What's the best practice for cleaning on the fly?

Compressed air with microfiber pads. I like a terry cloth for foam pads.
 
Some may not consider a pad washer cleaning on the fly but it's the best way to go especially for foam, until you use one you don't know what your missing.

PS I still think they may be the most over priced piece of detailing gear but they do a great job.
 
rmagnus said:
Some may not consider a pad washer cleaning on the fly but it's the best way to go especially for foam, until you use one you don't know what your missing.

PS I still think they may be the most over priced piece of detailing gear but they do a great job.
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I think if your in the business, this is a MUST have. Anyone in the business knows time is money.
 
CM8 6MT said:
I think if your in the business, this is a MUST have. Anyone in the business knows time is money.
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Indeed, just wait until a sale. I price matched from another website and was able to score the grit-guard washer for under a hundred. Still a bit overpriced but hey, its $35 bucks in my pocket.
 
I don't have any microfiber pads but I do use terry clothes for all my foam pads. Use and wash them a few times then ill buy more. Thankfully they're cheap.
 
Thanks. I'll stick to using an old towel on foam. :dblthumb2:
 
I'm curious about the ideal technique for using terry cloth and grabbing the DA's pad. Every time I do it, I feel like I'm just shaking my hand. There's little to no relative movement between the pad and the towel.

I almost feel like doing a single section pass on the towel would be better.
 
Mazda.Mark said:
Compressed air with microfiber pads.

I like a terry cloth for foam pads

.
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Correct.
For foam pads, the terry cloth will not only remove excess product off the face of the towel due to the stout nap of the material but they will help to absorb any excess liquid out of the foam.

I cover how to clean MF pads in all my classes and the thing I point out is that most people don't have an air compressor, (some do, most don't), so if you don't have an air compressor a nylon pad conditioning brush works second best.


Cleaning microfiber pads with a pad conditioning brush

Clean_MF_Pads_Pad_Brush_01.jpg


Clean_MF_Pads_Pad_Brush_02.jpg



:xyxthumbs:
 
Compressed air is a luxury everyone should have, it helps more than words can express. Not only in the cleaning aspect, but in the cooling down of the pad as well. It's a must have for MF pads, and works equally well on foam pads.
 
RZJZA80 said:
Compressed air is a luxury everyone should have, it helps more than words can express. Not only in the cleaning aspect, but in the cooling down of the pad as well. It's a must have for MF pads, and works equally well on foam pads.
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If anyone is detailing part-time or full-time and using microfiber pads, one option for a portable air compressor for cleaning your microfiber pads would be the inexpensive pancake air compressors like you can get at HF for around $60.00 to $70.00.

Small, lightweight and portable and more than enough air pressure to clean a MF Pad.

I still find a nylon brush together with a terry cloth towel works best for foam pads as blasting air at a foam pad tends to force liquids further into the pad, (where you don't want them). But as long as a person has a system that works for them that's what's important.


:xyxthumbs:
 
What I do with foam pads is to angle the compressed air nozzle so it's almost parallel with the pad, and basically spray sideways. That way, nothing gets pushed into the foam, but rather, gets pushed off. Even a towel I feel pushes some product into the foam if for no other reason then the downward pressure.
 
RZJZA80 said:
What I do with foam pads is to angle the compressed air nozzle so it's almost parallel with the pad, and basically spray sideways. That way, nothing gets pushed into the foam, but rather, gets pushed off. Even a towel I feel pushes some product into the foam if for no other reason then the downward pressure.
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Technique is everything. Thanks for sharing some tips on technique!


:dblthumb2:
 
y8s said:
I'm curious about the ideal technique for using terry cloth and grabbing the DA's pad. Every time I do it, I feel like I'm just shaking my hand. There's little to no relative movement between the pad and the towel.

I almost feel like doing a single section pass on the towel would be better.
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That is exactly what i do when i use my terry cloths. I will usually fold the towel into fours and wipe across the face to get all residues. I feel i get a lot more residue off the pad this way than just simply letting the pad rotate against the cloth.
 
I was curious if you use the master blaster with the smallest noozle in place of the compress air?
 
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