Clean foam pads?

[parshooter]

I bought some Meguirs foam wax pads and have used them twice. They seem impossible to clean afterwards. I'll rinse it, squeeze it and wax comes out. I can do this all day and the wax just keeps oozing out. Am I overthinking this? Is it ok to have old wax/polish/sealant in there? I don't want to put them in the washer maching, think that would make a big mess. I guess they are cheap enough to be considered disposable. TIA

[Paul A.]

I have some pads and/or products that seem to never get fully clean however they are still rocking for me. Just get them as clean as you can and let them dry out fully before using again. No problem.

I've never really worried about a little residual product in my pads but i do have dedicated LSP pads. I have more of a concern about something, maybe even a minute amount, being left in an LSP pad that might inhibit the LSP process.

[ski2]

Wax/sealant is very difficult to get out of foam pads. There are many pad cleaners here on AG you can purchase, but I've had good luck with Awsome Orange Degreaser from the Dollar Store, just make sure to rinse it out well.

[swanicyouth]

Mineral spirits will get any wax or sealant out. Wear gloves and squish the pads in mineral spirits... Let them soak a half hour prior.

This is the only way I have found to return a wax pad to 100% new. I wouldn't re-use a pad the wasn't 100% cleaned prior to using it.

[dlc95]

One of the key techniques is to start the cleaning process before they dry. I do this with my machine and hand pads - for polishes, and sealants / waxes. Once these products dry, it's game over (for me). After use, I saturate them with pad cleaner, or Zep Citrus All Purpose Cleaner, and let them dwell. Then massage them with the pad conditioning brush. Then I rinse them with very warm / hot water, and squeeze them till the rinse water runs clear.

Sometimes I use Meguiar's Hot Rims Wheel cleaner sparingly.

[andy2485]

i use laundry degerant. works great, the cheap stuff from the dollar store works just fine!

[T3 AutoDetails]

I let my pads soak in HOT water with APC in a bucket.

Repeat above method one more time. When water is warm enough to work the pads with your hands in the bucket , massage all residues out.

Rinse clean and squeeze dry. If there's built up residue that you cannot work out by hand embedded in the pad. Repeat process except have a pad cleaning tool, clean the pads in the bucket using the buckets edge for backing. Give it a few good rolls under water in a 50/50 mix Water:Apc.

If the pads, or any pad/applicator / foam tool that is not properly cleaned after use becomes hard.

This is especially true if pad,applicator etc have sat without proper cleaning for an extended period of time or they see a lot of shelf life. In my experience it will never clean back to new again! And most the time I toss them when they get to this stage.

Sorry for the story lol. Another good use for certain applicators for wax and dressings you can use as a tire dressing applicator and cut it in half or use whole so you can get mutli purpose use before tossing.

Just my .02

[Pureshine]

I let my pads soak in HOT water with APC in a bucket.

Repeat above method one more time. When water is warm enough to work the pads with your hands in the bucket , massage all residues out.

Rinse clean and squeeze dry. If there's built up residue that you cannot work out by hand embedded in the pad. Repeat process except have a pad cleaning tool, clean the pads in the bucket using the buckets edge for backing. Give it a few good rolls under water in a 50/50 mix Water:Apc.

If the pads, or any pad/applicator / foam tool that is not properly cleaned after use becomes hard.

This is especially true if pad,applicator etc have sat without proper cleaning for an extended period of time or they see a lot of shelf life. In my experience it will never clean back to new again! And most the time I toss them when they get to this stage.

Sorry for the story lol. Another good use for certain applicators for wax and dressings you can use as a tire dressing applicator and cut it in half or use whole so you can get mutli purpose use before tossing.

Just my .02

I put them on the DA to rinse all the water out and they dry super fast.

[Kamakaz1961]

I let my pads soak in HOT water with APC in a bucket.

Repeat above method one more time. When water is warm enough to work the pads with your hands in the bucket , massage all residues out.

Rinse clean and squeeze dry. If there's built up residue that you cannot work out by hand embedded in the pad. Repeat process except have a pad cleaning tool, clean the pads in the bucket using the buckets edge for backing. Give it a few good rolls under water in a 50/50 mix Water:Apc.

If the pads, or any pad/applicator / foam tool that is not properly cleaned after use becomes hard.

This is especially true if pad,applicator etc have sat without proper cleaning for an extended period of time or they see a lot of shelf life. In my experience it will never clean back to new again! And most the time I toss them when they get to this stage.

Sorry for the story lol. Another good use for certain applicators for wax and dressings you can use as a tire dressing applicator and cut it in half or use whole so you can get mutli purpose use before tossing.

Just my .02

Your $.02 is worth a lot more than you think. The ONLY difference I do is I use liquid dish washing soap. It works wonders! You can actually see the Sealant/Wax ooz out and the pad will turn back to their original form. NOT ALL product will be removed (as with many use items) but will be clean enough.

The only thing you need to be aware of when using liquid dish washing soap is to make sure the pads are fully rinsed. This is my technique.

So here is my $.03!!

[emmjay]

I let my pads soak in HOT water with APC in a bucket.

Repeat above method one more time. When water is warm enough to work the pads with your hands in the bucket , massage all residues out.

Rinse clean and squeeze dry. If there's built up residue that you cannot work out by hand embedded in the pad. Repeat process except have a pad cleaning tool, clean the pads in the bucket using the buckets edge for backing. Give it a few good rolls under water in a 50/50 mix Water:Apc.

If the pads, or any pad/applicator / foam tool that is not properly cleaned after use becomes hard.

This is especially true if pad,applicator etc have sat without proper cleaning for an extended period of time or they see a lot of shelf life. In my experience it will never clean back to new again! And most the time I toss them when they get to this stage.

Sorry for the story lol. Another good use for certain applicators for wax and dressings you can use as a tire dressing applicator and cut it in half or use whole so you can get mutli purpose use before tossing.

Just my .02

This sounds like a good option. I used Menzerna Powerlock the other day and let the pad sit in DP pad rejuvenator and the wax does not budge. Thats after leaving it there for almost 2 days. Squeeze and the wax oozes out a bit but makes my gloves super hydropobic lol.

Just to confirm....by 50:50 you basically mean 1:1 right. e.g. 100ml water with 100ml apc? Just asking as thats a pretty strong mix so don't wanna mess it up.

Thanks