Who Uses a California Car Duster ? Are they safe ?

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alexramsey

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Just wondering who uses one of those California Car Dusters (they are probably marketed under various other names too).


They are those long handled mop looking dusters that have a residue in the mop threads to attract and grab the dust particles (not for washing the car - just for light dusting).


I was just wondering if they are actually safe for your paint finish. They are typically used for light dusting when your car doesn't really need a car washing.


Anyone had any negative experiences with these or have they scratched your finish or maybe even removed the wax you have on your car ??? Ect ? Ect ?
 
alexramsey said:
...those California Car Dusters
(they are probably marketed
under various other names too).

I was just wondering if they are
actually safe for your paint finish.

Anyone had any negative experiences
with these or have they scratched your
finish...
Click to expand...
•I’m willing to bet that you already know,
first-hand, the “safeness” of these dusters;
and, their paint-scratchability as well:

-Haven’t you already been using your
duster very often, almost daily, and
just recently noticed some swirls start-
ing to appear on the rear bumper—in the
same direction that you dust?

•Additionally:
-Aren’t your thoughts that it’s exactly like
writing in the dirt on someones car; that
is to say: dirt gets rubbed against the paint
causing small scratches/swirls?

-{FWIW: That’s my thoughts as well.}



Bob
 
I been using them for 25 years with no issue. I only use to get the light dust/pollen off of a recently washed vehicle. They will not clean a car that is dirty from rain or more than a few days of driving dirt. I have no scratches from them.
 
Not any good at all!

Before becoming an AutoGeek person---Used this Calif duster on my classic MGA. Paint was pristine. By fall it was full of light scratches. So had to hand polish (before I had a machine) the paint back to perfection. I used the duster again on the following year---same thing! Scratches! I rarely wash the MGA! ###???? Had no clue at the time why it was getting all swirled out!

So as time went on, I decided to put the MG on the market. In prep for the sale, I proceeded to re polish the paint. As I was doing this, there was a small area on rear deck behind the seats under the convertible top. This area hardly ever gets washed due to being inside the car. I've always used the duster there. I did a a rinseless wash there and Lordy!!! Had all these tiny waxey spots all over the rear deck---like it came from candle wax drippings! Took me a couple of hours to hand wash, hand compound and hand polish to remove those waxy spots! I knew just then it was from the duster!

After I was done I took 3 of those dusters and tossed in the trash. Haven't had a problem since!

So, they are crap....Makes more work in the long run. Toss them.

Tom
 
You'll get opinions from one extreme to the other on this topic. Here's a post of mine from another thread on this topic. I'm a proponent.

"Many will cringe at the idea of dragging a car duster across their finish but I'll tell you that I've been using the California Car Duster for more than twenty-five years on all of my vehicles, including my current black Chevy Truck and two black Harleys, without any ill-effects.

You do need to use a little common sense. It's designed to effectively remove light dust and it does a great job at that. Anything beyond light dust and you're asking for trouble. Even light dust that has been exposed to morning dew, or such, and is therefore a little "stuck" to the surface is pushing the limits.

But for simple removal of dust that is just loosely sitting on the finish, the California Car Duster works great.

I've never tried any other brands.

Even when I'm wiping down using a Quik Detailer, I'll typically "dust" the surface with the California Car Duster first, then proceed to the Quik Detailer. I feel that the duster is safer to remove the loose dust than is the Quik Detailer."

And as for the waxy spots/residue that can be left behind... Yes it does, or can, occur when the duster is brand new but diminishes with usage. Also following the instructions that come with it to lay it out on some newspaper for a while before using it for the first time helps. In my experience any residue it leaves behind is easily removed with a quick detailer or similar product.
 
If used properly they are a really good addition to your arsenal. If you LIGHTLY and GENTLY brush off the panels; then there should be no issues. This is for LIGHT DUST. When I go to car shows I cringe when I see a guy using the Dustbuster ALL WRONG. Smashing the DB on his ride and moving back and forth pretty hard.

However, I have also seen guys use it right and their rides look great. Usually those guys know quite a bit about detailing.

But all said and done, do I have one? No. I no longer use them.
 
I use the California Car Duster to remove light dust/pollen after my car has been washed. I hold the Duster high so only the "TIPS" touch the paint. I only go in the direction of air flow -->. I have not had any scratches doing it this way.
 
I got one for Christmas last year. Used it one time on very light dust and barely even touched the car with it. Put it out in the sun and sure enough, scratches all over my clear coat. I threw it in the garbage.

