Best product for washing - boar`s head brush, microfiber sponge, wool mitt?

bob m

bob m

New member
The title pretty much sums it up? Assuming you use quality products, which would be the best and safest for washing your car?
 
After years of trying different wash mitts I settled on the Carpro Sheepskin mitt. It`s great to work with because of the mesh hand pocket that allows you to glide the mitt over the surface with little pressure, it dries quickly because it doesn`t have the heavy leather backing and overall it`s easy to maintain.

CarPro Wool Wash Mitt
 
Another vote for natural sheepskin mitts. Because they are a natural product though, they do vary in softness. Gotta use the softest you can find. Most sold online are good.
 
bob m said:
The title pretty much sums it up? Assuming you use quality products, which would be the best and safest for washing your car?
Click to expand...

Good question Bob, I`m looking forward to more responses.
personally, I use the Super Plush Wash Mitt, and *several* of them, when washing my black garaged car, but I`m open to suggestions from others.
how `bout that "Big Red Sponge"? Scares me, but looks like it could be safe.
 
bob m- Welcome to Autopia!

I use Boar`s Hair Brushes ("BHB"s), sheepskin and microfiber ("MF") mitts, numerous swabs, and sometimes microfiber towels (when using a rinseless wash product). I use the BHBs for wheel faces and the first stage(s) of *every* wash no matter what, always spraying foamgun output at the point of BHB-to-paint contact (think "dislodge and flush"). I simply cannot imagine washing without a selection of BHBs.

Any of these wash media can be safe and/but any can mar paint if used incorrectly. IMO it`s all about technique since any wash medium should be CD-tested anyhow (both prior to the first use and regularly thereafter as things wear out).

Note that finding a decent BHB is extremely challenging these days. The Wheel Woolies BHBs are great for wheels; for paint the only ones I currently advocate are from Universal Brush (their second-tier offering is AKA "the Montana" and available a few places, their best ones are ordered directly from Universal).

If you avoid long, sweeping motions, and never apply appreciable pressure (e.g., I never "wear a mitt like a glove") they all have their place and I`d hate to try washing a vehicle without a selection of BHBs and numerous mitts. But, as regulars here know, I seldom use any such wash medium without spraying foamgun output at the point of wash medium-to-paint contact because once something picks up dirt it becomes a potential scratch-machine.

Never expect a BHB to get things clean all by itself, always plan on a follow-up with a mitt (or a MF towel if using a rinseless wash) as, when used properly, a BHB is too gentle to thoroughly clean a truly dirty vehicle (might do OK on a garage-queen that`s just a little dusty). Never apply so much pressure to a BHB as to bend the bristles over so their shafts contact the paint, use only the tips of the bristles and replace the BHB when the flagging of the tips wears down.

BHBs rinse clean better than anything else I`ve ever used, making them perfect for use with the foamgun and also for filthy areas like undercarriages. Their long thin bristles can get into tight spots that *NOTHING* else can access (with regard to mechanical agitation).

Avoid long sweeping motions and never let your wash medium touch the paint once it`s dirty. No, the dirt doesn`t "get safely trapped in the nap of the mitt or the bristles of the brush, at least not to an extent you can rely on.

If somebody just dunks a mitt/BBh/sponge/whatever into a bucket of shampoo, presses it against a panel and moves it around under pressure, doing major sections of a panel before rinsing, I`d expect marring no matter what is used.

If the vehicle does not exhibit signs of wash-induced marring, then all is good. If it does exhibit such damage then something`s wrong. Some people do fine with [anything] while some do damage with [anything]. Heh heh, I`ll never understand how people can wash marring-free with the Bone or a sponge and others can`t figure out how I do thing my way! It`s a real case of YMMV and you just have to figure out *your* approach.
 
+1 Accumulator post

I`ll add to his post - I have found BHB to be the only way to effectively clean certain crevices and panel joints without resorting to questionable techniques. Another place for BHB`s is under the hood, since they rinse so well the greasy-grimy bits don`t stay in the brush.
 
Accumulator said:
bob m- Welcome to Autopia!

