How to Remove Sealant from Pads.

teamerickson

teamerickson

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Anybody got any advise on how to remove sealant from pads. I tried xmt pad spray and plenty of rinsing to no avail.
 
It is a problem but the harder it is to remove a wax or paint sealant out of any kind of buffing pad is an indicator as to how tough the protection ingredients are as they are water and detergent/chemical resistant.

Whichever chemical you go with to try to dissolve, emulsify, break-down and release the wax out of the pad it's going to work best if you physically squish the pad with your hands when you're working the cleaning agent into the pad and when you're trying to work the entire mess out of the pad.

Someone on this forum I know I've discussed this at length, probably a search using the term,

detergent-resistant

with the hyphen will find a few threads.


:)
 
Not to start an argument here, but Dawn Power Dissolver contains MEA (Monoethanolamine), which is the main ingredient in most oven cleaner products, also is a mild paint stripper. IF you do decide to use it, make sure you have removed it completely from your applicator. I would also question how harsh it would be on applicator pads....
 
That is a really great question. Oddly enough, I just logged on and was going to ask the exact same thing due to my frustrations of cleaning a red ccs pad after us WG DGPS. Its a royal pain in the a** to clean. All the other pads have come out not to bad. Just out of curiosity, I wonder if the pad washer system would make a difference? I somehow doubt it, but just curious.
 
Gungho_15 said:
Just out of curiosity, I wonder if the pad washer system would make a difference? I somehow doubt it, but just curious.
Click to expand...

I think I've posted the ramifications for using a pad wash to clean wax and sealant pads somewhere, maybe a Super Sleuth can find it?

Suffice to say a pad washer like the Grit Guard Universal Pad wash works really well fro cleaning the surface of the pad and also the inside of the pad due to the squeegee effect of the Grit Guard Extension, (that's the little Grit Guard that you place on top of the normal Grit Guard Grill), as you run a pad over it.


From this thread,

Meguiar's Double Sided 100% Wool Cutting Pad

Inside are 4 spring loaded water cups and a Grit Guard Insert, (yellow component), and a Grit Guard Extension, (little black component in the middle of yellow Grit Guard Insert).

Note you can move the small insert to other places on the face of the Grit Guard Grill. I will usually place the Insert over the top of one of the spring loaded water cups for small pads.

GGUniversalPadWasher002.jpg


Of course your cleaning solution is a huge factor. I tend to always grab the DP Polishing Pad Rejuvenator which is citrus based.

Citrus Based Pad Cleaning Solution




The thing you need to consider is that you don't want to remove non-water soluble ingredients off your buffing pads if you're going to be cleaning compounding and polishing pads later with the same pad washer unless you plan on changing the water as to some degree you'll be introducing these protection ingredients to your compound and polishing pads.

It's not a huge deal but some people are very D.O. on forums and about detailing so I just want to point this out.

In a perfect world, you start your detailing session by compounding and polishing and then move to waxing or sealing, so cross-contaminating your water wouldn't be a problem just be sure to wash your bucket out after each detailing session which is a good practice anyways as pad washing water can get very vile smelling with age...


:)
 
Thanks for the quick reply Mike. I have read almost every single one of your threads. That takes a long time.

I just find with the red pad and the sealant, it soaks right through to the backing plate. I do use the DP Pad Cleaner, but it doesn't make a dent in DGPS. I have to wring the pad out and sealant comes out of it..lol. I am wondering if i should just seal it in a ziplock back and not worry about trying to clean it out. It took me almost an hour last time to get the sucker clean!
 
Gungho_15 said:
I am wondering if i should just seal it in a ziplock back and not worry about trying to clean it out. It took me almost an hour last time to get the sucker clean!
Click to expand...


That's always a toss-up... clean out the inside of the pad or let the wax/sealant dry inside the pad and use it again regardless...

You can clean off dried wax from the face of the pad easy enough after it's dried if you have a rotary buffer with a nylon brush or by holding it in your hand and brushing it with a nylon brush, it's the inside of the foam where the residue is built-up that's the problem.

If you do store inside a plastic baggie don't seal it or you might see a mold issue...


:)
 
Thanks for all the great info.

I was using WG DGPS also. I tried wringing it out. It does get alot out. Next time I should use gloves though. Now my hands are glossy and smooth.
 
I think you guys are missing an easy option. Why not just dedicate one pad for WGDGPS or DP Poli-Coat or whatever sealant you're using. When you're done with the pad, seal it in a zip-loc bag. There's the added bonus of the pad already being primed the next time you go to use it. Which in turn saves you some product and a whole lot of time.

Now I realize this isn't viable for everyone because not everyone has enough pads to dedicate to a strategy like this. Or has too many sealants... But for others this could work. I know for me I recieved a Blue Cobra Cross Groove pad with my pad washed and it's going to be used exclusively for DP Poli-Coat.

