How to properly clean pads?

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bshattuck87

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Hi everyone! I just received a large order from Autogeek on Thursday! I got to try everything out today on my wife's car and mother in law's car! I'm trying to find out the best way to clean the LC pads. I don't have a pad washer and I don't have a rotary. I did a small search, but I'm out of town at the in laws and only have my phone with the Autogeek app! Thanks!
 
This probably isn't the perfect way to do it but I'm assuming you didn't get a pad cleaner. You could fill the sink up 1/3 way full with warm water and dish soap. Dunk the pad in and keep ringing them out in the water. Once they come clean (fairly fast) I let them dry out over night and put them in zip lock bags until the next time I use them.
 
I spray some Meg's APC+ at 10:1 on the face of the pads. Then I use my pad conditioner brush and lightly scrub the pad. Run under warm water for a second and squeeze out the water. I usually repeat this t
2-3 times and my pads come out clean every time.
 
1511 said:
This probably isn't the perfect way to do it but I'm assuming you didn't get a pad cleaner. You could fill the sink up 1/3 way full with warm water and dish soap. Dunk the pad in and keep ringing them out in the water. Once they come clean (fairly fast) I let them dry out over night and put them in zip lock bags until the next time I use them.
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I do pretty much the same thing except I spin them dry on about speed 4 and then let them dry over night on a clean MF.
 
No matter how I have cleaned pads, I find they never cut like new again, and don't last very long after the first cleaning, so unless they're barely used, i don't bother cleaning them, I just move on to a new pad when needed. I generally use H20 pads.
 
Ok - a little mobile secret..... take a garbage bag, toss pads inside, toss a bit of laundry detergent inside, then add water, then shake and agitate.... repeat until you feel like the pads inside are clean, then rip hole in bottom of garbage bag, let fluids spill, then rinse while in bag...... then remove pads and rinse out detergent thoroughly - wala! A disposable washer :dblthumb2:
 
B&B Tennessee said:
Ok - a little mobile secret..... take a garbage bag, toss pads inside, toss a bit of laundry detergent inside, then add water, then shake and agitate.... repeat until you feel like the pads inside are clean, then rip hole in bottom of garbage bag, let fluids spill, then rinse while in bag...... then remove pads and rinse out detergent thoroughly - wala! A disposable washer :dblthumb2:
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BEST post of the day! I'll be using this method till I can afford a pad washer:)
 
B&B Tennessee said:
Ok - a little mobile secret..... take a garbage bag, toss pads inside, toss a bit of laundry detergent inside, then add water, then shake and agitate.... repeat until you feel like the pads inside are clean, then rip hole in bottom of garbage bag, let fluids spill, then rinse while in bag...... then remove pads and rinse out detergent thoroughly - wala! A disposable washer :dblthumb2:
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Hey, what a great idea. Gonna polish my Altima this week and will give the "mobile, disposable washer" a try when I'm done.

Thanks. :xyxthumbs:
 
I just wonder how you "feel" the pads are clean. I would see using this as part of a pre-soak.
 
I clean them on the fly with a clean towel during my correction/polishing ops. Once I'm done with the ops, I spray them with Meguiar's APC, scrub them with a soft nylon brush and then soak them overnight in a water/detergent mix. Then I toss them in the clothes washer a normal wash cycle with detergent and viola: clean pads.
 
After numerous experimentation the way that works every time for me is to clean them on the fly by spraying the pad liberally with ONR at detail spray strength after each panel then take a MF or terry cloth towel while turning on the polisher and allow the towel to clean the pad. The ONR helps loosen the spent product and it's easier on the pad than using a brush. As soon as the pad is finished I spray APC and let sit for 15 minutes. Then wash under a sink
 
Jomax said:
BEST post of the day! I'll be using this method till I can afford a pad washer:)
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Lol - thanx man

DaHen said:
Hey, what a great idea. Gonna polish my Altima this week and will give the "mobile, disposable washer" a try when I'm done.

Thanks. :xyxthumbs:
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It works :dblthumb2:

Bunky said:
I just wonder how you "feel" the pads are clean. I would see using this as part of a pre-soak.
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Its funny cause I just washed my pads in the washer and they still have polish and or compound on them after the wash (plus the line of compound/polish in the washer :/ ). I don't just let them sit in the plastic bag.... I actually agitate them thoroughly and then rinse them out thoroughly. It seems that people forget that there was a time before washer and dryers lol! You can properly wash your pads by hand and let them air dry - I do it almost daily on the fly. I don't use a wash board or anything, just my hand, some detergent, and some water - then put on polisher and allow to spin most water out and then sit in the sun..... works great when you need 5,6,7 pads on a given vehicle (bus, aircraft, RV, and even cars).
 
As I'm working I toss my dirty pads in a bucket of Dawn and once I'm out of pads I stop...fold the pads twice (to form a triangle) and squeeze everything out...the rinse with the hose...then spin dry on the DA's highest speed. This works great for me and I have never had a problem with pads not cutting well after being cleaned...
 
At the end of the day, I spray mine down with Megs APC+, then work it in and rinse with water thoroughly. Then spin it on the DA at the highest setting to get rid of the water that wasn't squeezed out.

LSP pads I don't clean as they are very hydrophobic. I just usually throw those in a plastic bag right after use. I toss them if they get dirty.
 
B&B Tennessee said:
Ok - a little mobile secret..... take a garbage bag, toss pads inside, toss a bit of laundry detergent inside, then add water, then shake and agitate.... repeat until you feel like the pads inside are clean, then rip hole in bottom of garbage bag, let fluids spill, then rinse while in bag...... then remove pads and rinse out detergent thoroughly - wala! A disposable washer :dblthumb2:
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I must say I saw this work in person and was quite surprised at how well it worked.
 
I would bet that vacuum bagging would get all the polish and water out of the pads with minimal effort.
 
1511 said:
This probably isn't the perfect way to do it but I'm assuming you didn't get a pad cleaner. You could fill the sink up 1/3 way full with warm water and dish soap. Dunk the pad in and keep ringing them out in the water. Once they come clean (fairly fast) I let them dry out over night and put them in zip lock bags until the next time I use them.
Click to expand...

I would advise never to use dish washing detergent to wash your foam pads with for several reasons. The grease breaking detergent can break down the adhesive that is holding your foam and velcro backing to your pads. Dish washing soap is very high in lubricity and foaminess, so you will have to spend a long time to make sure you have clean your pad out of every little drop of soap. Reason is, you do not want trapped soap blotches reacting when you use your pad and it gets wet, the soap will then reactivate with the liquid and there you are working backwards.


I would soak them or spray them with APC mixture and knead/work the chemicals out by hand under warm water, making sure that the water being wringed out is as close to clear as can be. Then spin dry. :buffing:
 
pho_shizzle said:
I would advise never to use dish washing detergent to wash your foam pads with for several reasons. The grease breaking detergent can break down the adhesive that is holding your foam and velcro backing to your pads. Dish washing soap is very high in lubricity and foaminess, so you will have to spend a long time to make sure you have clean your pad out of every little drop of soap. Reason is, you do not want trapped soap blotches reacting when you use your pad and it gets wet, the soap will then reactivate with the liquid and there you are working backwards.


I would soak them or spray them with APC mixture and knead/work the chemicals out by hand under warm water, making sure that the water being wringed out is as close to clear as can be. Then spin dry. :buffing:
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I have always cleaned mine with Dawn and never had any problems at all
 
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