Maintenance of clay bar

[opher50]

Hello guys,

Tomorrow I'm about to use a clay bar for the first time on my car.. I've read and watched many guides and feel ready to do the duty, but theres one thing left that I couldn't figure..
Once I finish claying my entire car - am I supposed to throw the bar away? Or is there a cleaning method for it?

Thanks,

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Tapatalk

[Setec Astronomy]

I try to clean it off before I knead it, to reduce the amount of dirt you knead into it. You can do that in a bucket of wash, under running water, etc.

Basically there is no way to clean it, once you've kneaded the dirt into it. So rub the surface off, pick off any bits of tar or things like that, before you knead.

You may also want to cut the bar into smaller pieces, to lessen the wallet impact of throwing it out when it's dirty.

But most of us would demote the clay as it gets dirty, perhaps reserving it for lower panels or wheels, before it gets so dirty you throw it away.

Or you can save it like Richy and let your daughter make sculptures out of it.

[Hammer77]

When it comes to claying I am picky, after every few swipes I inspect it, and knead. From my visual inspection if I think it is too far gone I get a fresh piece, if it hits the deck toss it. After paint I keep it for wheels and glass for one more go around then its trash to me. I may be OCD about it, but I buy Pinnacle by the pound with a good sale, so for maybe $35 a year I have piece of mind!

[Coopers ST]

One thing to do, cut the clay into three pieces. If you drop a piece it is garbage, and that way you don't ruin an entire bar. A third is enough to use at a time anyway.