On a side note.... It'd be great if AG sold the re-sealable pad bags seperately. I'm sure there are others that would agree.
 
The best method I've found for cleaning wax/sealant from pads is to clean them twice. First rinse with hot water, soak in pad cleaning solution, press, squeeze, wring, soak, rinse etc. then let the pads dry. Any pad that needs more cleaning is usually not too tough the second time around. Sometimes I just throw the pads in the washing machine immediately after hand cleaning.

IMO a pad should be thoroughly cleaned after each use, if for nothing else, just to be sure it is free of dirt/contaminates. :xyxthumbs:
 
08xB said:
Not to start an argument here, but Dawn Power Dissolver contains MEA (Monoethanolamine), which is the main ingredient in most oven cleaner products, also is a mild paint stripper. IF you do decide to use it, make sure you have removed it completely from your applicator. I would also question how harsh it would be on applicator pads....
Click to expand...

I agree 100% with this statement. I wish I had a picture to back it up too but I didn't take one. I intentionally left some Power Dissolver on one of those yellow wax applicator pads overnight to see what would happen. Well the next day as I started to rinse, chunks of foam were just flaking off. Imagine how upset you would be if you did this to a 5.5" or larger pad(s). I really need to try DP Polishing Pad Rejuvenator.
 
Gungho_15 said:
I am wondering if i should just seal it in a ziplock back and not worry about trying to clean it out.
Click to expand...



Jumpingbean said:
I think you guys are missing an easy option. Why not just dedicate one pad for WGDGPS or DP Poli-Coat or whatever sealant you're using. When you're done with the pad, seal it in a zip-loc bag. There's the added bonus of the pad already being primed the next time you go to use it. Which in turn saves you some product and a whole lot of time.

Now I realize this isn't viable for everyone because not everyone has enough pads to dedicate to a strategy like this. Or has too many sealants... But for others this could work. I know for me I recieved a Blue Cobra Cross Groove pad with my pad washed and it's going to be used exclusively for DP Poli-Coat.

On a side note.... It'd be great if AG sold the re-sealable pad bags seperately. I'm sure there are others that would agree.
Click to expand...


I actually did mention zip lock bags.
 
rwright said:
I agree 100% with this statement. I wish I had a picture to back it up too but I didn't take one. I intentionally left some Power Dissolver on one of those yellow wax applicator pads overnight to see what would happen. Well the next day as I started to rinse, chunks of foam were just flaking off. Imagine how upset you would be if you did this to a 5.5" or larger pad(s). I really need to try DP Polishing Pad Rejuvenator.
Click to expand...

I'm not saying right or wrong, but what I do on pads that don't clean up well is spray a little dawn power dissolver on let it soak for maybe a minute and then rinse in hot water by hand. They clean up well and I have not had any pad deterioration issues yet...Knock on wood. Several people recommended this stuff and it seams to work. If it breaks down a pad over night a person would reasonably think it is doing slow damage to pads even in short applications and that is not good!. I don't use it on all pads just the difficult ones. I'll have to test it on an old CCS pad and see what happens....... guess if I start to have pad failures I know why. Thanks for the heads up!
:props:
 
teamerickson said:
Anybody got any advise on how to remove sealant from pads. I tried xmt pad spray and plenty of rinsing to no avail.
Click to expand...


Micro-Restore Microfiber Detergent Concentrate

http://www.autogeek.net/mideco128oz.html

Absolutely the best cleaner I have ever used and I've tried a bunch. Works on MF, polishing pads, applicators etc. For just a few pads, I put 1-2 oz. in the sink w/ some hot water, let the pads soak for a while, rinse well and air dry them overnight. If you are cleaning several, it also works great with the Grit Guard UPWS too. Had the same problem with WG DGPS and Souveran paste on soft pads. WG Tire Gel on the black foam bricks was a B..... too, this stuff takes it all out! No greasy feel after they dry either. I started out with a gallon and liked it so much I bought a case, much cheaper that way. Only one gallon left, need to get more soon. This is starting to sound like an infomercial, try some and see for yourself.:dblthumb2: IMHO
 
Buckskincolt said:
I'm not saying right or wrong, but what I do on pads that don't clean up well is spray a little dawn power dissolver on let it soak for maybe a minute and then rinse in hot water by hand. They clean up well and I have not had any pad deterioration issues yet...Knock on wood. Several people recommended this stuff and it seams to work. If it breaks down a pad over night a person would reasonably think it is doing slow damage to pads even in short applications and that is not good!. I don't use it on all pads just the difficult ones. I'll have to test it on an old CCS pad and see what happens....... guess if I start to have pad failures I know why. Thanks for the heads up!
:props:
Click to expand...

As I stated, I did it on purpose. I was just curious to see what would happen if anything. This weekend I plan to repeat the procedure and take pictures, using both a yellow applicator pad and one of my older ht pads if I have any left. I think I trashed them all.
 
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