Best heavy duty cleaning wipes

Crocodile Cloth Original is the wipe I’d stock first, and I’ve used it. This case is six soft packs of 100 cloths, 600 in all, sold and shipped by Amazon when we checked. Crocodile Cloth also sells packs of 10, 50 and 100 on its own site.

It tops the score on size. Each cloth is 15 by 10 in, 150 sq in, the biggest here by a wide margin. The maker says that means fewer wipes for the same mess. A pack of 100 holds about 104 sq ft of cloth, the most of any container here with a published wipe size.

Crocodile Cloth lists grease, grime, oil, paint, caulk and glue, and its Amazon listing adds ink. That’s six of the eight messes we track, tied with Big Wipes for the most. The maker calls the formula a low-foaming degreaser that’s safe on nearly any surface.

For hands, it’s infused with aloe and vitamin E and dermatologically tested, per Crocodile Cloth. Its FAQ says every product except its Fierce disinfectant is fragrance free. That helps if a citrus smell bothers you in a closed crawlspace.

Two limits. The Original has no scrub side; Crocodile Cloth sells a textured version, PowerSCRUB, for that. And the listing says the cloth is over four times stronger than standard wipes without naming a test, so we didn’t score strength.

The maker says each cloth stays wet outside the package for over an hour. That matters when you pull a few at the start of a glue-up and lay them on the box.

My call: buy the Original case for a shop or a few trucks. Keep one pack in the cab and the rest on the shelf. If you scrub dried sealant often, add a pack of PowerSCRUB.

Tub O’ Towels TW90 is the canister I’d keep on the truck, and I’ve used it. It’s one 90-count canister, sold and shipped by Amazon when we checked. Federal Process makes it, and Tub O’ Towels holds four of Google’s top seven results for this search.

Each wipe is 10 by 12 in, 120 sq in, so a canister holds about 75 sq ft of wipe. Ninety is the most wipes in any hard canister here. Size scored a 9 and count a 10.

Tub O’ Towels lists grease, oil, tar, ink, paint, permanent marker and wax, on hands and most surfaces. The maker calls the formula a blend of nine cleaning agents, and the wipe a heavy-duty polyfiber blend, not cotton, so it holds together while you scrub.

For hands it adds aloe, vitamin E and lanolin, per the maker. That’s three named conditioners, which scored a 9. It doesn’t say the wipe is dermatologist tested, which kept it off a 10.

Two gaps for plumbers. The maker doesn’t name glue, adhesive, caulk or sealant. And the TW90 has one texture. The TW75 Dual Texture has a smooth side and a rough side at the same 10 by 12 in, 75 to a canister, and it’s listed with this card.

Tub O’ Towels says its VaporLock lid keeps wipes from drying out. It also says plainly that the wipes don’t disinfect and have no antibacterial properties.

Check the count on the can. Tub O’ Towels’ own 40-count canister lists 7 by 8 in wipes, so the small cans aren’t the same wipe as the TW90.

My call: buy the TW90 if you want one canister for everything greasy. For glue-ups, look at Big Wipes.

Big Wipes Heavy-Duty is the tub I’d keep in the plastic-pipe bag, and I’ve used it. This is the 80-count tub. R/A Hoerr Incorporated was the Amazon seller when we checked. Big Wipes’ site lists offices in Britain, Ireland and Duluth, Georgia.

It’s the only wipe here whose label names PVC glue. The tub lists silicone, adhesive, anti-seize, oil and grease, PVC glue, PU spray foam and paint, from hands, tools and surfaces. That’s a plumber’s list, and it scored a 10 on messes.

Big Wipes calls it a scrub and clean wipe. Per the maker, the abrasive side scrubs grime, paint, adhesive, sealant and oil, and the smooth side soaks up what’s left.

It has the strongest skin story here. Big Wipes names four conditioners: aloe vera, lanolin, vitamin E and glycerine. It says the wipes are dermatologically tested with zero irritation recorded, and that the formula is water-based and free of parabens, sulphates and phosphates.

