PC pad cleaning question.

M

mpmiller37

New member
Can I get a quick rundown on how to clean up PC pads. I want to use a different product on some of the pads so I thought I could clean them. Do I need to squeeze out any remaining product in the pad and throw it in the washer ? Or should they be done by hand ?
 
I've heard from people that the foam pads float in the washer. So, they don't get really clean unless you wash them by hand. I use DP Foam Pad cleaner in a bucket of warm water. I've also heard of people using an APC in water. I let them soak for 15 mins or so and then scrub if needed with a tooth brush. Then I squeeze them out and allow to dry.
 
i wash by hand, agitate with a dedicated scrub brush and then hang to dry or in dryer delicate heat setting if i'm in a rush to use it
 
Not sure why I've heard of people scrubbing pads, as mine don't have any hardened build up or anything on them. What are you scrubbing off ?

My washer is a front-loader so it spins like dryer, meaning the pads will be tossed around with the rest of the wash, so they won't float. Not sure if that is enough to clean them.
 
mpmiller37 said:
Not sure why I've heard of people scrubbing pads, as mine don't have any hardened build up or anything on them. What are you scrubbing off ?

My washer is a front-loader so it spins like dryer, meaning the pads will be tossed around with the rest of the wash, so they won't float. Not sure if that is enough to clean them.
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I think whether or not you need to scrub the pads depends on how much you use them and how often you clean them. If you use the pads a lot and don't clean them often then you'll get build up which may need to be scrubbed off.
 
There's a difference between cleaning pads that still have "wet" product in them vs pads that have "dry" product in them.

For pads that i just got finished using, a warm bucket of dawn solution works wonders. Let the pads soak for a while, then massage the product out of the pad. Afterwards, give them a fresh water rinse, wring them out, and then either air dry on a towel rack or spin dry them on speed 3 or so on a PC.

For pads that have dried product in them I use APC instead of dawn to soak them. This has a better cleaning ability than the dish soap. I also spritz some apc directly onto the pad before I place it in the hot apc solution.

haven't had a problem cleaning my pads yet.
 
I'm with Neothin. I try hard to clean my pads while the product is still wet. They're not at all hard to clean then. I've used Dawn, and Der Wunder Wasche.



Once it dries, I agree with soaking with a more aggressive detergent first. Still not that tough to do. I use the hottest water that I can stand.



However, it's nice to know that if I clean my pads right away, I'm one step closer to finishing the job, and a few minutes closer to sitting on the porch with a cold one (during summer), checking out my result!
 
Well yes, I follow Neothin as well; I never let the product dry on the pads. Throw it into a bucket of hot water with dishwashing detergent in it as soon as you ar finished and called it a day and wash and rinse until you see no color of the product (blue / white / pink whatever; depending on the brand) or suds oozing out of the pad...



But what EVER you do, do not let them warp by letting them dry on uneven surfaces (wiremesh / grilled dryer racks etc) . I saw wife drying her angora and cashmere garments by laying them on towels so I did the same and the pads never got warped ever again...
 
Thanks for all the tips. I currently have my pads in plastic ziplok bags after I used them, so I'm not sure if the product has dried. I'm going to clean them this weekend. I was under the impression that detailers who use the same product over and over just keep using the pad without cleaning it, by storing in a plastic bag until next use. I wasn't sure if constant cleaning will wear the pad down sooner.
 
:faint:



Dried polish is very rough and hard. I don't think anyone would want to have that on a pad as you spin the pad for either thousands of orbits or hundreds of revolutions per minute on a paint finish. Clean your pads after each use :D
 
Try and dry your pads within a couple hours of finishing up. Otherwise, the polish gets caked on and is difficult to remove. What I do is first run the pad under warm water and drag my thumbs across the surface to remove the majority of the polish. After, I'll mix some dishwashing soap with warm water and massage that in. Finally, I'll wring the pad (yes, wring the pad) until most of the suds are out from the surface. Then I let them air dry in the kitchen. I would say I get the pads about 95% clean, which is just fine.
 
I "scrub" my pads because you can't just rinse off a product that repels water. You have to massage the product out of the pad.



I find APC to clean better than Dawn.
 
Neothin said:
Afterwards, give them a fresh water rinse, wring them out, and then either air dry on a towel rack or spin dry them on speed 3 or so on a PC.
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Spin-drying them on a PC can cause the velcro backing to separate from the foam. I prefer to use the rotary for spin-drying but you have to have them absolutely dead-center.
 
Dawn and warm water for me. Let it sit for a good 15 minutes. Massage the product out of the pads. Douse the pads in a rinse bucket and ring them out a bit. Finally, put that sucker back on the PC and let her rip. Voila, air dry and ready for use.



That's how I do it. ;)
 
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