What Car? Q&A - Is chamois leather best for drying off?

Q: What is better for drying your car off – synthetic or genuine chamois leather?
Erica Lindström

A: Tough question, this. As technology improves, so does the quality of the synthetic chamois. Pick a good one, such as the Autoglym Aquadry, and you can expect bath-towel levels of water absorbency, easy wringing-out, and a long service life.

Pay less, and with regular use the cheaper synthetic cloth will become less able to leave a streak-free finish, bits will come off in your hands when you wring it out, and lint will start to become deposited on your paintwork.

Real chamois leather is, even when new, more demanding to wring out. Dipping it in a bucket of hot water is a necessity in order to extract enough water for the chamois to possess the required absorbency for drying the car off. The finish is often good, but drag on the bodywork is increased and thus more effort is required to dry the vehicle.

To replace essential salts and to maintain the chamois' desirable properties, regular rinsing in detergent is often necessary – details are provided with the leather. Over time, no matter how much attention you give your chamois, it will eventually perish and begin to take on a slimy texture, in addition to becoming less effective at soaking up water.

So, with improvements in manufacturing technology, the synthetic chamois is the more desirable choice.