care of pads

I

imported_arenner80

New member
What is the best way to clean and dry foam pads? I usually use snappy clean, but I can never get all of the water out of the pad. Also, one of my white pads has a few mold spots on it-my best bet would be to just discard it, correct?
 
I use Danase Pad Cleaner and then soak them in Dawn Power Dissolver soap. Rinse out and then dry in the sun. Keep them in a sealed bin.
 
I have never had mold, but I don't keep them sealed. I do keep them inside of my detailing cabinet in an open plastic bin. I always make sure they are air dried for a few days before putting them away.



The stains are not going to hurt.
 
arenner80 said:
What is the best way to clean and dry foam pads? I usually use snappy clean, but I can never get all of the water out of the pad. Also, one of my white pads has a few mold spots on it-my best bet would be to just discard it, correct?
Click to expand...
I don't know if it's the best way, but it's the way that works for me:



As soon as i'm done with a pad I let it soak in my wash bucket in clean soapy water using a little bit of car wash soap. Once i'm all done, I'll take the bucket inside and agitate the pad by hand using warm water and dawn dish soap. If I can't get all the product out with that method then I'll saturate the pad with dawn power dissolver and let it sit in a solution of warm water and oxyclean for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse and agitate again. Once clean, I either slap it on my rotary and spin it for a few seconds or I'll just set them face up on a clean bath towel and let them air dry. I've been doing it like this for a couple years now and have had no issues with mold.
 
Personally, I just hand wash in a bucket or the sink with water and Dawn, APC, Snappy Clean, whatever aporopriate cleaner I have handy. I gently knead with my fingers until all the polish, wax, or whatever comes clean. Then I just rinse with plain water the same way.



Air dry on a wire wrack and I'm done.



They have held up very well using this method and I think a lot of Autopians do the same thing.
 
I have always tried different methods to clean my pads. The most effective way I have recently discovered to making my pads absolutely clean after being caked with tons of polish goes like this:



1. Fill-up a 2-gallon bucket of the HOTTEST water possible 3/4ths of the way. While filling-up, add 4 oz of Simple Green concentrated.



2. Before adding in the pads, mist the dirty pad surfaces with a generous layer of Simply green. Let sit over night.



3. In the morning, take a firm-bristled brush and wipe away the excess gunk on the pad under the HOTTEST water you can find.



4. Rinse off the pad under the same hot water, and enjoy a perfectly clean pad surface



5. Spin the wet pads on a machine for 30 seconds and let air dry
 
i just throw my meguiars in the washing machine on low with wool lite and then air dry. i've been doijng this for the last 5 washes and the pads are still good and comes up the cleanest it can get.
 
I have been letting them soak in a bucket of water (cool, never warm or hot) with a lot of Dawn original. After about an hour I repeat then let air dry after a good squeezing.
 
Im sure everyone has their own method so here goes mine after 3 years of trying to figure something out.....



Fill a squirt bottle with a heavy concentration of your favorite pad cleaner (i use snappy myself).

After your finished with the pad give it a few healthly squirts. If you are able to clean your pads immediatly after use do so by giving them a few more squirts of the pad cleaning let sit for about 5 min or so then massage out the polish/build up under warm running water. repeat the spray and soak as necessary. Put the pads on the machine at about 2000rpms or so unless your using edge then crank it up all the way. Then let them sit in the sun or in the rear deck of a car in the sun (i like this method for a peace of mind that no debris will get on them) then pachage them up and store how you like.



Hope this helps
 
rkf76 said:
I don't know if it's the best way, but it's the way that works for me:



As soon as i'm done with a pad I let it soak in my wash bucket in clean soapy water using a little bit of car wash soap. Once i'm all done, I'll take the bucket inside and agitate the pad by hand using warm water and dawn dish soap. If I can't get all the product out with that method then I'll saturate the pad with dawn power dissolver and let it sit in a solution of warm water and oxyclean for about 10-15 minutes and then rinse and agitate again. Once clean, I either slap it on my rotary and spin it for a few seconds or I'll just set them face up on a clean bath towel and let them air dry. I've been doing it like this for a couple years now and have had no issues with mold.
Click to expand...





This is exactly what I do. :2thumbs:
 
i use to soak them in a bucket of water with dishwash soap but found an easier/quicker way. spray dawn power dissolver (does an amazing job of cleaning up the pad!) directly onto the pad, and let sit for around 10-15 minutes. then... run the pad under running water (i use the outside hose) and massage all the polish out of the pad, and then wring/swing out the remaining water. finally... lay the pads on the grit guard to dry.



p.s. i hadn't had high expectations of the dawn power dissolver until i tried them on LC pads (which are kind of hard to clean), and it did an amazing job cleaning them up more so then the conventional way i use to clean them...
 
Xfire : I'll give your method a go

I mostly machine wash with microfibre rejuvinator wash as laundry liquid and foam pad cleaner like DP still seem to be too harsh and the glue comes away from the pad



The microfibre wash seems to do a nice job

A friend of mine who works at a dealership used to clean then with steam
 
Is there anything else comparable to Dawn Power Dissolver? I don't have a nearby Walmart but I've yet to check a Hardware store like ACE.



I was thinking maybe an Oxiclean APC or the carpet stain remover. I don't have many pads though so I'd rather not experiment.
 
Simple green works awesomely for me. I just spray it on full strength and work it in a bit by hand. It rinses out as clean as I would ever need it to be.
 
Excellent.



I hate trying to hunt down this Dawn Power stuff. I've hit every store that may have or had it at one point or another in my city. The closest Walmart is over a city away.
 
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