I'm not quite sure what you mean by bonded contaminates sticking to wax/sealant...not in the clear cloat. Bonded contaminates are bonded to a vehicles paint finish. Contaminates typically adhere to vehicles that live outdoors for a length of time. These contaminates could be anything from pollen, dust, dirt, sap, paint overspray & a lot of other things I can't think of right now. The contaminates will bond to a vehicles finish over a length of time through cold, moist air, to very hot temps.
Detailing clay was invented by the Japenese about 20 years ago for the purpose of removing paint over spray. A friend turned me on to clay about 10 years ago, & I though he was crazy for using clay on his car until I tried the stuff. Clay is truly amazing, as it works extremely well for what it is intended to do, & that is to remove bonded contaminates.
Clay pulls contaminates away from a vehicles finish, whereas a compound/polish will lightly abrade the paint finish. Claying first makes compounding/polishing easier because a painted surface can have grooves, pits or valleys which are so small, that the human eye cannot see. When contaminates are embedded into these valleys/grooves, it's better to clay the finish first, as the clay pulls the contaminates away, versus using a compound or polish & removing paint that may not be necessary.
A sealant is exactly just that, a sealant. If you don't clay first before you seal the finish, you would essentially be sealing in the contaminates, which is why claying is one of the first steps to cleaning a vehicles finish.
Roger that :xyxthumbs:
