What is the Selleys Super Cloth, and where should you use it?

The Selleys Super Cloth is a highly absorbent multi-use cloth that cleans any surface around the home, inside and out, and is especially suited to wet and heavily soiled areas. It measures 180mm x 230mm, absorbs four times its own weight, and is made from special rinse-clean fibres, so most stains can simply be rinsed out.

The feature that separates it from an ordinary cloth is the anti-bacterial agent in the cloth itself, which inhibits the growth of odour-causing bacteria in the cloth. Note carefully what that claim covers: it is about the cloth staying fresh, not about disinfecting the surface you wipe. A cloth that does not go sour is the point.

What "absorbs four times its own weight" means in practice

Absorbency is what makes a cloth useful on a spill rather than just on a smear. Four times its own weight means the Super Cloth picks up and holds liquid instead of pushing it around, which is why Selleys directs it at wet and heavily soiled areas — a flooded laundry floor, a spill under the sink, a greasy stovetop with liquid on it.

It also explains the rinsing instruction. A cloth holding that much liquid is holding the dirt suspended in it, so rinsing immediately after use in hot water is what returns it to a working state. Leave it loaded and it dries with the soil still in the fibres.

Where to use it

• Benchtops and splashbacks
• Greasy ovens and stoves
• Hotplates and appliances
• Laundry and bathroom sinks, tubs and vanities
• Bathroom walls and floors
• Bath tubs and spas
• All tiled surfaces

It can also be used dry for dusting and polishing, which makes it a reasonable single cloth to keep in a room that needs both jobs done.

How to use it

1. Dampen the cloth with water before use.
2. Use it for the job at hand.
3. Rinse immediately after use in hot water.
4. Allow it to dry after each use to maximise cloth life and avoid odours.

Selleys recommends keeping a separate Super Cloth in each room to prevent cross contamination — one for the kitchen and one for the bathroom. This is a sensible habit with any cloth, and it costs nothing but the second cloth.

Limitations — what to avoid

• Do not use on extremely hot objects.
• Do not use with bleach. Bleach may cause a weakening of the fibres, leading to the cloth wearing out prematurely. This applies both to cleaning with bleach in your hand and to washing the cloth in it.
• If irritation occurs with sensitive skin, discontinue use.

The bleach exclusion is the one that shortens the life of most cloths. If a job calls for a bleach-based product, use something disposable for it and keep the Super Cloth for everything else.

Washing and care

The Super Cloth is machine washable and re-usable, and is hot water and dryer safe. Selleys' washing instructions are:

• Machine wash separately, or with non-linting articles.
• For heavily soiled cloths, wash in warm soapy water first, before machine washing.
• Do not use fabric softener or bleach.

Selleys also recommends occasional laundering in warm, soapy water to extend the life of the cloth, separate from the machine wash. The no-fabric-softener rule matters more than it looks: softener coats fibres, and a cloth chosen for absorbency is a cloth whose fibres you want left alone.

Safety information

This is a cleaning cloth — a physical product rather than a chemical one. Selleys does not publish a safety data sheet for it, and none is required: safety data sheets cover substances and mixtures, not tools and textiles.

There is therefore no GHS hazard classification, no signal word and no hazard statements for this item. That is a statement about what it is, not a gap in the documentation.

The ordinary care that applies to any cleaning tool still does: keep it clean between uses, replace it when worn, and remember that a cloth or applicator used with a hazardous product carries that product's residue — handle and store it accordingly, and wash it before reuse.

Common questions about the Selleys Super Cloth

Do I need to wet it before use?

Dampen it with water before use for normal cleaning. It can also be used dry for dusting and polishing.

How do I clean it after use?

Rinse it immediately in hot water, then allow it to dry. Most stains rinse out of the rinse-clean fibres.

Can I put it in the washing machine?

Yes. It is machine washable and re-usable, and it is hot water and dryer safe. Wash it separately or with non-linting articles.

Can I use fabric softener or bleach on it?

No to both. Bleach may weaken the fibres and cause the cloth to wear out prematurely, and fabric softener is excluded from the washing instructions.

What if the cloth is really filthy?

Wash it in warm soapy water first, then machine wash it.

Does it kill germs on the surfaces I clean, or just stop the cloth smelling?

Just the cloth. The anti-bacterial agent is in the cloth, and it inhibits the growth of odour-causing bacteria in the cloth itself — a claim about the cloth staying fresh, not about disinfecting your benchtop. Drying it after every use does the other half of that work.

Can I use it on a hot stove or hotplate?

Hotplates and appliances are listed uses, but do not use the cloth on extremely hot objects. Let the surface come down in temperature first.

How much liquid will it hold?

It absorbs four times its own weight.

What size is it?

180mm x 230mm.

Should I use the same cloth in the kitchen and the bathroom?

No. Selleys recommends a separate cloth for each room to prevent cross contamination.

What if it irritates my skin?

If irritation occurs with sensitive skin, discontinue use.

Is there a Selleys product for scouring rather than wiping?

Yes — the Selleys Wash Up Wiz is the scourer in the range, with its own separate directions and cautions. Both sit in the cleaning cloths section.