When it comes to being professional cleaners, one of the things which happens most is that people come to use for advice regarding the cleaning in their home. Whilst this is usually a case of asking us how to remove red wine stains during upholstery cleaning or getting us to explain how steam cleaning really works, occasionally the questions are a little more specific. Recently, a question was posed which asked which was better for cleaning a simple paper towel (or two) or a microfiber cloth? This turned out to be a far more complicated question than we first expected, so have decided to list the pros and cons and the entire argument below. Perhaps the most important thing to establish during the entire argument is the context. Context is everything, especially when attempting to figure out whether one material is better than another. That is to say, what is it that you will be using the item for? Will it be to clean an oven or to dust a book case? With each task involving specific requirements and placing particular demands on the tools involved, it should be no surprise that in some contexts, one product might more readily win out over another. As such, in this argument, we have decided to focus on areas in which both materials might be used and in which both clothes and paper towels would be effective. So rather than listing a long line of chores and saying which would be more suitable, we can get a more realistic comparison between the two items. One of the most important things to consider is the wetness of the area which is being cleaned. When it comes to things like dusting, everything can be very dry and the structural integrity of the paper towel is never called into question. In a wet environment, however, for washing windows or scrubbing the bath, a paper towel can be liable to disintegration, coming apart as it is being used to clean. This can be a huge inconvenience and can even cause more mess than it is clearing up. As such, the microfiber cloth has a clear lead when it comes to wet environments as the greater strength of the material plays out. Perhaps the big difference between the two items (other than the material which they were created from) is our treatment of them when the job is done. Paper towels, after use, are simply thrown away. This means that in order to complete a large cleaning job you can often find yourself going through a large number of paper towels and you can quickly see the cost going up and up and you use more and more. However, a cloth can be cleaned and reused. Whilst it may eventually be thrown away, it will likely see a lot more action when it comes to getting your home as clean as possible. The cleaning process can take time, however, so for those quick cleaning issues the disposability of the paper towel might well be a huge advantage, allowing you to save time. One of the issues which some might not rank as highly as others, but one which should still be noted is the environmental impact. The carbon footprint of going through exponentially larger number of paper with the increasing size of the job at hand means that those who want a greener solution should perhaps look towards the reusability of the cloth. As with many arguments such as this, there is not really a winner. Instead, the choice should really depend on the manner of the task at hand. While both provide much of the same functions, a paper towel is more suited to quick resolutions of minor issues, while a microfiber cloth may be more apt for those deep cleaning sessions.