How to clean pads without Grit Guard Cleaning System?

Speakerguy45

Speakerguy45

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My Porter Cable 7424 Pinnacle Twins Kit should arrive tomorrow and i plan on putting it to use pretty soon, what is the best way to clean foam buffing pads so that they will last the longest? I don't have any Snappy pad cleaner packets that i see detailers like to use.
Can i just spray my cleaner / degreaser on the pad and wash it out with the garden hose?

Thanks :)
 
Speakerguy45 said:
My Porter Cable 7424 Pinnacle Twins Kit should arrive tomorrow and i plan on putting it to use pretty soon, what is the best way to clean foam buffing pads so that they will last the longest? I don't have any Snappy pad cleaner packets that i see detailers like to use.
Can i just spray my cleaner / degreaser on the pad and wash it out with the garden hose?

Thanks :)
Click to expand...

I'm in the same bag as you, no pad cleaner.

For me usually a good idea is to set yourself up a 'soak bucket' before you get started...that way if a pad gets to a dirty point to where you dont want to use it anymore...toss it in there and let it soak...rather than letting the product dry in/on the pad.

The second thing is to 'clean on the fly'...which if you havent read an article on that yet on here...its basically wiping off the face of your pad after ever section pass or every other section pass...or whenever necessary...you'll need a good terry towl or an old microfiber towel..either will work...its just to remove the built up product/removed paint from the surface of the pad to help keep it cleaner longer...so hopefully (if the car isnt too bad) you wont have to use a lot of pads on 1 process.

When it comes down to clean time...if my pad is SUPER dirty...ill hit it a couple times with APC or APC+...whichever...rub it in a little and then rinse it out REALLY good...then after that ill use either dish soap or laundry detergent (liquid and only need a little) to rub into the face of the pad and rinse out....if it looks clean enough then...then i just let them dry....if they still look kinda bad then i'll soak them in warm water with dish soap or laundry detergent for a while.

Some people say dont let them soak too long because the backing will come off...personally ive let mine soak 24 hour and never had a problem with seperation...not to say others havent, but for me...its never been an issue.

After you pull them out squeeze them dry...personally i dont twist them...i'll fold them in 1/2 or into 1/4 and press it together to get out as much as i can...then if you want you can use a MF and push it against the face of the pad to get out a little more water...after that just let em air dry.

If you have some sort of a grate you can set them on...so that air can get to them from the top and bottom at the same time...thats the quickest way to dry them...if not them let them dry on one side for a couple hours...then flip them and you'll be good.

The of course store them somewhere clean...i always keep mine in zip-lock bags once they are totally dry.

Hope that helps...if you need any further advice/ideas just let me know
 
I use Dawn Power Dissolver to clean mine. It can be hard to find at times but Walmart usually has it.
 
Soak in Oxyclean/Water in a bucket, throw in Maytag & wash.
 
I use a little Simple Green in a bucket with hot water. Works great.
 
I erm blast mine with the hose after spraying them with apc. Oh then put on buffer and turn on high speed lol.
 
ryandamartini said:
Oh then put on buffer and turn on high speed lol.
Click to expand...

This is ok with a rotary buffer, but be careful doing this on a DA buffer as it can rip the pad right off of its backing and send it flying. Ask me how I know, lol.
 
jahman said:
This is ok with a rotary buffer, but be careful doing this on a DA buffer as it can rip the pad right off of its backing and send it flying. Ask me how I know, lol.
Click to expand...

I loosely hold my hand to the DA pad. It still works lol
 
Wills.WindowsAndWheels said:
I'm in the same bag as you, no pad cleaner.

For me usually a good idea is to set yourself up a 'soak bucket' before you get started...that way if a pad gets to a dirty point to where you dont want to use it anymore...toss it in there and let it soak...rather than letting the product dry in/on the pad.

The second thing is to 'clean on the fly'...which if you havent read an article on that yet on here...its basically wiping off the face of your pad after ever section pass or every other section pass...or whenever necessary...you'll need a good terry towl or an old microfiber towel..either will work...its just to remove the built up product/removed paint from the surface of the pad to help keep it cleaner longer...so hopefully (if the car isnt too bad) you wont have to use a lot of pads on 1 process.

When it comes down to clean time...if my pad is SUPER dirty...ill hit it a couple times with APC or APC+...whichever...rub it in a little and then rinse it out REALLY good...then after that ill use either dish soap or laundry detergent (liquid and only need a little) to rub into the face of the pad and rinse out....if it looks clean enough then...then i just let them dry....if they still look kinda bad then i'll soak them in warm water with dish soap or laundry detergent for a while.

Some people say dont let them soak too long because the backing will come off...personally ive let mine soak 24 hour and never had a problem with seperation...not to say others havent, but for me...its never been an issue.

After you pull them out squeeze them dry...personally i dont twist them...i'll fold them in 1/2 or into 1/4 and press it together to get out as much as i can...then if you want you can use a MF and push it against the face of the pad to get out a little more water...after that just let em air dry.

If you have some sort of a grate you can set them on...so that air can get to them from the top and bottom at the same time...thats the quickest way to dry them...if not them let them dry on one side for a couple hours...then flip them and you'll be good.

The of course store them somewhere clean...i always keep mine in zip-lock bags once they are totally dry.

Hope that helps...if you need any further advice/ideas just let me know
Click to expand...
Thank you, this helped a bunch ;)
 
Dawn Power Dissolver here, too. Spray let sit 5 minutes, agitate by hand, rinse thoroughly and then spin dry with rotary. Can be back polishing with that pad in 10 minutes.
 
AV8R said:
I use a little Simple Green in a bucket with hot water. Works great.
Click to expand...
This is what I do also. Fill a bucket with warm water and simple green (I don't measure it, but I probably use about 1-2oz of simple green in 4 gallons water). After doing a few sections, or whenever I feel like my pad is getting caked up, I immediately throw the pad into the bucket and put a new pad on the buffer. I've never had a problem cleaning my pads as long as I throw them into a bucket with some kind of cleaner/water immediately after I'm done buffing with it. If you let them sit out and dry with product on them they get infinitely harder to clean.
 
zliegen said:
This is what I do also. Fill a bucket with warm water and simple green (I don't measure it, but I probably use about 1-2oz of simple green in 4 gallons water). After doing a few sections, or whenever I feel like my pad is getting caked up, I immediately throw the pad into the bucket and put a new pad on the buffer. I've never had a problem cleaning my pads as long as I throw them into a bucket with some kind of cleaner/water immediately after I'm done buffing with it. If you let them sit out and dry with product on them they get infinitely harder to clean.
Click to expand...

Great tip :)

BTW Simple Green was formulated at MT SAC, a college that is like 5 miles from me!
 
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