california duster?

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bigdawg

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Was wondering if anybody trusts this. I have a black nissan titan 4 door and like to keep it clean. I have been using s&w, and s&g. Its getting a little $$$ to do this every other day so I am looking into the duster. Would this be a ok move??

Thanks..
 
As long as you keep the duster pretty clean and use little to no pressure, you should be all set. It won't remove 100% of the dust though, so I personally would rather stick with a plush microfiber towel and a decent QD but this could be a bit more challenging with taller elevated roof.
 
some will say yes, some will say no. i live by this duster as long as it's a light coat of dust you should be fine. i have been using the cd for years and have never introduced swirls by doing so. just use your better judgement when to use it and when not to. the duster does have to go through a break in period due to the paraffin wax in the fibers which will leave streak marks on your paint and windows. they do wipe off though.
 
I own one and will say this. Many people hate this thing, because it scratches their paint. The answer is them, not the product. It is designed with wax to lift light dust and dirt from the car without scratching. The problem is, most people take it, plop it down on the paint and more or less scrub their paint with it. Well no wonder you have scratches.

I have a dark blue metallic paint, something that shows scratches and swirls just as bad a black. I have been using a CA duster since May without any issues and no scratching. It is because I lightly allow the threads of the duster to connect with the car and lift and remove the dust. I have done a lot of concourse car events and this is a must for keeping the car looking good over the course of the day. Just be gentle with how you wipe the car down and let the product work as it was designed to.
 
One thing I did not note above. After each section of the car, make sure to shake out the duster from any dust collected that is still loose and also you can hit it across your hand to sort of beat any deeper dirt/dust that is inside. The threads will get dirty, but don't worry about that, it really has no impact on the effectiveness of the item. When it gets too dirty or no longer is removing dust any longer, time to get a new one. Mine is 7 months old and works as good as it did when it was new.
 
I use my duster on the dash ... never on paint.
 
Would the duster make any ghosting afects or would that be caused by the wax being wiped off?

Thanks
 
bigdawg said:
Would the duster make any ghosting afects or would that be caused by the wax being wiped off?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I don't know anything about "ghosting effects", but the CA Duster doesn't wipe off wax.
If anything, it might leave some traces of paraffin on your paint the first few times you use it.
Been using them for over 20 years with no problem.
As has been mentioned, use it properly. It's a CA Duster not a CA Washer. :)
 
Oh I fully understand its a duster not a washer nor a scruber lol I just let it sit on the paint with no presher just the weight of itself. I have used them on my white colored cars but not the black yet. I guess I just have to give it a try. Might just do half the hood to check it first.
 
I have mentioned this here and there with no feedback or opinions yet...

What I do for light dusting-
Using a dedicated large plush MF, (the blue Walmart drying towel) I hold two corners and let half of the towel hang down onto the panel and drag to remove dust. The dry MF has a very light touch and there's almost no chance of accidentally applying pressure, I feel confident that this is safe. Using this method before QDing eases my mind. I've never used a CD but it seems you would have to be very careful to just let the strings hang onto the paint without the thing actually touching. My $0.02
 
skizot said:
... The problem is, most people take it, plop it down on the paint and more or less scrub their paint with it... I lightly allow the threads of the duster to connect with the car and lift and remove the dust... Just be gentle with how you wipe the car down and let the product work as it was designed to.
Click to expand...
:iagree:

+1. I've seen many press down onto the paint, then wonder how the scratches happened. As others have said, shake out frequently and use common sense as to when the surface is too dirty to use.
 
i use it from time to time only on my garage kept mazda. though its in the garage i still get light dust all over my car. i use the duster with no pressure. but drape the duster over the whole car pulling the dust off.


i once used it on my scion threw the dry season to remove pollen but unfortunatly it would start scratching my unwaxed scion (its a lease i dont care much)
since then i threw out the old one and bought a new one

with that said. its simply to dust off. keep it clean and dont use it for road dust.

in california every morning there is overcast and moisture on the cars followed by 11am sun shine drying up the moisture leaving a fine dust on the car, hence why i think they invented the california duster :)

oh how i miss california!!!
 
Just a thought.
Maybe a reason for different experiences with the CA Duster is because of using different CA Dusters.
I have two of the original wood handle ones and one wood handle "Super Duster".
The one time I looked at the plastic handle CA Duster sold at Wal-Mart, I think I remember that the yarn on the wood handled dusters was noticeably longer and of a larger diameter.
Maybe the longer/larger yarn works better.

FWIW, all three of mine are over 10 years old and one of the originals is over 20 years old.
 
I would never use one on my paint. If my paint's a little dusty from sitting in the garage I'll blow it off with my air compressor then wipe it down with a little QD on a MF.
 
I go to a lot of car shows where I will be there for numerous hours. Having a black car means that I have to get the dust off my car all the time. I use the California Duster very lightly and then go over it with a QD. As long as I am careful and I dont use much pressure, I leave no harm behind. I would love not to use it at all but being at a show I dont have much option when it comes to getting the car looking good.
 
Where is that picture I have of my burning CCD...? I hate those things with a hate that is holy. My problem stems from being an idiot and using it like a mop instead of just lightly dragging the tips over the car, but still... I haven't ever seen someone use one properly and I know they cause more damage than they prevent.

If you have a black vehicle then dust just goes with the territory. Trying to keep dust off your vehicle is an entirely futile exercise. Sanity will come by making peace with the dust issue and learning to live with it. I had to do that on my last dark vehicle. When I failed miserably I wound up selling it and buying a grey car instead so I didn't have to worry about. The dust won't hurt your car, but dragging ANYTHING over the surface increases the damage potential significantly. I'm sure there is a safe and proper way of using one, but the risk on black is just too high for me to even consider.
 
I lightly midst a little water on my duster with a spray bottle, shake it off and lightly dust. No issues at all and my car is black. I pull it off the handle and wash from time to time
 
CakeDaddy said:
I lightly midst a little water on my duster with a spray bottle, shake it off and lightly dust. No issues at all and my car is black. I pull it off the handle and wash from time to time
Click to expand...
Never heard of misting it with water before. Seems like it would be asking for streaks and smears.
Evidently not, since it works for you.

Regular washing also seems counter productive.
Doesn't that diminish the paraffin that is in the yarn?
There again, it must work for you.

FWIW, I have one wood handled CA Duster that is over 20 years old, been used a lot, yarn is almost black, still works great, and has never been washed.
 
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