry ?


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## Nokie

> All microfiber is not created equal so be careful.
> I know this from detailing cars. Some microfiber cloths will scratch even though they seem very soft.


Yes I also do quite a bit of detailing and if you are going to use MF make sure it is a 70/30 blend as opposed to most OTC 80/20 blends. Silk cloths (100% pure, untreated, dye-free) also rock.

CD test is best way to see if the MF you are using will scratch.

MF is actually just thousands of super tiny fabric hooks designed to lift contaminates off a fixed surface. But if they use a cheap or "stiff" blend it can sometimes cause swirls or spider webbing on some hard surfaces.

As mentioned above, for the best optical clarity with no micro-marring issues, use aircraft grade or registered optical grade wipes, which are a very, very tightly woven natural and sometimes mixed with a synthetic fiber blend that has no abrasive quality.

This link might help for those who use MF-

Microfiber Towels - What You Should Know About Them | Auto Laundry News


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## E8USMCRET

I use a Trijicon Lens Pen/brush. These are used for cleaning optical lenses on military sniper and rifle scopes.


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