I use Boar`s Hair Brushes ("BHB"s), sheepskin and microfiber ("MF") mitts, numerous swabs, and sometimes microfiber towels (when using a rinseless wash product). I use the BHBs for wheel faces and the first stage(s) of *every* wash no matter what, always spraying foamgun output at the point of BHB-to-paint contact (think "dislodge and flush"). I simply cannot imagine washing without a selection of BHBs.

Any of these wash media can be safe and/but any can mar paint if used incorrectly. IMO it`s all about technique since any wash medium should be CD-tested anyhow (both prior to the first use and regularly thereafter as things wear out).

Note that finding a decent BHB is extremely challenging these days. The Wheel Woolies BHBs are great for wheels; for paint the only ones I currently advocate are from Universal Brush (their second-tier offering is AKA "the Montana" and available a few places, their best ones are ordered directly from Universal).

If you avoid long, sweeping motions, and never apply appreciable pressure (e.g., I never "wear a mitt like a glove") they all have their place and I`d hate to try washing a vehicle without a selection of BHBs and numerous mitts. But, as regulars here know, I seldom use any such wash medium without spraying foamgun output at the point of wash medium-to-paint contact because once something picks up dirt it becomes a potential scratch-machine.

Never expect a BHB to get things clean all by itself, always plan on a follow-up with a mitt (or a MF towel if using a rinseless wash) as, when used properly, a BHB is too gentle to thoroughly clean a truly dirty vehicle (might do OK on a garage-queen that`s just a little dusty). Never apply so much pressure to a BHB as to bend the bristles over so their shafts contact the paint, use only the tips of the bristles and replace the BHB when the flagging of the tips wears down.

BHBs rinse clean better than anything else I`ve ever used, making them perfect for use with the foamgun and also for filthy areas like undercarriages. Their long thin bristles can get into tight spots that *NOTHING* else can access (with regard to mechanical agitation).

Avoid long sweeping motions and never let your wash medium touch the paint once it`s dirty. No, the dirt doesn`t "get safely trapped in the nap of the mitt or the bristles of the brush, at least not to an extent you can rely on.

If somebody just dunks a mitt/BBh/sponge/whatever into a bucket of shampoo, presses it against a panel and moves it around under pressure, doing major sections of a panel before rinsing, I`d expect marring no matter what is used.

If the vehicle does not exhibit signs of wash-induced marring, then all is good. If it does exhibit such damage then something`s wrong. Some people do fine with [anything] while some do damage with [anything]. Heh heh, I`ll never understand how people can wash marring-free with the Bone or a sponge and others can`t figure out how I do thing my way! It`s a real case of YMMV and you just have to figure out *your* approach.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the welcome. So, what I am gathering from these replies is that a Boar`s head brush is to be used when either the car isn`t that dirty or as step one in loosening up the dirt to be followed by either MF or wool mitts. With all products, care must be taken to keep the product clean - frequent rinsing and don`t apply too much pressure. All products will work well, assuming it`s a quality product to begin with and proper technique followed.
Have you ever tried the Griot`s Garage Boars head brush? I would be surprised if it were anything but a quality product, but then again, every company has some items that are not tops in that category.
 
bob m- Yes, you got the gist of it right. Heh heh, as you can see I do tend to go on and ON when it comes to this topic!

The regular/rectangular BHBs sold by GG are not to my liking these days; I sent mine back (the ones they sold decades ago were better). Their little ones are OK and I use those for tight spots.

The only (regular) BHBs I currently recommend are by Universal Brush. I prefer their "Blonde" ones but their second-tier ones are also OK (this is the one sold under the "Montana" name at a few sites). I`d get the regular rectangular one, *NOT* one of the multi-angle/etc. types.

Link to the BHB I`m currently using:Universal Brush

The specific BHB is #5 down from the top of the page and is described as:


12” Blonde Boar Hand Wash Brush (very soft)

12” hand-held wash brush with soft blonde boar hair
$75.00


Link to Next Best BHB I recommend: Universal Brush

The specific BHB is #12 down from the top of the page and is described as:

12” Hand Wash Hog Hair Brush (very-soft)

12” hand-held wash brush with very soft hog (boar) hair tip.
$69.95

Those are currently the only regular BHBs I recommend. For wheels I recommend the ones from Wheel Woolies, which I find superior to any others currently available.
 
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