What’s better, cleaning cloths or rags?

You know better than anyone that proper cleaning is paramount in industrial facilities, but are you using the right solution for your business? Many still use textile rags without realizing that what may seem practical and cheap upfront, in the long run, is less efficient and cost-effective than specialized industrial cleaning cloths.

If you're wondering why that is and how Tork can help optimize your operations, we've got all the answers here. The better informed you are, the easier it’ll be to take decisions that set your business up for success. And in order to figure out the right option for your particular facility, it’s important to get started with the basics.

What are cleaning cloths?

Cleaning cloths are purpose-made cloths for various wiping and cleaning tasks, from removing oil and grease from industrial machinery to maintaining hygiene in restrooms. They can be made from several materials to provide different benefits and come in disposable and reusable formats.

Types of cleaning cloths

There are a variety of cleaning cloth materials for you to choose from:

Cotton cloths: these soft but durable cloths are often used for light cleaning and surface wiping tasks.
Microfiber cloths: microfiber is a lint-free, tightly woven fabric that is great at trapping dirt and germs, making it particularly useful in manufacturing and foodservice industries. industries.
Terry towels: although terry cloth is used in bathrobes and towels which can be turned into rags, it is also used to create thick and highly absorbent cloths.

Advantages of cleaning cloths

Cleaning cloths have many benefits over rags, making them ideal for most businesses. So, let's take a look at how they are designed to meet your facility’s cleaning needs:

Boosted productivity and cost savings

Cloths are a more efficient and cost-effective cleaning solution, leading to enhanced productivity. For example, using a more durable option like cleaning cloths eliminates the need for back and forth trips to fetch new rags, reducing motion waste in your facility. In fact, Tork cleaning cloths can reduce cleaning time by up to 35%*. And as the saying goes, time is money.

Not only that, but our cloths absorb solvents more quickly than rags and release them more evenly, helping you require 40% less product for cleaning and wiping tasks*. Plus, Tork cloths weigh less than rags, leading to an 80% reduction in waste handling costs**.

Effectiveness

Because cleaning cloths are specially designed for cleaning, they will often be a more effective option as opposed to rags, especially for specific jobs and industries. For instance, Tork industrial cleaning cloths effectively handle oil, grease, and dirt, as well as other heavy-duty cleaning tasks while being soft enough to ensure scratch-free surfaces. And for your peace of mind, their consistent production quality and standardized size means you get the same great performance from our products every time.

Enhanced convenience and time savings

Ready-to-use, disposable wipes reduce the strain on your workers, helping them clean tools and equipment with ease. That saves them time that can be used for other important business activities, improving your company’s overall efficiency.

Tork products are created with careful attention to these aspects. That’s why we not only offer high-quality cloth refills but also portable and mounted dispensers, so your employees can grab each cloth quickly and seamlessly wherever they go.

Safety

By combining the right cloth refills and dispensers, you can also promote a tidier, more organized facility. This helps prevent accidents like tripping over piles of rags or bumping against large storage bins. Not only that, but Tork one-at-a-time dispensers reduce the chances of cross-contamination with hazardous chemicals such as acids and solvents.

Additionally, because our cloths require less cleaning solvents, they can also reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from some industrial cleaning solutions. This creates a safer working environment for your employees, lowering exposure to harmful chemicals while also considering the environment by reducing air pollution and minimizing hazardous emissions.

Sustainability

Thanks to their durability and efficiency, cleaning cloths can be a more sustainable choice than rags. By reusing the same cloth multiple times and taking advantage of its superior absorbency to apply less cleaning product, your workforce can cut down on waste and overuse in your facility.

At Tork, we aim to prioritize sustainability. That’s why a selection of our products is certified to be at least 99% bio-based*** and our one-at-a-time dispensers are designed to help cut down on overuse and waste in our facility. But it's not just our cloths and dispensers that are mindful of the planet. Also, our packaging is made from recyclable materials, helping reduce carbon build-up in the atmosphere as well as the need for non-renewable resources.

Easy storage and accessibility

Compared to rags, cleaning cloths are easier to store. Rags, often made from irregular fabric, can be bulky and harder to organize, leading to cluttered storage rooms. In contrast, cleaning cloths are created to be compact and uniform, making them easier to fold, stack, or roll for efficient space use.

Tork cleaning cloths are made with your convenience in mind. With their lightweight design, they are easy to transport and store, saving valuable space in your facility. Plus, thanks to our efficient packaging, your employees can access cloths quickly and with up to 31% less effort ****, improving workflow and reducing downtime for your business.

Disadvantages of cleaning cloths

While cleaning cloths offer many benefits, there are a couple of factors you might want to consider in your decision-making process:

Higher upfront investment

While opting for cleaning cloths can make your business more cost-effective over time, it is to be expected that higher quality materials such as microfiber will come with a higher initial price tag as opposed to rags. It’s all a matter of putting your short-term and long-term business goals in perspective.

