Finally had the chance to buy and use the almighty grout sponge! I used it with QEW, one bucket method per spoiledman. I have used QEW with various wash media including microfiber cloths, dreadlock microfiber spong thingamajig, eurow sheepskin mitt, etc. My car was what I would call medium dirty: It had been driven in the rain on pretty dusty roads, so it had THAT film and grit on it. I did not presoak. BTW, my car is an 04 G35 coupe, black.
So, I made my bucket of QEW, using 3 capfuls in about 2 gallons of water. Started with the hood and top of car. The interesting aspect of using the grout sponge vs. other media is that it seems to kind of gently scrub the paint with very little to no pressure. Sheepskin seems to glide and microfiber is, well, just microfiber. I then moved down to the sides and rear of car. On my car, due to design, the sides and especially the rear bumper really pick up a lot of muck. I noticed that the sponge really picked up the grit but the best part was that the sponge came clean so easily! It released all the grit effortlessly, unlike ANY of the other media.
As far as the end result, I noticed a real difference between the sponge and the other wash media. Usually, I am kind of secretly frustrated when, after about 2 miles of driving, I look into my driver's side window and try to see the shine and reflection off the side of the car. It usually looks a little muted without real shine to it even if I just washed the car. Kind of dull. I always thought that was just what happens with dust on the black car. However, I drove about 38 miles to the airport yesterday and the shine stayed bright the whole way. I then parked it at the airport, went out of town, came back last night, and the car still looked sharper than what it would usually look. I did nothing different after the wash which would explain the obvious (to me) difference. I think there was a microscopically cleaner surface than usual and that there was less for dust/stuff to stick to as I drove down the road.
My feeling is that the sponge does a better job of gently cleaning the surface than the other mentioned media. If you feel the way the sponge slide across the surface, you will know what I mean. It feels gentle yet very thorough. I checked for marring both before and after and noticed none. I am impressed with the grout sponge and will use it all the time from now on.
So, I made my bucket of QEW, using 3 capfuls in about 2 gallons of water. Started with the hood and top of car. The interesting aspect of using the grout sponge vs. other media is that it seems to kind of gently scrub the paint with very little to no pressure. Sheepskin seems to glide and microfiber is, well, just microfiber. I then moved down to the sides and rear of car. On my car, due to design, the sides and especially the rear bumper really pick up a lot of muck. I noticed that the sponge really picked up the grit but the best part was that the sponge came clean so easily! It released all the grit effortlessly, unlike ANY of the other media.
As far as the end result, I noticed a real difference between the sponge and the other wash media. Usually, I am kind of secretly frustrated when, after about 2 miles of driving, I look into my driver's side window and try to see the shine and reflection off the side of the car. It usually looks a little muted without real shine to it even if I just washed the car. Kind of dull. I always thought that was just what happens with dust on the black car. However, I drove about 38 miles to the airport yesterday and the shine stayed bright the whole way. I then parked it at the airport, went out of town, came back last night, and the car still looked sharper than what it would usually look. I did nothing different after the wash which would explain the obvious (to me) difference. I think there was a microscopically cleaner surface than usual and that there was less for dust/stuff to stick to as I drove down the road.
My feeling is that the sponge does a better job of gently cleaning the surface than the other mentioned media. If you feel the way the sponge slide across the surface, you will know what I mean. It feels gentle yet very thorough. I checked for marring both before and after and noticed none. I am impressed with the grout sponge and will use it all the time from now on.