Cleaning CCS pads?

94LT1

94LT1

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I just received my lake country pads.my question is what steps should be taken to clean them?Is there any house hold products i could use?useing a soft bristle tooth brush a good idea to get the bulk of the product off the pads??
 
i just got done soaking mine in hot water and dawn....i squeezed them out a few times in the soapy water and rinsed them clean in fresh water and let them dry out....they are clean, they are just foam pads....
 
From what I've read, Dawn is a no-no...it'll break down the adhesive keeping the velcro backing bonded to the foam.
 
Foam Pad Care / Washing:
Clean foam pads soon after use, if left saturated for extended periods of time the foam will deteriorate; extend the useful life of the foam pads by periodic cleaning.

Remove pad and place to soak in a bucket of Snappy Clean (properautocare.com) is a citrus pad cleaner in powder form; empty the contents of one packet into a 5-gallon bucket of water. As your foam and/or wool pads become caked with residues, just peel them off your polisher and place them into the bucket to soak. Brush the pad with a soft toothbrush or any soft bristle brush. Rinse, squeeze and repeat until water is clear. Place pad between two towels and press dry.

A word of caution when using foam pads, check the pad face for residue build-up, when loaded with dried product they have an abrasive action that could be detrimental to the paint finish. Clean residue from pads often with a soft horsehair or soft nylon brush as metal may damage the foam, once they become too soiled to clean with a soft brush replace.

Foam Pad (System 2000™ Padwasher ) Cleaning:
Used mainly by professional detailers (due to its initial cost) this patented buffer powered pad washer effectively cleans and conditions both foam and wool pads. Regular cleaning and conditioning improves performance and extends the useful life of the pads. Lake County System 2000™ Padwasher –
Lake County Manufacturing - http://www.lakecountrymfg.com/

The Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer is the first and only pad washer that cleans all types of buffing pads on all types of polishers and buffers. Clean foam pads, wool pads, buffing bonnets, felt pads and polishing balls The unique design accommodates virtually any polishing tool to clean and restore pads in minutes – http//:We Are Car Care -- Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store.
 
TOGWT said:
Foam Pad Care / Washing:
Clean foam pads soon after use, if left saturated for extended periods of time the foam will deteriorate; extend the useful life of the foam pads by periodic cleaning.

Remove pad and place to soak in a bucket of Snappy Clean (properautocare.com) is a citrus pad cleaner in powder form; empty the contents of one packet into a 5-gallon bucket of water. As your foam and/or wool pads become caked with residues, just peel them off your polisher and place them into the bucket to soak. Brush the pad with a soft toothbrush or any soft bristle brush. Rinse, squeeze and repeat until water is clear. Place pad between two towels and press dry.

A word of caution when using foam pads, check the pad face for residue build-up, when loaded with dried product they have an abrasive action that could be detrimental to the paint finish. Clean residue from pads often with a soft horsehair or soft nylon brush as metal may damage the foam, once they become too soiled to clean with a soft brush replace.

Foam Pad (System 2000™ Padwasher ) Cleaning:
Used mainly by professional detailers (due to its initial cost) this patented buffer powered pad washer effectively cleans and conditions both foam and wool pads. Regular cleaning and conditioning improves performance and extends the useful life of the pads. Lake County System 2000™ Padwasher –
Lake County Manufacturing - http://www.lakecountrymfg.com/

The Grit Guard Universal Pad Washer is the first and only pad washer that cleans all types of buffing pads on all types of polishers and buffers. Clean foam pads, wool pads, buffing bonnets, felt pads and polishing balls The unique design accommodates virtually any polishing tool to clean and restore pads in minutes – http//:We Are Car Care -- Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the write up...i quickly tired to search for a thread about this but people just said what they used.they didnt say how they used it.
 
I bought a bunch of snappy clean pad cleaner packs and I usually just fill up a 4 gal bucket with hot water, throw in 1 pack of snapppy clean and let the CCS pads soak for a while then scrub by hand, while still in the solution and then rinse. So far best method I have tried.
 
My method is chuck most in the machine and use plant based laundry liquid.
hand wash the worst affected ones with that liquid and my hands to get the excess out (a little fingernail work involved) and then they go in the machine too.

You don't want to use anything on foam that you would on a wool pad
Not even a toothbrush. Will tear the foam up
 
i just bought some snappy clean pad cleaner and tossed them in the bucket for like 5-10 minutes.if there was still some polish/wax etc left i would rub the pad with my fingers while in the solution then attach it to the pc and spin dry and set out in the sun to dry....but i just realized i never rinsed them....hmm maybe i should do that tomorrow and then put them out in the sun to dry???
 
Can't microfiber soap be used to clean up the pads?
 
After I had a water softener put in my house, my pads and wash mitts clean much easier with Dawn. It used to take a lot of work but now they almost rinse clean.
 
Depends on the product you're trying to get out of the pad. I use Menzerna IP, 106 and FFII most of the time. The fastest and easiest way is to spray some Dawn Power Dissovler on the pad -let set for 30 seconds, scrub with an old toothbrush while running warm water over it at the sink. I rinse and sqeeze out by hand, sometimes I'll wrap a paper towel to over the pad and blot out the moisture. I use LC pads and have never had any issues with damage using this method - going on 2 years on some of them. I do place them velcro side up to air dry.
 
Do you guys always wash your pads when they come new before using them?
 
Not me. It never even crossed my mind. But I'm a total noob in detailing so I can't tell yet if not washing them is causing harm.

CEE DOG said:
Do you guys always wash your pads when they come new before using them?
Click to expand...
 
CEE DOG said:
Do you guys always wash your pads when they come new before using them?
Click to expand...

Definitely, you never know what may have gotten on them before they got to you (ie small particle of sand or grit). Also a little trick I learned (from Dana, not quite the same exact method but the principle is the same) is that I have 4 grit guards that I sit my pads on (foam side down/velcro side up) to dry. This way the water is wicked away from the velcro.
 
I've just been using cold water, the Edge Conditioner Foam Pad Brush, and Pinnacle XMT Polishing pad cleaner after I finish with my pads.
 
Had very good luck with the Pinnacle XMT pad cleaner. I spray it on, let them sit while I'm cleaning up (removing masking tape, putting PC away, etc) and then the last thing I do is fill a bucket with water and put them in there and squeeze out the pad. Takes like a minute and they're clean. Of course, I use the XMT pad conditioner as directed before applying the polish to the pad in the first place.
 
ph16 said:
Had very good luck with the Pinnacle XMT pad cleaner. I spray it on, let them sit while I'm cleaning up (removing masking tape, putting PC away, etc) and then the last thing I do is fill a bucket with water and put them in there and squeeze out the pad. Takes like a minute and they're clean. Of course, I use the XMT pad conditioner as directed before applying the polish to the pad in the first place.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I use the conditioner as well.
 
Never wash them. When I get them, I keep them unopened in that sealed plastic bag thing. Then I bust it out and start using it. As soon as I am finished, even if it was just for spot-buffing a small area, I immediately clean the pad out.

I like to use XMT Pad Cleaner and The Edge Foam Pad Conditioning Brush to clean the pads. This combo works awesome.

Using Dawn Dish Soap ruins the adhesive that makes the velcro stick to the pad...this has happened to me once and I stopped using dishwashing soap.

I think you could probably use Meguiar's APC or APC+ at 10:1 to clean up pads if you are looking for a cheap alternative, but I don't think anything works as well as the XMT Pad Cleaner.
 
I vote for the Pinnacle XMT Pad cleaner. Just a few squirts and wait about 30 seconds and then I use my fingers to work everything out. The only product I've tried so far but works great.
 
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