Machine washing might be required

If you opt for washable reusable cloths, then it is to be expected that the slight downside will be finding the time to wash and dry them. In this case, the best you can do is instruct your cleaning staff to do this task at a time that causes the least disruption in your operations (like near the end of the day, for instance).

Where do rags come from?

Rags are typically made from repurposed durable materials ranging from thick flannel to thin cotton. This means they mostly come from used clothes and towels, as well as leftovers from textile factories.

Because they have so many different sources, rags go through a special process to remove additional items like buttons and zippers before getting cut into different sizes and bundled up for sale.

Types of rags

Common rag types and materials include the following:

White cleaning rags: made from repurposed bedding fabrics, which get washed and sterilized before sale.
T-shirt rags: made from colored, medium-weight cotton t-shirts.
Flannel/winceyette: often coming from clothing, but also bed linen like sheets and blankets.
Terry cloth: a thick, absorbent fabric commonly found in former commercial bathrobes and towels.
Low-linting rags: often made from microfiber and other tightly-woven materials specially chosen to minimize the risk of leaving fibers behind.

Advantages of rags

On the surface, rags can seem to have some merits, such as:

Cheap upfront

Because rags are made from materials that are being discarded anyway, they are often an affordable option for all kinds of facilities.

Can be made in-house

Depending on the material, you might be able to repurpose fabrics you already have in your facility to make rags. For example, if someone rips their uniform, the material could potentially be cut up and used for cleaning tasks.

Disadvantages of rags

While rags can seem like an acceptable option for cleaning on first impression, at a closer glance, they could be problematic for your business. Let's take a look at why that might be:

Unpredictable cleaning efficacy & efficiency

As the source materials of rags were not originally intended for wiping and cleaning purposes, their efficacy can vary significantly from one bale to the next. Furthermore, quality may differ within each bale as there can be a combination of thick, thin, or frayed fabrics. This can cause your employees to require extra time in their shifts sorting through the rags for usable ones, delaying their work. Plus, the presence of synthetic materials makes some rags less absorbent — that means multiple rags could be needed for one wiping and cleaning job, wasting resources.

Inefficiency isn’t just about the amount of materials used or how long it takes to retrieve them — it’s also about the time your teams spend on each task. Not using the right tools for the job can slow cleaning routines down and take workers away from important responsibilities. But it doesn’t have to be that way — choosing a better alternative is in your hands. Tork exelCLEAN^® cloths help shorten work time by up to 35% compared to rags****, making cleaning faster and more consistent while raising hygiene standards at your facility. This means quicker turnarounds, improved productivity, and less strain on your employees.

Storage & organization challenges

Rag bales are usually bulky, taking up a lot of space in any facility — so much so that you might need additional storage space, which could mean increased costs. Not only that, but messy, voluminous bins for new and used rags add clutter and could create physical hazards in busy warehouses and factories.

Unseen costs

Rags might appear cheaper than cleaning cloths initially. However, when you factor in the charges that come on top, including replacement overheads and waste disposal expenses, cleaning cloths are generally a more cost-effective choice in the long run.

Choosing cleaning and wiping products for your business is a big decision. Making the right choice is essential for ensuring your operations run smoothly and your hygiene standards are met. By opting for high-quality products like cleaning cloths, you're investing in a more effective clean that can save time, cut down on waste, and potentially even reduce your business’s environmental impact. So next time you're restocking your cleaning supplies, consider Tork cleaning cloths — you'll see the difference in every wipe.

Are you ready to take cleaning at your facility to the next level? Get a free rags waste cost calculation, customized Tork product recommendations, and a free trial. No commitment necessary. Book a consultation today!

* Removing paint that had dried for 4 minutes from a metal surface 60 x 90 cm with the aid of a solvent, white spirit. The paint, alkyd-based primer, was applied by a roller. Panel participants started off by using 10 ml solvent and were able to add more solvent into the cloth in steps of 5 ml per occasion. Cotton rags and mixed rags were compared to Tork Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloths. Panel test conducted by Swerea Research Institute, Sweden, 2014.

** https://tork-images.essity.com/images-c5/217/429217/original/220829-purmo-testimonial.pdf - One 10 kg bundle of the most common rag type has a volume of 37 dm3 and contains 120 rags. The volume of 120 Tork Industrial Cleaning Cloths is 8 dm3. This means that the rags use 5.5 times more space in the warehouse and in the trucks that transport them

***Selected Tork products are certified with TÜV Austria and OK Biobased.

****When cleaning with wipers vs rags and rentals. Panel test conducted by Swerea Research institute, Sweden, 2014. Rental cloths, cotton rags and mixed rags were compared to Tork Heavy-Duty Cleaning Cloths.