Usamos el paño sin pelusa antes de lijar.

Both are possible. Usar and utilizar both mean to use.

• Usar is more common and everyday.
• Utilizar can sound a little more formal or technical.

So Usamos el paño sin pelusa... is very natural Spanish. In a manual or technical instructions, you might also see Utilizamos el paño sin pelusa...

Also, usamos can mean either:

• we use (present), or
• we used (preterite)

Spanish has that form overlap. The context normally makes it clear.

El means the, while un means a/an.

Using el paño suggests that the cloth is already known, specific, or understood from the context. For example:

• maybe there is one particular cloth you are supposed to use
• maybe it has already been mentioned earlier
• maybe the situation makes it obvious which cloth is meant

If you said un paño sin pelusa, it would sound more like a lint-free cloth, meaning any one of that type.

So the difference is basically:

• el paño sin pelusa = the specific lint-free cloth
• un paño sin pelusa = a lint-free cloth

Not exactly.

Paño usually means cloth and often sounds more neutral or more suitable in careful, practical, or technical contexts.

Trapo also means rag/cloth, but it can sound more like an old rag or cleaning cloth.

So in a sentence like this, paño is a good choice because it sounds appropriate for a work process or instruction.

In Spain, paño is very normal for a cloth used for cleaning or wiping a surface, especially if you want to sound a bit more precise than trapo.

Sin means without, and pelusa means lint or fluff.

So sin pelusa literally means without lint.

Grammatically, this is a prepositional phrase:

• sin = preposition
• pelusa = noun

It describes the type of cloth: a cloth that does not leave lint behind.

In English, we often turn that into an adjective phrase like lint-free, but Spanish commonly uses sin + noun for this idea:

• sin azúcar = sugar-free / without sugar
• sin sal = salt-free / without salt
• sin pelusa = lint-free / without lint

Because after antes de, Spanish normally uses the infinitive when the subject is the same or when the subject is general/unspecified.

So:

• antes de lijar = before sanding

This is the normal structure when you are just talking about the action in general.

You use antes de que + subjunctive when a new subject is introduced:

• Usamos el paño antes de que el técnico lije la superficie. = We use the cloth before the technician sands the surface.

So the pattern is:

• antes de + infinitive → same subject or general action
• antes de que + subjunctive → different subject

Because after antes de, Spanish uses the infinitive, not the gerund.

So the standard structure is:

• antes de + infinitive
• después de + infinitive

Examples:

• antes de comer
• después de limpiar
• antes de lijar

Lijando means sanding and is a gerund. Spanish does not normally use the gerund after antes de in this way.

So antes de lijando would be incorrect.

Because Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

Here, usamos already tells you the subject is we.

So:

• Usamos el paño...
• Nosotros usamos el paño...

Both are grammatically correct, but the version without nosotros is more natural unless you want emphasis or contrast.

For example, you might include nosotros if you want to contrast with someone else:

• Nosotros usamos el paño, pero ellos usan una brocha.

It can mean slightly different but related things depending on context.

Common meanings include:

• lint
• fluff
• fuzz
• very fine soft fibers or bits of material

So in this sentence, pelusa refers to the little fibers a cloth might leave on a surface.

That is why paño sin pelusa is the natural way to say lint-free cloth.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Usamos un paño sin pelusa antes de lijar.
• Utilizamos el paño sin pelusa antes de lijar.
• Antes de lijar, usamos el paño sin pelusa.

All of these are correct, but the original sentence is very natural.

The choice depends on nuance:

• el vs un = specific cloth vs any suitable cloth
• usamos vs utilizamos = everyday vs slightly more formal
• moving antes de lijar to the front changes the emphasis a little, but not the basic meaning

It can do either, depending on context.

The infinitive lijar does not explicitly state the subject. So it can mean:

• before sanding, in general
• before we sand
• before one sands
• before carrying out the sanding step

In instructions, process descriptions, and manuals, Spanish often uses the infinitive this way to describe a general action or stage in the process.

So it is quite normal that the subject of lijar is left unstated.

The given word order is completely natural:

• Usamos el paño sin pelusa antes de lijar.

But Spanish is flexible, so you can also say:

• Antes de lijar, usamos el paño sin pelusa.

This version puts more focus on the time sequence: first the cloth, then the sanding.

So the word order can change for emphasis, but the grammar and meaning remain essentially the same.