Ah, a mitt thread
Leaving aside the little ones I use on wheels/undercarriage....
I only use sheepskin mitts after first getting the "big stuff" via a BHB (more gentle, better flushing), but they`re almost always the second phase of my wash regimen. The challenge is to avoid pressing the mitt against the paint too hard and to, of course, keep it flushed clean with the foamgun all the time...much trickier than with the BHB.
Dirt in the rinse bucket at the end of a filthy-vehicle wash means I messed up, the dirt should be flushed away, not stuck in the mitt (and thus dragged across the paint) until dunked in the rinse water.
I fold the cuff inside then fill the mitt with solution (rinse/refill as needed). Then I hold the cuff shut and gently whisk the mitt across the panel while the solution seeps out, spraying foamgun output at the point of mitt-to-paint contact at all times. I *always* move the mitt in short, jiggling motions, being sure to allow the foamgun output to flush any dirt away rather than letting it get trapped in the nap of the mitt. Yeah, it`s a little challenging the first few dozen times but after a while it`s second nature.
I`m not much of a Mitt-Snob, at least not the way I`m a BHB-Snob. I do differentiate between my Griot`s sheepskin mitts and my more conventional ones; the Griot`s has a much finer nap (it can trap some kinds of dirt like ya wouldn`t believe, so surface must be genuinely CLEAN of big stuff before I use that one). This mitt is one that can *REALLY* snag on emblems/etc. moreso than anything else I`ve ever touched a car with.
(Compare this paragraph with what Lonnie posted!) I don`t take good care of my mitts, just squeeze them somewhat dry and lay them over the edge of the bucket. They last just as long as they did when I rinsed them out, squeezed them truly dry, and hung them up making sure to keep the cuffs open. All of that was simply unnecessary *for me* (not advocating such neglect). (I also neglect my BHBs something awful with zero downside.)
I don`t delegate mitts-to-panels the way Bill D. does; I`ll use the same mitt on a hood that I used on the rocker panels. Guess I can do that since things are pretty clean before I use a mitt at all.
I CD-test my mitts but have never had a sheepskin/MF one fail the test.
I never use "synthetic sheepskin".
I sometimes use MF mitts, but they retain certain types of dirt enough that the foamgun doesn`t always rinse them clean (while in use) as well as it does with the sheepskin. I`m more likely to use MF mitts when using the GDWM as the final phase of a wash, after anybody else would say the vehicle`s already perfectly clean.
Never liked the dreadlock/muppet ones, can`t imagine why anybody does...but OK, to each their own. I prefer a fine nap over thick strands.
On my vehicles, there are *MANY* tight spots that I just can`t clean with a mitt (even with fine/long nap, can`t even come close to getting the dreadlock strands in there), simply have to use a long-bristled BHB (or a long handled swab) to get into those areas or they won`t get any (mechanical) agitation and thus don`t get truly clean.
