Multi Purpose Wipes Review – by Charlie Budd

Below follows a review on Big Wipes Multi-Purpose wipes by Charlie Budd, Painter & Decorator Extraordinaire.  The Review first appeared in The Lions Den, a Painting & Decorating review site.  When you’re working with paints, fillers, caulks, and you need to degrease, wipe, clean… you need wipes. There are a lot of different brands out there, but Big Wipes have been the market leader for some time.The Lion's Den

Short Description of the Wipes:

Multi-Purpose Big Wipes – they are the best-selling version of Big Wipes for good reason. They are a general-use wipe for tools, surfaces and hands. They are now yellow in colour, to identify them as different to all the other general use wipes on the market. These wipes used to be called Big Wipes Industrial.

Multi Purpose Wipes 80s tub

I’ve been using Big Wipes for a long time now. I’ve tried lots of other brands, but keep coming back to Big Wipes.  This review focuses on the Multi-Purpose Big Wipes. They have a lot of competition out there now, but I still prefer them to other brands because I trust them. Some other brands may be a bit cheaper sometimes, but I buy Big Wipes in bulk so the price difference is negligible.  I use more Multi-Purpose Big Wipes than any other wipe.

Multi Purpose Wipes Review - by Charlie Budd

The Benefits of Multi-Purpose Wipes

They are a great general purpose wipe

They’re good for degreasing and cleaning surfaces prior and after other preparation. So if I’m to take one tub of wipes on a job, they’re the one.

They really do remove grease and grime very well, especially when recharged with the Big Wipes Power Spray (which is a spray bottle of exactly the same fluid that is used in Big Wipes to clean.) I’ll always clean down timber surfaces, indoors and outdoors, with Big Wipes. Both before sanding (if necessary) and afterwards to remove any last traces of dust after vacuuming.

They’re very good at removing really sticky sealants such as silicone and window sealants like Repair Care Dryseal or Graft MS Sealant.

Bryan Dennett Multi-Purpose
The Multi-Purpose Wipes Fabric

They don’t lose fibres (linting) when wiping surfaces down. This is very important to me as I use them when wiping before painting, and when cleaning glazing sealant off tools and surfaces. Many other wipes (including the other versions of Big Wipes) will lose fibres, which then get stuck on the surface and need removing before painting. I just want to wipe and paint! Just before painting with water-based paints I’ll use a Big Wipe, rinsed out in water, to remove any last bits of dust or other contaminants on the surface. And I’ll often use a Multi-Purpose Big Wipes to dampen a surface when I want the paint to flow properly. (Obviously, if you’re coating with oil-based paints, use a tack cloth instead).

Yellow wipe

They’re strong. I use them again and again, rinsed, recharged (if necessary) with Power Spray. And once used, I keep them all in a bucket to dry out, and I use them to wipe the edges of paint cans, or brushes before finally throwing them away.  Every wipe is well used before disposing of!

They’re absorbent. Not only do they wipe up stuff, they’re cleverly constructed so that the stuff gets locked into the wipe to quite an impressive degree. That’s not to say you can wipe up some gloss paint, and then wipe your face with them and there’ll be no gloss on your face, but the wipe will lock in a surprising amount of paint.

Dirty wipe
The Multi-Purpose Wipes Packaging

The lids have been redesigned so that it’s easier to take out either one, or several wipes. There is also an extra hole to poke the top wipe through before you close the lid, so the lid closes easier without trapping the wipe in it. This is quite an important little innovation, as it means the wipes don’t dry out as frequently as they used to. It’s just another example of Big Wipes not sitting on their laurels. They’re continually listening to tradespeople, and constantly improving what they do.

BigWipes lid
The Multi-Purpose Wipes Formula

They are kind to hands – they contain several moisturising agents which means that you don’t end up with really dry and cracked hands. I’ve had to work with cracked hands before, and it’s a right bugger! I really like the fact that every time I’m cleaning stuff up with Big Wipes, my hands are getting moisturised as well. I’m not one of those guys who moisturise their skin normally (nothing wrong with that, I just don’t) but when you’re cleaning stuff a lot (as I do at work) it’s a real bonus that your hands aren’t getting dried out in the process. Nice idea Big Wipes!

They smell quite nice, a bit citrusy. I think Grime Boss wipes smell a bit nicer, but Big Wipes are much better wipes.Multi Purpose Wipes Review - by Charlie Budd 3

Is there anything I don’t like about them?

What do I not like about them? Not a lot really. To be honest, I really don’t like the new yellow colour of the wipes. I much prefer white wipes. But I do get why, from a marketing perspective, Big Wipes decided to make their most popular wipe their trademark yellow colour. In a way it can be useful, as you can see when you’re wiping down sanding dust from white paint, as it shows up against the yellow. But I’ve also had to sand a yellow door, and I couldn’t see the dust on the wipe! Mind you, I sand a hell of a lot more white paint than yellow paint, so I can’t really grumble.

Multi Purpose Wipes Review - by Charlie Budd 1

Conclusion Multi-Purpose Wipes Review:

Yes, there are other multi-purpose wipes on the market. I’ve tested quite a few of them, and none of the ones I’ve tried are better than Big Wipes. I like how Big Wipes are constantly innovating. I like how they listen to tradespeople. And I think they have unbeatable products. I buy these wipes in bulk, and I see no reason to change brand. They’re bloody good.

Big Wipes on the job

A note on the scores I’ve given this product. I can’t give it 10/10 on anything as Big Wipes are constantly trying to improve on the product, and giving it 10 would leave no room for improvement! And I’ve only given them 7/10 for scrubbability as this is a feature of the Heavy-Duty version of Big Wipes, and I want to give all three versions I’m reviewing the same criteria.