so what do you guys do to clean and preserve your foam pads after use?

 

After using, I try to toss them in a water filled bucket to keep the products from drying in the pores.
Get them home, and massage a little dishsoap into the pores until the product comes out, rinse, repeat. Wring dry.
Set velcro side down on some newspaper, out of sunlight and wind, to dry. Store in a ziplock baggy until next use.

 

Another couple of options for the drying process:

A) put the pads in the washing machine, and line them pad face out. Run them on spin cycle only to remove as much water as possible before laying them out to dry.

B) If you have a rotary, you can put it on the machine, turn it on, and spin the water out of it. Don't do this on a DA because chances are you'll send the pad flying off of the machine!

 

great! thanks, guys.

 

I get the majority of the water out of my pads by sticking them onto my PC and cranking it for a bit. Might put a little more wear on the PC but it works great.

Then I sit them face down (velcro up) on top of a grid guard that sits on top of my lamp

 

how long does it take usually to dry? i have 3 of each colored pad, is that enough to detail a whole car?

 

Plenty.......You are good to go!

 

Damn thats a ton of pads!

24 pads!! Haha

 

1) soak pads in a pail of water & blue Dawn
2) Wash like Patrick above.
3) Put on PC at speed 6 and spin in a laundry tub or pail.
4) Lay on a clothes rack velcro side up. ( seems they dry faster that way.)
5) Store them in a cart I have .. the pads in the bottom and the 2 R/Os in the top. Bottom of cart is pretty well air tight.