These $11 Cleaning Cloths Cleaned Every Inch of My Kitchen with Just Water

You may remember my newfound obsession with E-cloths, the magical microfiber cloths that are more “premium” than the other microfiber rags that I’ve been using for years. I’ve been trying all different types of microfiber cloths to find the best ones for cleaning everything from grubby walls around the kitchen table to wiping down bathroom countertops, and the E-cloth has been my favorite — so far, that is.

The only thing I don’t love about microfiber E-cloths is their price tag. A single general purpose microfiber E-cloth rings up at a whopping $6.99 at Target. In search of something a bit more affordable, I decided to try carbon cleaning cloths.

Carbon cloths first popped up on my radar via Go Clean Co, of powdered Tide solution fame, when they promoted the CARBON Tuffs brand. These were also a bit pricey ($40 for a set of four), so I decided to dip my toe into carbon cloths with a more cost-effective version on Amazon: these lint-free microfiber cleaning cloths, which are just $11.99 for a six-pack. 

Carbon cloths are touted as lint-free rags that you can use to clean with just water. The carbon embedded in the fiber of the cloth is supposed to be extra absorbent, while helping to cut through grease and grime. So, how did these cloths measure up to my other go-tos? 

I tried the carbon cloths on my most common daily kitchen messes: countertops, the table after dinner, the walls around the table, the front of my stainless steel dishwasher, my induction range stovetop, and the patio doors where the dogs smudge their slimy noses and “knock” with their muddy paws. I also used them to clean the mirror in the bathroom, wipe down the counters, and clean and polish the fixtures. 

I was impressed by how well the carbon cloths picked up wet messes. The claim that they’re super absorbent holds up, which made them perfect for wiping down the kitchen table and countertops that had been used to prep dinner. 

The cloths also did a great job cleaning fixtures. I used a wet cloth to clean them, then followed up with a dry one to polish them. The same technique also worked well on stainless steel. I’m guessing the grease-cutting properties of carbon also helped the cloths wipe away marks on the wall completely. 

Where the cloths really shined, though, was when cleaning glass (no pun intended). They melted away grime on the patio doors and cut clean through fingerprints and splatters on the bathroom mirror. Plus, wiping with the dry cloth to eliminate water spots or streaks left the glass crystal-clear. 

Carbon cloths are much more effective than regular rags. They’re almost as good as my best rags, but they’re far more wallet-friendly. This means I can have a big stack of them and grab them at will without having to worry that I’m going to run out before I wash a load of rags. 

Would I use these to replace my very favorite E-cloths? No. (I still feel like the E-cloths pick up more dirt, leaving my countertops, for example, feeling inexplicably smooth because they’re that clean.) But would I recommend keeping a stack of carbon cleaning cloths in any rag stash? Absolutely.

Buy: Ekedalen Store Lint Free Carbon Microfiber Cleaning Cloth, $11.99