How do I clean my 'wax' pad with Menzerna Power Lock?

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Matador

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Sooo....I read on here some tips on how to best take sealant off my 'wax' cause of being the newb that I am, I read some bad advice somewhere adn was told to never wash my 'was' pad for my DA and instead just use it when I am applying wax and when not, keep it in a baggy.

I am pretty sure this led to me unintentionally rubbing a dirty wax pad onto freshly polished exteriors GRRRR and leaving swirls!! GRRRR

Anyway--I tried tackling taking off any Sealant off the pad to bring it back to life. I plugged the drain on my mud room sink and filled it with hot water and mixed it with Palmolive dish soap/oxiclean soap.

I thoguht just letting it soak for 24hrs would take any of that sealant off. I go to check my sink last night and drain it. I am SHOCKED that the pad was still 'sticky' from old residue from teh Menzerna and its almost like it brought it back to life! I ended up gettinfg old residue on my bare hands...and was strange, left my hands 'waxy' despite trying to wash it after.

I then took my Chemical Guys citrus wash and did the asme thing with it, filled up the sink, let the pad sit in it mixed with water. I use this take off old wax with my foam cannon. It HAS to eat up the Power lock, if not....I don't have any idea!!

Any tips from you 'pros' out there?
 
Wash it as best you can and then use it as a dedicated pad for Powerlock.

The other option is mineral spirits. I have washed pads using mineral spirits and hot water/dish soap before in order to get all residue out. Think I picked that up from another user around here that has a thing about using pads that are discolored/dirty. I don't normally do that though because it's a lot of work and disposal sucks.
 
Mineral spirits, huh? Hmmm...where could I get that? At the local hardware stores?

Is that safe to put down the train or should I do this in a bucket? What's the exact process?

It's amazing how the PL has held up. It's as if I didn't have anything at all in my sink! It's almost scary and reminds me of the post I saw of a guy testing water repellent activity after an application of Sealant. The PL he said was almost impossible to take out off the 'mirror', so a saturated pad is probably impossible lol.
 
Power Lock is a great all around sealant - price, durability, ease of application.
 
^^Agree completely! I love it...but it's scary how strong the stuff is.
 
I've been using MPL (Menzerna PowerLock) for quite some time now.
The MPL applicator pads go right into the wash combined with my drying towels, wash pads, etc.

I tend to lose track with all my applicator pads and haven't bothered to setup a dedicated applicator pad for MPL. No issues yet!

The other thing you can do if you want to really play it safe is use some All Purpose Cleaner to strip it off the pad. Let it soak in it overnight, take it out rinse thoroughly and let it dry.
 
Yes, you can get mineral spirits at any hardware store. You can reuse it if you allow particulates to settle at the bottom and drain off the clear liquid - to dispose of it you want to put it in another container and label it properly depending on if your waste collection services takes that kind of stuff or not.

It's kind of a pain to use, but the only thing I've ever found that removes Powerlock. Some strong APC/degreaser like LA Totally Awesome might work, but I've never tried it.
 
I too use MPL and even after leaving it in a solution of DP polishing pad rejuvenator with occasional agitation and kneading for over 2 days, only a tiny bit came out and dropped to the bottom of the bucket. The pad still has wax in it and is extremely hydrophobic :/

Another user here suggested a few sprays of APC diluted 1:4 (4:1?) and then agitate before rinsing and then dropping into the DP pad rejuvenator to soak. I plan on trying this next time.

He said, don't soak it in the apc. Just spray it, let it penetrate and then agitate followed by rinse :)
 
Matador said:
Sooo....I read on here some tips on how to best take sealant off my 'wax' cause of being the newb that I am, I read some bad advice somewhere adn was told to never wash my 'was' pad for my DA and instead just use it when I am applying wax and when not, keep it in a baggy.

I am pretty sure this led to me unintentionally rubbing a dirty wax pad onto freshly polished exteriors GRRRR and leaving swirls!! GRRRR

Anyway--I tried tackling taking off any Sealant off the pad to bring it back to life. I plugged the drain on my mud room sink and filled it with hot water and mixed it with Palmolive dish soap/oxiclean soap.

I thoguht just letting it soak for 24hrs would take any of that sealant off. I go to check my sink last night and drain it. I am SHOCKED that the pad was still 'sticky' from old residue from teh Menzerna and its almost like it brought it back to life! I ended up gettinfg old residue on my bare hands...and was strange, left my hands 'waxy' despite trying to wash it after.

I then took my Chemical Guys citrus wash and did the asme thing with it, filled up the sink, let the pad sit in it mixed with water. I use this take off old wax with my foam cannon. It HAS to eat up the Power lock, if not....I don't have any idea!!

Any tips from you 'pros' out there?
Click to expand...
When I get a pad like that I soak it in a citrus based cleaner it breaks down the oils.Then I pressure wash all the residual stuff till it's clean.wring out pad let dry good to go.on pads with heavy oxidation residue I throw the pad on a rotary and set speed at 2000 rpm then razor blade the top off of pad,but I don't recommend that for people to try.
 
