Is the Sponge dead?

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nubaseal

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All of us know our mitts and MF Towels and we use them for traditional shampoo as well as Rinseless washes. Does this mean that the sponge is dead?
I saw one recently and having never used one, was tempted to try it with ONR. Is that a bad idea?
 
supernaut said:
All of us know our mitts and MF Towels and we use them for traditional shampoo as well as Rinseless washes. Does this mean that the sponge is dead?
I saw one recently and having never used one, was tempted to try it with ONR. Is that a bad idea?
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I think it is. I could be wrong, but it just seems to me that sponges would just drag dirt across the the paint. A while ago I used to use the Lake Country big blue sponge. I really liked it, its scored all over, so it has "fingers" cut into it. I used it for 2 BM washes.

.... Until.. I threw it in the washing machine and I exploded into 6 billion blue pieces of foam. But if your interested in a sponge, that's a nice one.

Again, as with a lot of detailing stuff, you'll get a lot of "he says / she says".- but not a lot of facts to back it up. I'm guessing technique would matter more than sponge / wool / microfiber.
 
I still use the natural sea sponge sold here. I would recommend it over any microfiber mitt. It is amazingly soft an holds more soap than my mitts ever did. Now I do still have two super plush wash mitts but I bought them on bogo. Can't ever have enough wash mitts or sponges.
 
supernaut said:
All of us know our mitts and MF Towels and we use them for traditional shampoo as well as Rinseless washes. Does this mean that the sponge is dead?
I saw one recently and having never used one, was tempted to try it with ONR. Is that a bad idea?
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No! I know lots of top detailers who will always use a sponge. I use both everyday and will never stop using them. I do use the
meguiars wash mitt its a great product and you can't beat the price.
 
I see no reason to use a sponge and I haven't used one it at least 4 - 5 years
 
RZJZA80 said:
I see no reason to use a sponge and I haven't used one it at least 4 - 5 years
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All this comes down to is preference really. What ever you like to use both are safe to use. I have use both on 300k cars and no problems.
 
I too use the blue sponge talked about here, I think it scrubs better than a wash mit does. Without scratching that is. Never tried a real sponge though and am very interested in one.
 
I've been using the Aqua sponge for about a year now with the rinseless wash with flawless results, check Amazon.com for the best prices on them too.

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
I used the LC blue sponge for a while and thought it worked well. I've since went an even cheaper route with grout sponges from Lowes. No marring or scratching.
 
I'm the opposite. Sponges were popular back in the 90s, and by the early 00s I thought they were dead. However, around 2009 with the rise of ONR and the rediscovery of sponges, I don't think they're dead.

Right now I prefer to use the Lowe's Proline Tile & Grout Sponge. It rinses dirt faster and better than any MF or sheepskin wash mitt. With a high pressure blast from my hose, it becomes very clean. That never happens with my MF/SK wash mitts. It's also very soft (however, not all grout sponges are. I sampled 10 different brands before settling on the Lowes). Best of all, they are very cheap <$3.
 
Mustapha said:
I'm the opposite. Sponges were popular back in the 90s, and by the early 00s I thought they were dead. However, around 2009 with the rise of ONR and the rediscovery of sponges, I don't think they're dead.

Right now I prefer to use the Lowe's Proline Tile & Grout Sponge. It rinses dirt faster and better than any MF or sheepskin wash mitt. With a high pressure blast from my hose, it becomes very clean. That never happens with my MF/SK wash mitts. It's also very soft (however, not all grout sponges are. I sampled 10 different brands before settling on the Lowes). Best of all, they are very cheap <$3.
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I love my Lowes grout sponge. I use them all the time. I keep flopping back and forth between my GS and MF mitts. The GS rinses so clean and are so soft. For the money you really can't beat them.
 
Let me ask a different question about the humble sponge. Since ONR doesn't have any suds, is it safe to use a sponge with ONR? I still feel it is after to wash with a microfiber when it ones to ONR.
 
When I bought my first jug of ONR a few years ago, I went out and bought a dedicated grout sponge. Soon after, I read an lengthy post from Dr. G detailing the advantages of a microfiber towel over a sponge. He also mentioned he was working on a sponge designed specifically for use with ONR, which later came to market. From that day forward, I've done hundreds of rinseless washes using 2 MF towels. The first one is folded in quarters and used dripping wet, one face at a time. The second one is wrung out near dry and used for a final wipe before drying. Using this process, I find no dirt on my drying towels, which is my benchmark for a good wash media.

I still use my grout sponge, but its only purpose nowadays is to use up the remaining ONR for wheels and tires.

Bill
 
BillyJack said:
I still use my grout sponge, but its only purpose nowadays is to use up the remaining ONR for wheels and tires.

Bill
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I often use a sponge on the lower rockers and bottom rear quarter panels. The sponge definitely rinses cleanly during a rinseless.
 
Sponges are not dead. You can get them in MF like The Bone. I have had great luck with LC Garage sponges. I hate mitts because i have big hands and you know what they say about men with big hands!
 
supernaut said:
Let me ask a different question about the humble sponge. Since ONR doesn't have any suds, is it safe to use a sponge with ONR? I still feel it is after to wash with a microfiber when it ones to ONR.
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I've been using my Aqua sponge w/o a problem for almost a year, dozens of washes on many cars w/o a single issue!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
 
Klasse Act said:
I've been using my Aqua sponge w/o a problem for almost a year, dozens of washes on many cars w/o a single issue!

Sent from my SPH-M930 using AG Online
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I've picked up 3 Aqua sponges per both yours & Setec Astronomy's suggestions. Going to give it a go on the next RW. If I don't like 'em; to the kitchen. Anything to save on mf usage is worth a try.
 
I have one of those blue Lake Country sponges, but I only use it with Iron X, never for washing.
 
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