 Spend lots of money on a 'specialist' outdoor towel? My mate seemed to be spending an age in the shower last week, and on questioning what he was doing (!) he muttered darkly about how his Paramo towel was simply moving water around, so I revealed my secret: the Microfibre cleaning cloth.
Go to your local Lidl, Poundland or 99p Store and buy a microfibre cleaning cloth. I picked up two large (~40cm square) 'floorcloths' for £2 in one of Lidl's 'specials' last week, and they had three smaller ones for £2.50. The floorcloths each weighed about 125g. I found one roughly A3-sized (weighing 100g) and three smaller cloths for £1 in my local Poundland and 99p Stores.
They're excellent; cheap, light, absorbent, can be wrung out, and dry quickly. Oh, and they dry you well too. They can be washed at 60 or 95C, too, depending on the type.
Incidentally, before we found a convenient Lidl in Porthmadog, he splashed £6 on a discounted 'microfibre outdoor towel' in a shop in Betws (rrp £10). We could determine no difference in performance between this and the Lidl floorcloths.
I've long been a proponent of a traditional cotton flannel for washing and drying, but, having replaced this with a microfibre version, I don't think I'll be looking back; why take two towels into the shower, when you can just wash, wring and dry...
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 Nice idea Capt.but i think i'll stay with my Aztec soft Microfibre towel,coated with Nobac anti-bacterial coating.
Sorry for the over elaberation.?
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Once again Cap, you've found a proper bargain. But floor cloths? Really? Lidl? What is the material made from?
As for your mate, I think I might know why his Paramo one just "moved water around". He's probably washed it in TX wash in and tech wash!
May just have a toddle down to Lidl this week after work.
Talking of which, the headtorch thingy is ace. 3 brightness settings with 8 super bright LED's and about £6.99.
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I did ask him whether he'd proofed it. I got a strongly worded response to the negative...
As far as I could tell, the fabric was identical to that used by the 'proper outdoor' towel.
They're everywhere if you look; not just in Lidl.
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oh, they're microfibre nylon and polyester.
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I'm not sure an anti0bacterial coating is necessary, given how quickly they dry, and the fact that they can be hot washed.
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A Paramo towel shouldn't move water around.I have the (near identical) Nikwax travel towel and it works a treat.
I'd challenge you not to be impressed the first time you use one and notice that the water actually does accumulate on one side while the drying face stays dry.
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That may be true,but it pays to have all your bases covered.?
Anyway i think it's washed off by now..?
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 the likes of the Lifeventure towels always feel like drying yourself with a chamois just like the car.
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ah! but the trick with a paramo towel is to use the smooth side. the fluffy side *can* move water around.
still ace though.
absolutely the dog's as a beach towel.
now then, cheap cloths...just ideal to carry.
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 <visualises trying to dry self with a chamois>
<mmmm nice leathery smell>
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 But you have to be really careful not to do yourself a mischief with the horns!!!
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Oh! I say!
;o)
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Capt;you need a job on Blue peter,
The things you could do with a jar of glue and some string is no ones buisness.?
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Captn, for the last 6 weeks I have had great success using a 'floorcloth' from a 99p store as a towel, after my Speedo (size of a facecloth) swim towel died, but I was too ashamed to admit it - and I have very little shame. Respect to your bare-facedness (shower puns not intended....)
Anyone tried a home-made meths stove yet, btw - they are FUN, and consist of old tin cans..... Recyling shouldn't feel this good.....
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 I bought 2 microfibre towels earlier in the year from Lidl. They look like cheap terry towelling in blue and white stripes and are sized between a hand towel and a bath towel. Having said that they outperform cotton for absorbancy, are very light, pack down really small and because of their looser weave dry much quicker than the small microfibre travel towels I have used hitherto. They cost about £1.50 each.
Look out for their return.
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 Aldi had microfibe sports towels in earlier this year, can't remember how much but they were cheap and work well too.
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Right, a little bit of measuring, box-reading and weighing went on last night:
Lidl Aquapur Microfibre floorcloth x2 £1.99
50cm x 55cm
93g
80% polyester 20% nylon
conflicting washing instructions
packet says 95C
label says 60C
use no softener or bleach
Lidl Aquapur Microfibre Universal cloth x3 £2.49
30cm x 35cm
34g
80% polyester 20% nylon
wash 95C
use no softener or bleach
Poundland Microfibre cleaning cloth £1
40cm x 60cm
64g
36,000 ultra-thin fibres per cm2
absorbs 8x own weight in water
use no softener or bleach
Poundland Microfibre cloths x3 £1
dusting, glass, furniture
31cm x 31cm
24g
use no softener or bleach
I use a facecloth (flannel) sized one for washing and drying; it's lightest and smallest, after all. Such a cloth makes for more efficient use of shower gel, so needing to carry less, and, when wrung out, dries you off perfectly well. It's no good for modesty purposes, though... The fact that the detergent in the shower gel encourages wicking is a benefit when drying.
As for pride/shame of using a floorcloth, I take a strange pride in finding bargains...
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 i got a microfibre towel from my local home bargain store, its a proper sports towel but made from microfibre and packs down to next to nothing, i think its similar to the likes of the nikwax towel....and it only cost £2 i just wish i had abought a couple more!
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