soaking pads....question about personal prefrences

mwoywod

mwoywod

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Hey guys, I was hoping to get some feedback on what you use in the bucket you soak your spent pads in when switching to a fresh pad? I use to just fill a bucket with warm water just to keep the polish/compound from drying and i didn't want to soak my pads in an APC/degreaser for risk of breaking down the adhesive on my pads prematurely.

I've used d114 and ONR as the solution for the past year, which I've noticed it does help release more paint residue than plain water but it's not extremely effective. Lately I've been using an ounce of 1z blitz in 2 gallons of water. It cleans a TON of the paint residue out and its mild enough that I'm not worried about it causing any problems with the adhesive backing, plus it's highly concentrate.

I was wondering if any of you guys could share any recommendations for other soaps or cleaners I could use (other than a dedicated pad cleaning solution of course). Could a car shampoo without wax like Hyperwash be used?

Lastly, I have a bunch of wolfgang pad conditioner that I dont use anymore because it's not necessary with the polishes I use. I wanted to know if it would help "condition" my pads and help prevent them from prematurely aging if I spray them after I washed them? I know that isn't the purpose of a pad conditioner but I still felt like it was an interesting thought so I wanted to get some opinions. Thanks!
 
I typically use a sachet of Snappy Pad cleaner in a bucket of warm water.
 
I have a bucket mix of fresh water and...ok, believe it or not...Dawn dish soap! When i retire a pad from the job i rinse it with the hose to remove as much spent product, car paint etc out of the pad and then drop it in the Dawn/water mixture and it soaks for the remaining time of the job. I am like the op in that i don't like to let any of my pads dry dirty. Dish soap is cheap.

When i'm done I then clean them out with Wolfgang Pad Cleaner and Conditioner. I love that stuff to finish the pad cleaning. The label instructions suggest spritzing the pads with it for storage however i have not done that and prefer to keep them dry until next use.

I have never experienced any pad issues with letting them soak in a light mixture of dish soap and water while i finish the job. And even though i try to hose them out to remove as much spent material before they get dropped in the soapy bucket I always get that thin layer of whitish/grey sludge mud when i empty the bucket.
 
I've sprayed bother onr, apc, and glass cleaner on them after use. So far I like my dedicated pad cleaner.
 
The Guz said:
I know you did not want a dedicated pad cleaner but I am going to recommend either one of these

McKee's 37 Polishing Pad Rejuvenator was created to provide detailers with a fast and effective way to clean pads without soapy residue or foamy

Poorboy’s World Tornado Pad Cleaner

Poorboys is top notch. One of my top pad cleaners at the moment.
Click to expand...

I use the same (I think) process as the Guz... Spray a pad cleaner on the used pad, then drop it in a bucket of water mixed with the McKee's 37 Polishing Pad Rejuvenator (DP, BlackFire, etc. I believe are all the same) until I am ready to clean them in the sink with the spray pad cleaner.
 
I've always soaked mine in a dawn/water mix.

I haven't noticed any issues with the pads OR the backing on them and I didn't see any difference in the pads when I did use a dedicated polishing pad rejuvenator. (last time I did was about a decade ago)

I'm still not entirely convinced that a dedicated pad cleaner is really needed IMO... even for cleaning on the fly, I still just use a terry cloth towel and spin the pad on the machine to get the gunk out. It's not until I am completely done that I seek a full blown cleansing.
 
I just use Micro Restore & water to soak them for a few days - and then throw them into the washer for a spin:props:

Also I just toss my microfibres in a bucket with micro restore/water until I have enough to do a full wash load.:dblthumb2:
 
The Guz said:
I know you did not want a dedicated pad cleaner but I am going to recommend either one of these

McKee's 37 Polishing Pad Rejuvenator was created to provide detailers with a fast and effective way to clean pads without soapy residue or foamy

Poorboy’s World Tornado Pad Cleaner

Poorboys is top notch. One of my top pad cleaners at the moment.
Click to expand...

BadgerRivFan said:
I use the same (I think) process as the Guz... Spray a pad cleaner on the used pad, then drop it in a bucket of water mixed with the McKee's 37 Polishing Pad Rejuvenator (DP, BlackFire, etc. I believe are all the same) until I am ready to clean them in the sink with the spray pad cleaner.
Click to expand...


If I am not using a lot of pads then I use the poorboys product. Works great. Better than dish soap. Dish soap can be a pain to remove completely from pads. Poorboys rinses out completely.

If I use a lot of pads then I use the McKee's product. I just toss them in the bucket mixture. They don't need to soak for that long. The directions say 15 mins. Be sure to rinse them out after to get the pad cleaner out of them. The only issue I have seen with this one is that it turned the one Rupes white pad a light yellow after letting my pads soak overnight as I was to tired to wash them after finishing a paint correction. A minor issue as it does not affect pad performance.
 
It would be nice if the Lake Country, Buff & Shine, or Rupes (and pad manufacturer) rep would chime in on what is their preferred way of pad cleaning to get the best out of their respective pads.
 
I just let my pads soak in a bucket of warm water then put them in the washing machine with MF detergent. I used to use ONR but haven't seen much of a difference in cleaning ability.


Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app
 
I clean my pads as I go with a DIY built pad cleaning bucket that I made and use spray APC cleaner on the pad and water in DIY pad cleaning bucket. Then stick them on the side of my detailing cart with velcro to dry.
 
Grit Guard pad washer or washing machine with Micro Restore. If I cannot get at them for a couple days or am lazy after a detail, I will give them a couple sprays with Meguiars D101 APC 5:1.
 
This is why I like Poorboys. Cleaned up these pads after soaking them for a couple minutes. Simply worked it in and then rinsed them out after soaking them.

These pads were used to polish the barrels of two of my wheels.

Poorboys_Tornado_Pad_Cleanera.jpg
 
Thanks for all of the responses guys. It seems like most of you really prefer a dedicated pad cleaner/solution. MikeJames I would love to see a photo of your cart. Velcro on the sides for drying pads is genius and I'm jealous I didn't think of it first. Do you just have small individual velcro pieces or is it like a strop of velcro.

\\
 
I use a dedicated pad cleaner. I soak them in hot water and cleaner for 1-2 days depending on when I can actually get to them. I wash them in a wash tub in the laundry room. Small medium bristle brush and a strong stream of water from the hose gets them clean without issue.

I then spin them in the washer to squeeze out nearly all the water. Lastly, 15 minutes in the dryer on delicate which is very very mild heat drys them completely and insures that any remaining product is gone and wont come out in the form of dust when I go to use them the first time.

Works perfectly.
 
I spray them with Chemical Guys Pad Cleaner and let them sit a few minutes, then rinse. The CG pad cleaner breaks down the polish very well. Rinse, squeeze, spin and dry on a screen.


Sent from my iPhone using Autogeekonline mobile app
 
Hey guys. The WG Pad Revitalizer is on sale for 15.99. With the additional 20% off and free shipping it's a heck of a deal. An hour to go. I'm gonna try it out. Anyone know if it's the same as the McKee's powdered cleaner? Not that it matters, as the WG price is too good to pass up right now.

Wolfgang Pad Werks Polishing Pad Revitalizer is a strong citrus cleaner that penetrates foam or wool to release thick polishes, waxes, and compounds.

McKee's 37 Polishing Pad Rejuvenator was created to provide detailers with a fast and effective way to clean pads without soapy residue or foamy
 
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