I fill a clean bucket of APC and water. As I switch I toss the pad in and soak it for a little bit. Then use a couple drops of dawn and warm water totry to get as much out with my fingers letting the soap clean out as much as possible. Then rinse and into the washer it goes. That usually does the trick for me.


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If it is anything like WG DGPS 3.0, I use a dawn/era combo directly on the pad. I palm it across the pad, then splash it with hot water.
I try to kneed it a little then squeeze it in one hand and wipe the sealant that oozes out between my fingers with the other and a paper towel.
Rinse, repeat, more soap, squeeze...and rinse. Maybe ten repetitions and there might be a clean pad in sight.

Soaking doesn't work and rubbing it on a grit guard makes a mess of the grit guard
 
Toxix said:
I've been using MPL (Menzerna PowerLock) for quite some time now.
The MPL applicator pads go right into the wash combined with my drying towels, wash pads, etc.

I tend to lose track with all my applicator pads and haven't bothered to setup a dedicated applicator pad for MPL. No issues yet!

The other thing you can do if you want to really play it safe is use some All Purpose Cleaner to strip it off the pad. Let it soak in it overnight, take it out rinse thoroughly and let it dry.
Click to expand...
How does it turn out after going into the wash?

I did that in the past, and the pad came out a bit fresher, but still with residue inside of it. Is my expecations wrong? Should I not be expecting the pad to be like my 'polish' pads that are almost brand new when I clean them?
Heisenberg said:
Yes, you can get mineral spirits at any hardware store. You can reuse it if you allow particulates to settle at the bottom and drain off the clear liquid - to dispose of it you want to put it in another container and label it properly depending on if your waste collection services takes that kind of stuff or not.

It's kind of a pain to use, but the only thing I've ever found that removes Powerlock. Some strong APC/degreaser like LA Totally Awesome might work, but I've never tried it.
Click to expand...
Yea--I tried soaking it in the CG's citrus car wash and hot water over night in my sink. STILL did nothing.

Given that it's a pain, I may hold off...for now on the mineral spirits.
GSKR said:
When I get a pad like that I soak it in a citrus based cleaner it breaks down the oils.Then I pressure wash all the residual stuff till it's clean.wring out pad let dry good to go.on pads with heavy oxidation residue I throw the pad on a rotary and set speed at 2000 rpm then razor blade the top off of pad,but I don't recommend that for people to try.
Click to expand...
I did that with CG car wash. I do not have a rotary. :(

808_detail_nut said:
I fill a clean bucket of APC and water. As I switch I toss the pad in and soak it for a little bit. Then use a couple drops of dawn and warm water totry to get as much out with my fingers letting the soap clean out as much as possible. Then rinse and into the washer it goes. That usually does the trick for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
I let it soak in Palmolive Oxiclean detergent and hot water, CG Citrus car wash..and nothing. I have Simple green I may just pour in my sink mixed with hot water as my last resort...

spazzz said:
If it is anything like WG DGPS 3.0, I use a dawn/era combo directly on the pad. I palm it across the pad, then splash it with hot water.
I try to kneed it a little then squeeze it in one hand and wipe the sealant that oozes out between my fingers with the other and a paper towel.
Rinse, repeat, more soap, squeeze...and rinse. Maybe ten repetitions and there might be a clean pad in sight.

Soaking doesn't work and rubbing it on a grit guard makes a mess of the grit guard
Click to expand...

Hmm... interesting.

I may have to try this. I wonder if I just spray full strength Simple Green into it? I may try this with the Palmolive Oxiclean stuff. Thanks
 
I also might have brought some Zep industrial purple into the process to help cut it. More than likely I did.
Either way, my black hybrid and my red CCS are clean when I am done.
I like the thought pads are difficult to get clean because it means the car has a kick booty sealant on it.
 
Search for various pad cleaners nd use one. They work great. Just soak your pads for a few minor uses in a bucket with the cleaning solution mixed as directed and then either use a toothbrush or just your fingers. They clean up pretty easily.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using Tapatalk
 
I kinda like the fact that it's a devil to get outta pads. In my brain that tells me it'll last a long time on your car!
 
It really does! It's insane. I must have put a layer on my beater in April maybe? The car still beads up. This was like a week ago.

Iuu5tW.jpg
 
Being both a hobbiest baker and auto detailer, my tools often serve both hobbies. I've often used a rolling pin to "wring" water/product out of my pads. Rinse/repeat, rinse/repeat, as necessary. If you're worried about cross contamination, put a piece of plastic wrap or a plastic Baggie on top of the pad. Or just pick up a dedicated "sealant applicator" rolling pin at a second hand shop.
 
I've had success using Meguiar's Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner. Got the surface wet with product, and (gloved hands) worked the wheel cleaner into the foam. Rinse thoroughly, mash the excess water out, and let dry. Sometimes I'll spin them on the PC to get the excess out.
 
Thanks for the tip! I think the pad is toast though. You can see the foam degrading. I think I put it through too much hell trying to get it clean. The pad doesn't really have much residue left in it though, which is good. I think this is going in the trash though.

x2RDPm.jpg


Going forward I should wash the pad after every wax application right? And how should I wash the pad specifically? I should expect the pad to not be 100% completely rid of the wax after cleaning right?
 
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