A chamois (pronounced “SHAM-ee”) is a type of soft, absorbent cloth originally made from the skin of the chamois, a goat-antelope that lives in European mountains. Today, most chamois cloths are made from synthetic materials or other animal hides treated to be similarly soft and flexible.

What makes chamois special is how well it soaks up water without leaving streaks or lint behind. Car owners use chamois cloths to dry their vehicles after washing because the cloth glides smoothly across the paint and leaves a spotless shine. Window cleaners prefer chamois for the same reason: it absorbs water completely while leaving glass crystal clear. Athletes sometimes use chamois towels because they can hold several times their weight in water.

The cloth gets its name from the mountain animal whose hide was first used to make it. Craftspeople discovered that chamois leather, when properly treated, became incredibly soft and absorbent, unlike regular leather, which stays stiff. While we've found other ways to make chamois cloth today, the name stuck because the material still has those same useful qualities: soft, absorbent, and streak-free.