January 20, 2025

How green is microfibre?

When cleaning became a profession, professional cleaning tools became professional. It started with leather and cotton wipes, then latex cloths were introduced and a big change came with the introduction of microfiber cleaning wipes in the late 1970s. Introduced at local consumer markets as the “wonder wipe” it rapidly became the standard in professional cleaning as well.

Microfibre, what is it?

Dissect the word microfiber into “micro” and “fibre” and it becomes clear what it is: very thin thread. The next question is of course, how thin? A fibre that is 1 decitex or less, is a microfiber. Decitex (dtex) is a unit that tells you how thick or thin the fibre is. Specifically, 1 decitex is the weight (in grams) of 10,000 meters of a fibre. Example: 0.1 dtex microfiber means that 10,000 meters of that fibre would weigh only 0.1 grams. To visualize, you can say that a microfiber is up to 200 times thinner than a human hair.

Non-woven, knitted, woven

Microfibers can be processed into a fabric like any other fibre. In the case of woven fabrics, fibres are twisted into yarn, then interlaced on a loom. For knitted fabrics, yarns are looped together. Non-woven fabrics skip the yarn stage and are made by bonding loose fibres in various ways. Most common microfiber cleaning cloths are non-woven or knitted. Knitted microfiber cloths are relatively thick, soft and highly absorbent. Non-woven cloths are much thinner, still very absorbent and have a very smooth surface. Like a knitted sweater, bigger dirt particles are “hooked” to the cloth which can be difficult to wash them out. This issue has been solved by Vileda Professional with the PVAmicro cloth, a knitted microfiber cloth with a PVA coating.

Non-woven microfiber cleaning cloths, like the Vileda r-MicronQuick cloth, are the perfect solution to clean interior and sanitary surfaces. Because of its certified ability to remove micro-organisms with only water, it is a solution with many advantages: high-quality cleaning result, no strikes after drying and very durable (400 washes or more).

Cleaning healthcare facilities with microfiber and only water is unthinkable?

No, absolutely not. As a matter of fact, cleaning with microfibre and only water is common in many European healthcare facilities. Infection prevention professionals as well as cleaning professionals see and experience the advantages: no use of cleaning detergents means cost savings, no residue of detergent and thus less risk of bio-films and a guaranteed streak-free drying result. Dosing “mistakes” of detergents belong to the past and the cleaning quality is guaranteed because the mechanical cleaning action of the microfibers compensates for the lack of cleaning detergent (Sinner circle).

The cleaning result with a good quality microfibre cloth and only water is excellent and even 99,99% of bacteria, viruses and fungi are removed from the surface. Good to mention that removing the microbes from the surface does not mean killing them. In that sense, we are not talking about disinfection. Talking about disinfection brings me to an issue of what I sometimes call “dangerous disinfection”: overuse and misuse of disinfectants that can lead to resistance of (pathogen) micro-organisms. The worldwide IPC community is discussing this issue and it is already resulting in redefining disinfection protocols. When is it really needed and when is a good quality cleaning good enough.

How sustainable is microfibre?

Almost all microfibres are made of synthetic raw materials. The unique characteristics of wipes made from these types of microfibres have many advantages. For instance, the characteristic that the fibres can “scrape” dirt and micro-organisms off the surface with only water. However, the fibres are made of plastic and the process of producing them is not always environmentally friendly.

How can a user influence the sustainability of a product?

Product sustainability is not only a responsibility of the manufacturer, users can also contribute. This contribution is what we call the handprint of a product. It starts with choosing a high-quality and durable wipe. Because the lifetime of a product is one of the characteristics that have the greatest impact on durability. Then, of course, it is important how you use the wipe.

Fold the wipe 3 times and change to a clean side regularly when cleaning a surface. In that way, you use the entire surface of the wipe which makes it possible to use less cloths. Fewer cloths mean less laundry which means less wear out, less energy, and less water use. Because the wipe wears out from laundering, not from cleaning. And don’t forget the option to clean with water only which is clearly contributing to sustainability and by the way has some other advantages as well.

What about the Vileda r-MicronQuick wipe

The r-MicronQuick microfibre cloth from Vileda Professional is made of synthetic fibres. But,…a lot has been done to make the product as sustainable as possible.

First of all the fibres are produced with a distinctive, sustainable production technology which is called Evolon. Instead of using chemicals to produce the microfibres, the patented production technology is based on high-pressure water power.

Secondly, the high quality of the microfibres provides a minimum lifetime of 400 washes which lowers the handprint significantly.

Third, the r-MicronQuick is made of 30% virgin raw material and 70% recycled raw material. Without compromising the quality. The sustainability of the product is also reflected by the Nordic Swan label that r-MicronQuick required.

Made of extra thin microfibres (so-called “pie 32” fibres) r-MicronQuick represents the latest microfiber technology that gives the cloth a further improved cleaning quality. In terms of hygiene, r-MicronQuick removes bacteria, viruses and fungi (like C.Auris) from the surface with only water up to 99,99%, tested and certified by an independent laboratory.

r-MicronQuick is recently rewarded with the ISSA Oceania Innovation Sustainability Award 2024.