hey
after detailing a car how would you go about cleaning your PC pads? i usually just rinse them under water with some soap to get the polish and dirt off. what would be the correct way to wash a pad?

 

Check out this tutorial on Maintaining and Cleaning Foam Pads. I usually use a squirt of Dawn in a 5 gal. bucket and let it soak for about 15-30 minutes. I then agitate the pads with my fingers and then using a hose letting the water flow to rinse them. Give em a good squeeze or shake and let it air dry.

 

I like to run under warm water in the sink, then ad a little APC or dishsoap. Massage soap into pores, rinse, repeat if necessary. Let dry naturally our of direct sunlight. Everything you need for this task is more then likely available under your kitchen sink or in the garage! Nothing special needed, just a little common sense!

 

Do not - clean foam pads or soak foam pads in dishwashing soap (Dawn) or laundry detergents. These detergents will attack the adhesive that holds the Velcro™ (Hook & Loop) backing material. Soak pads in a car wash shampoo or a specific pad cleaner (Snappy Clean Pad Cleaning Powder – http//:www.autogeek.com)


Why share knowledge? [I take time out of my day to contribute to these forums to educate and pass on five decades of experience to its members in not only the “How it works’ but “Why it works” and in turn be educated by them. Because I’m passionate about I do and care about making sure detailing is a fun and rewarding experience for the enthusiast.]

 

thanks man.


yea ive been running them under warm water and useing soap to clean. just thought there might be a "right" way on to getting all the particles stuck in the pad out.

thanks everyone

 

Jon, the adhesive used for most pads (At least the ones I sell) are chemical resistant, otherwise we would have issues with some of the chemicals used in todays polishes or cleaners. The process also includes application of the adhesive at high temps.
Not to argue Jon, just sharing what I have been told from my suppliers. But on a different note, your suggestion is worthy as it stands. A less caustic soap would be the more preferred route. I normally use Charliesoap or a soap bar but felt compelled to share the dishsoap method, as so many others are using it.
As for letting pads soak in cleaners, just imagine your hands soaking in a cleaner. Treat the pads as you would your own hands.......

 

I'm sure your suppliers know their product / capabilities far better than I do.

I guess my bias against using Dawn is that it needs to be used with hot water to be effective and most car care products are 'detergent resistant'. so your left with residual detergent that will be reactivated when moistened by wax or polish the next time you buff. This can compromise the effectiveness of the products, and / or leave streaks and residue on your vehicle.

 

so should i wash my microfiber towels, applicators, and sheepskin mit with car wash soap, soak for 10-15min and continue to wash by hand?

 

Towel washing directions: Use hot (120oF<) water and add 1-2 ounces to a standard size (8 gallon) load, for larger loads or heavily soiled laundry, add 3-6 ounces. As a pre-spotter: dilute 1 part concentrates with 3 parts water, apply to stain and launder as usual. Do not use fabric softener (most contain silicone that the towel will adsorb and it will weaken the towels static charge and clog the fibres thereby reducing their effectiveness) towel will also treat the fabric softener as if it was dirt by trying to store the tiny particles of the softener in the towel fibres. This will clog up the micro fibres and render the towel ineffective. Add a teaspoon per towel distilled white vinegar in place of a softener, the vinegar doesn't coat the fibres but instead works to eliminate detergent residue and the acid counteracts any alkaline minerals in the water supply. Vinegar (Acetic acid, pH=2) works well in the rinse cycle to make your towels softer. Detergent is an alkaline (pH=12, the opposite of acidic on the pH scale).

When you wash your towels (or anything for that matter) there are small amounts of detergent left behind, when your add Vinegar it balances the pH of the solution and helps removes the excess detergent from the wash.



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washed my mit, applicators, and towels in the washer with charlies soap last nite. everything worked fine except for the applicator pads which still smelled like wax and had dirt stains on them.

 

dp pad rejuvenator or snappy clean, both work great

 

Thats because you had a very resilient product on them! Applicator pads are better off being hand cleaned due to the closed cell structure of the foam. Or.....WHile they're in the washing machine, grab them and squeeze the soapy water in and out several times to break the initial product film. They should then launder, better.