They may be better on harder paint, but its a big NO on a Dodge pitch black (very soft). I just leave it dusty until I can give it a proper washing.
 
Kamakaz1961 said:
If used properly they are a really good addition to your arsenal. If you LIGHTLY and GENTLY brush off the panels; then there should be no issues. This is for LIGHT DUST.
Click to expand...

Agree with the above 100%.

I have used a CD for probably 30 years with absolutely zero issues. As long as you use it ONLY when there is minimal dust and just let the tips drag on the paint, there will be no damage to your paint. People screw up by using it as a dirt remover, instead of its intended use, hence the name........ DUSTER.

And BTW, in those 30 yrs that I have been using them (on my second one), the vast majority of my vehicles have been metallic black or maroon.
 
TexasDave said:
I threw it in the garbage.
Click to expand...

Who seriously throws stuff like that away
For all the junk in the garage, all the stuff that everyone hangs onto for whatever reason, for the fact that it could’ve at least been repurposed for the patio furniture or sold at a yard sale or anything else.... But throw it in the garbage? Yea ok...
 
Eldorado2k said:
Who seriously throws stuff like that away
For all the junk in the garage, all the stuff that everyone hangs onto for whatever reason, for the fact that it could’ve at least been repurposed for the patio furniture or sold at a yard sale or anything else.... But throw it in the garbage? Yea ok...
Click to expand...
I threw mine away and it was used 3 times. I use the 3 strike rule.
 
Rsurfer said:
I threw mine away and it was used 3 times. I use the 3 strike rule.
Click to expand...

I still have like 3-4 beds that my cat no longer sleeps in tucked away somewhere in the garage... I guess everyone’s different. Lol.

I still have those Cyclo brushes for my polisher too... You don’t see me throwing them away. Lol.
 
I put California Duster in the Lexol Leather product category--completely useless. Unless you have hard paint, the California Duster will scratch it on anything more than super light dust. I'm talking about the light dust you get when your car sits in the garage for 3-4 days.
 
SonOfOC said:
I'm talking about the light dust you get when your car sits in the garage for 3-4 days.
Click to expand...

Well that’s exactly the people they’re intended for... Anyone who doesn’t have a garage queen has no reason to even think about using 1, let alone complain about them.
 
I use mine typically once a month - which might be 3-5 days after I have washed the car but may not have driven it - really to remove any dust that accumulated in the garage before doing a waterless or rinseless wash. That is the extent of it's use in my world. I have never used it after the car has been driven and collected any road dirt or road dust.

I had a friend who used in several times per week on his black truck after driving it all week. That was trouble....

ScottH
 
I have used a California Duster for years. I have never found anything detrimental about them.
 
alexramsey said:
Just wondering who uses one of those California Car Dusters
Click to expand...


I've tried them back when I had a black Honda Pilot and lived in the Mojave Desert. It's windy and dusty in the desert and seems like after washing the Pilot and then making one Costco trip it would be covered in dust. I found it worked okay but at the end of any swipe there would be a pile of dust not removed. I could see this pile of dust because the paint was black and well... because I have an eye for car detailing. So it wasn't for me and my black Pilot.

I have noticed people that like these don't have black cars. My theory is, they don't see the pile of dust at the end of a wipe or swipe and thus they're happy.


:)
 
2black1s said:
You'll get opinions from one extreme to the other on this topic. Here's a post of mine from another thread on this topic. I'm a proponent.

"Many will cringe at the idea of dragging a car duster across their finish but I'll tell you that I've been using the California Car Duster for more than twenty-five years on all of my vehicles, including my current black Chevy Truck and two black Harleys, without any ill-effects.

You do need to use a little common sense. It's designed to effectively remove light dust and it does a great job at that. Anything beyond light dust and you're asking for trouble. Even light dust that has been exposed to morning dew, or such, and is therefore a little "stuck" to the surface is pushing the limits.

But for simple removal of dust that is just loosely sitting on the finish, the California Car Duster works great.

I've never tried any other brands.

Even when I'm wiping down using a Quik Detailer, I'll typically "dust" the surface with the California Car Duster first, then proceed to the Quik Detailer. I feel that the duster is safer to remove the loose dust than is the Quik Detailer."

And as for the waxy spots/residue that can be left behind... Yes it does, or can, occur when the duster is brand new but diminishes with usage. Also following the instructions that come with it to lay it out on some newspaper for a while before using it for the first time helps. In my experience any residue it leaves behind is easily removed with a quick detailer or similar product.
Click to expand...

Agree have been using for over 30 years and no ill effects
 
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