Proving cloths of polyester, cotton, and a blend thereof were aged by practical use in a bakery, brushing as a moderate, and washing as a thorough cleaning method. The effect on the surfaces in a mechanical respect was recorded by confocal laser scanning microscopy and evaluated according to ISO 25178. The effect on wheat dough adhesive behavior was measured with the centrifuge method and analyzed by tensile strength. Correlations between surface peak properties and adhesion strength as found in a prior work are confirmed for used and stressed materials, and appeared to be more significant than between adhesion and intensity of ageing. While the polyester cloth improved its surface properties and lowered dough adhesion in all cases, cotton (and its blend) did so only in brushing and rather degraded in practical use and washing. Since brushing yielded superior surfaces, it should be installed as inline and everyday cleaning method limiting washing to the hygienically compulsory minimum for maximizing the cloths' service life. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.