Why it isn’t higher: Big Wipes doesn’t publish a wipe size on its site or its listing, so size scored a neutral 5. Without it, we can’t work out how much wipe is in a tub.

Big Wipes’ site says its current Pro+ cloth can be machine washed at 40°C and re-wet with its Power Spray. The Amazon listing doesn’t mention washing, so I wouldn’t count on it.

Big Wipes sells the same wipe in tubs, bigger buckets and refill pouches, so you can refill the tub you already have. The listing says the snap-shut lid keeps wipes moist and stops roll-back, so one hand pulls one wipe.

The tub in the photo is marked with a new Sports Active fragrance. A 240-count bucket is on Amazon from the same seller.

My call: if you glue PVC, run silicone and foam pipe holes, carry this tub.

GOJO Scrubbing Towels are the shop bucket I’d set by the door, and I’ve used them. This is GOJO’s item 6396-06: six buckets of 72 towels, 432 in all, sold and shipped by Amazon when we checked. GOJO is the company behind Purell.

Each towel has two faces. GOJO says the scrubbing side removes tough soils and the smooth side picks up dirt fast. At 10.5 by 12.25 in, about 129 sq in, it’s the second biggest towel here, and size scored a 9.

GOJO says the towels work on heavy metals, grease, paint, adhesives, tar and asphalt. It’s the only maker here that names heavy metals, though it doesn’t say which ones. It doesn’t name caulk or sealant.

The dispenser is the reason to buy a bucket. GOJO’s SIMPUL nozzle gives one wipe at a time and has a re-wetting design, so the top towel doesn’t dry out. The bucket ships pre-threaded.

For hands, GOJO says the formula has skin conditioners to help prevent dryness and irritation. The ingredient list names glycerin, but no aloe, lanolin or vitamin E, so skin care scored an 8.

It loses points on count. Seventy-two towels is the fewest per container here. GOJO lists the United States as the country of manufacture, and it asks users not to flush wipes.

The case is heavy. GOJO lists it at 16.75 lb, and each bucket at about 6.8 in tall and 6.1 in across, so it fits a truck bin or a shop shelf, not a cup holder. GOJO also sells a wall bracket for the bucket, item 6301-01.

My call: put a GOJO bucket in the shop or on the back of a box truck, where the one-at-a-time nozzle saves towels. For a pickup cab, a canister fits better.

Scott Xtreme is the wipe I’d use around finished fixtures, and I’ve used it. This case is Kimberly-Clark Professional’s item 54591: six canisters of 75, 450 wipes, sold and shipped by Amazon when we checked. Amazon showed 17 left.

It’s the only pick whose maker lists finished surfaces by name. Kimberly-Clark says it’s safe on acrylic, stainless steel, ceramic, glass and chrome. For a plumber that’s an acrylic tub wall, a stainless sink and a chrome valve trim after a caulk job.

Scott lists oil, grease, grime, paint, adhesives and caulk. The fabric is dual-action: a textured side for scrubbing and a smooth side for wiping clean. The scrub side scored a 10 on texture, and the mess list a 9.

The wipe is small, 7 by 9 in, about 63 sq in. That’s under half the size of a Crocodile Cloth, so a canister of 75 holds about 33 sq ft of wipe, the least of the four with a published size.

Scott says the wipe is for heavy-duty soils on surfaces and hands, but not on compromised skin. It names no aloe, lanolin or other conditioner, so skin care scored a 7.

Kimberly-Clark pitches it for lawn and garden, home, automotive and do-it-yourself work, and for cleaning on the go. The pack says it quickly removes oil, grease, grime and adhesives, and the scent is citrus.

Scott’s own site lists only the 75-count canister. A case of six lets you leave one in the trim bag, one in the cab and four on the shelf. Kimberly-Clark’s page also lists an NSF certification without naming which one, so we didn’t count it.

My call: keep a canister in the trim bag for the caulk line and the chrome around it. For greasy hands, grab one of the bigger wipes.