The History of Chamois:
Original chamois came from the skin of a mountain antelope (the chamois). As the antelope are now protected, the best chamois now sold is made from spit sheepskin, tanned by a process involving the oxidation of marine oils in the skin. The premium sheepskin chamois is tanned with cod oil, acknowledge as the best marine oil for this purpose.
Because chamois is soft and super absorbent, it is most often used for car washing and drying.
Other Uses:
A little known feature is that the very small of pores of chamois allow gasoline to pass but not water if the chamois is first wetted with gasoline. It can be used as a funnel liner when pouring suspect gasoline.
Care of Your Chamois:
Chamois should always be hand washed after use. Use hand soap only, never a detergent or solvent. After washing and rinsing, lather it one more time but do not rinse. Wring it as dry as possible before hanging it up to dry fully. The soap film protects the marine oil finish in the leather. Just rinse it first when you next want to use it.