Lets put this to rest

bretfraz said:
I go thru a mitt every 8 weeks or so. Old mitts, even fairly clean ones, get hard and crusty and produce swirls. No point in using some nasty ol' mitt.
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Which of the three do you think lasts the longest?



I've only used cotton and microfiber.



Haven't gotten around to trying a sea sponge but I think I will soon just to see what they are like.
 
One of the reasons I started using lambskin mitts was the price at Costco. Two, plus a weird one for under Cdn$ 15 (approx. U$10).
 
Taxlady said:
One of the reasons I started using lambskin mitts was the price at Costco. Two, plus a weird one for under Cdn$ 15 (approx. U$10).
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Yeah, that was a fantastic deal! In retrospect I should've bought it anyway just for "spares". I think it came with 2 regular mitts plus 1 mitt with a "bug scrubber" type mesh on one side (probably can rip it out? :D).



The thing I love most about sheepskin is that you don't really have to worry about what you're getting, no matter how inexpensive it is. Sheepskin is sheepskin - give it a quick feel to check it (oooh! so soft!) and you're good to go. Granted, some are softer than others, but I can't see one being unacceptably hard.
 
Yeah, the stuff under the mesh is synthetic; the other side is real lambskin. It's really easy to tell, if you look inside the mitt. And those mitts don't have a thumb!
 
I love the softness of sheepskin mitts and I would say they are the most gentle on your paint....but the things I don't like about them are the fact that you can't machine wash them and they get really stiff when dry, & you can't "back-flush" them when washing your car. Plus, the one I had took a while to dry (2 days) because it was so darn plush & didn't have a loop to hang dry. This really caused it to stink after the first day.



Also, for some reason, I think mine started germinating some plants too (left it to dry near a window), because as I was rinsing it to use for the second time, tons and tons of tiny little twigs and leafs came out of it! I'm not talking 10-20 little bits and pieces either. I'm talking thousands and thousands of little tiny plant pieces inside the mitt. At first I thought they were bugs....not a pleasant sight. After about 20 minutes of constant rinsing & wringing, I gave up and tossed it.



Despite all this, I might give them another shot because they truly are very soft.
 
Taxlady said:
Yeah, the stuff under the mesh is synthetic; the other side is real lambskin. It's really easy to tell, if you look inside the mitt. And those mitts don't have a thumb!
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Oh okay, this was months ago and I couldn't remember what the mesh side was like. My bad.



Thumbs are over-rated though! :p They just make the mitt awkward when you flip it over to use the other side.
 
I use the following with great results (no scratching):



Top/horz surfaces:

Pure cotton Chenille pads (burn tested -- thank you).



Nice for just adding some Z7 (or other great wash products) and washing the top surfaces.



Upper side panels:

Chenille mitts (better for the side along with the lambs wool).

Real Lambs wool (not the fake stuff).



lower "dirt zones"

Cheap-o MF cloths down below that get tossed along with cotton shop wipes that get tossed.



I'm not sure what is best, but...



I really try to take the time to pre-soak any nasty spots before the wash to try and keep and "nasty" bits from getting caught in any of the applicators. Even so, I've found occasions where I've had to really keep an eye on the mitt, pad, whatever and also feel for any "bits of tar", road gunk that can get "caught in the applicator"/"pad"/whatever and despite all kinds of fancy claims, it WILL scratch the paint...



I also give a careful inspection to the mitts, pads, etc after they dry to see if they picked up any road tar or other bits that harden and can scratch the paint on the next job...



This is off-topic, but trying to keep the applicators segregated by top, upper side panels and lower panels (rocker, etc) helps to keep grit from getting at the panels where even the smallest scratch will be seen.



I also two sets of buckets for top and bottom (ok, overkill ... call me nuts)



I have a synthetic sponge and brushes for under car/wheel well work and am considering trying out the CMA sea sponge…
 
4DSC said:


Thumbs are over-rated though! :p They just make the mitt awkward when you flip it over to use the other side.
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I agree on that one. I got a Turtle Wax mit with a thumb in it. That thing is a huge PITA to flip over. Its too big too. Because you can only put it on as far as your thumb goes it becomes a pain to hang onto. I'll be going thumbless from now on.
 
If thumbs are over-rated, that gives me an idea. I'll buy another set of those mitts from Costco. I'll rip the seams of the bug mesh mitts and sew the two good halves together for a nice thumbless all natural mitt.
 
Taxlady said:
If thumbs are over-rated, that gives me an idea. I'll buy another set of those mitts from Costco. I'll rip the seams of the bug mesh mitts and sew the two good halves together for a nice thumbless all natural mitt.
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Wow, you must have mad sewing skillz!! :bow :D
 
Intermezzo said:
I love the softness of sheepskin mitts and I would say they are the most gentle on your paint....but the things I don't like about them are the fact that you can't machine wash them and they get really stiff when dry, & you can't "back-flush" them when washing your car. Plus, the one I had took a while to dry (2 days) because it was so darn plush & didn't have a loop to hang dry.....
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I forgot to mention what I do in this situation. Instead of backflushing, I just use my hands to fluff up the pile in the rinse bucket and hopefully this loosens any trapped dirt. I'm not a big fan of backflushing anyway, since I think the most important part of the mitt to get clean is the outside face that actually touches the paint and collects all the dirt.



My mitts have a tiny loop in them, but I don't use it and instead use clothes pins to hang them up from their sleeves. I put them up on a line or just on a coat hanger. I hang it over the bathtub usually, but coat hangers go anywhere.... :D
 
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