Pad Cleaners

[Route246]

I had some pads to clean this weekend so I did an experiment. I have many pad cleaners. CG, McKee's, Griots, and Wolfgang's. They all smell pretty strong, CG and McKee's probably being the strongest. Definitely require gloves and ventilation.

That said, I also have Dawn Platinum from Costco.

I read many comments stating that Dawn left an odor and residue in the pads.

So, I took 15 pads and cleaned them randomly with the five products, three pads per product. They are all competent, including Dawn Platinum. My method is to soak for an hour, clean with a pad brush and then use a sequence of four 5-gallon buckets to rinse followed by warm water rinse under the faucet. The first bucket is frequently dumped and reloaded with clean RO/DI water since it has the most residue in it.

No complaints. The pads got clean except for the permanently stained ones from 360 and Fuzion wax.

What jumped out at me was that most of them retained some residual smell from the pad cleaner. What surprised me is the Dawn Platinum pads retained the least odor and by the next day all of the pads had almost no residual odor.

I'm no expert in pad cleaning and I don't even know if I'm doing it correctly. What I have found is Dawn Platinum does a pretty good job and is probably the least toxic and harmful of the bunch.

[derass]

I use 3D Towel Kleen at 4:1 as a pad cleaner. It works good, but it defiantly needs ventilation like the others you mentioned.

I use a similar method, soak used pads while I'm still buffing, then scrub and rinse when I'm done. I throw mine in the washing machine at the very end too, but I'm not sure if that's getting them any cleaner. I might stop doing that.

What is the purpose of your 4 rinse buckets? I just rinse under the tap after scrubbing.

I tried dish soap at first, but I'm done with that now. I used some on my foam applicator pads and they seemed very clean, but I went back to use them 6 months later and they were completely deteriorated, crumbling and falling apart. I won't risk that happening to my foam buffing pads, so I got Towel Kleen instead.

[DaveT435]

I had some pads to clean this weekend so I did an experiment. I have many pad cleaners. CG, McKee's, Griots, and Wolfgang's. They all smell pretty strong, CG and McKee's probably being the strongest. Definitely require gloves and ventilation.

That said, I also have Dawn Platinum from Costco.

I read many comments stating that Dawn left an odor and residue in the pads.

So, I took 15 pads and cleaned them randomly with the five products, three pads per product. They are all competent, including Dawn Platinum. My method is to soak for an hour, clean with a pad brush and then use a sequence of four 5-gallon buckets to rinse followed by warm water rinse under the faucet. The first bucket is frequently dumped and reloaded with clean RO/DI water since it has the most residue in it.

No complaints. The pads got clean except for the permanently stained ones from 360 and Fuzion wax.

What jumped out at me was that most of them retained some residual smell from the pad cleaner. What surprised me is the Dawn Platinum pads retained the least odor and by the next day all of the pads had almost no residual odor.

I'm no expert in pad cleaning and I don't even know if I'm doing it correctly. What I have found is Dawn Platinum does a pretty good job and is probably the least toxic and harmful of the bunch.

Have you ever considered a pad washer?? I really like mine. I use snappy clean in it. If the pads are real bad I give them a couple spray of McKee's pad cleaner, which seems much less toxic than others, hit them with a pad brush for a couple seconds then use the pad washer. They turn out great.

[manitoublack]

For me,

-hot soapy (dish soap) water in the sink (whatever your brand, but the stronger the better.)

-Kneed the pad like it's bread dough against the bottom of the sink until it looks mostly clean. Give it a few squeezes for good measure. Shouldn't take too long for compounds / polishes / AIO's. Good waxes and sealants can be a little more stubborn.

-Drain the sink, then rinse out with cold water squeezing the pad often to flush all the suds out.

-Finally squeeze as much water as you can out, then spin dry on your mechanical polisher. Rub it on your jeans or a cloth with the machine turned on to get 99% of the water out. There's always a little smell of the original product left, but that's ok. When working on red and yellow single stage paints, I've managed to get white pads looking bright and white with this method without too much hassle.

Regards
Jordan

[DBAILEY]

Dawn Platinum takes crazy amount of rinsing until no more suds come out

[Ronin47]

Pad washers seem to reduce the lifespan of pads with the friction of the spinning pad on the grit.

[fightnews]

I had some pads to clean this weekend so I did an experiment. I have many pad cleaners. CG, McKee's, Griots, and Wolfgang's. They all smell pretty strong, CG and McKee's probably being the strongest. Definitely require gloves and ventilation.

That said, I also have Dawn Platinum from Costco.

I read many comments stating that Dawn left an odor and residue in the pads.

So, I took 15 pads and cleaned them randomly with the five products, three pads per product. They are all competent, including Dawn Platinum. My method is to soak for an hour, clean with a pad brush and then use a sequence of four 5-gallon buckets to rinse followed by warm water rinse under the faucet. The first bucket is frequently dumped and reloaded with clean RO/DI water since it has the most residue in it.

No complaints. The pads got clean except for the permanently stained ones from 360 and Fuzion wax.

What jumped out at me was that most of them retained some residual smell from the pad cleaner. What surprised me is the Dawn Platinum pads retained the least odor and by the next day all of the pads had almost no residual odor.

I'm no expert in pad cleaning and I don't even know if I'm doing it correctly. What I have found is Dawn Platinum does a pretty good job and is probably the least toxic and harmful of the bunch.

Sounds like to much work. I just spray mine with mckees spray cleaner(It's the best I've found) and rinse under the sink.

If I have a lot of pads (like 15) I just put them in the washing machine with that powdered yellow pad cleaner

[Wknd Dtlr]

If I just have a few pads I will spray with pad cleaner ( currently McKees or PB Tornado), massage in with my fingers and rinse under the sink. Squeeze water out and lay pad velcro side up on rack in my garage.

If I have a lot of pads:
- throw them in bucket of Snappy Clean. I squeeze them in the solution when I first toss them in to get the solution working inside the pads
- when done, I use a Pressure Washer and my ghetto pad washer to clean. This gets them very clean
- to rinse, I use a 2 gallon bucket and let the hose run in it. I keep squeezing the pad until no more residue comes out. By having having the hose constantly supplying fresh water from the bottom of the bucket I always have clear water to keep rinsing the pads
- Squeeze water out of all the pads and face velcro side up on rack in garage.
- Even with this method it seems I still sometimes get dust from the pad when I first use them again. This drives me crazy but I can't figure out what else to do to rinse better. We have very hard water here so I am wondering if that has something to do with it.

Hope you find a method that works for you. By the time I get done detailing I am whooped so I don't feel like entering a marathon pad cleaning session. Plus, these days I use way more pads than I use to as the newer generation pads need to be rotated out more often. My goal is to get the pads clean in the quickest and safest manner. I use to throw them in the washing machine but the wife wasn't thrilled with the residue that was left in the washer :-)

[Sleper]

For me i put some dawn and degreaser on the pads. Soak for a few minutes with warm water. Use power washer (not too close) and then bring into the laundry sink and rinse very well with warm water, air dry. inexpensive and works well for me

[Route246]

For me i put some dawn and degreaser on the pads. Soak for a few minutes with warm water. Use power washer (not too close) and then bring into the laundry sink and rinse very well with warm water, air dry. inexpensive and works well for me

Meguiars degreaser safe for pads? Haven't tried it but picked up a gallon of concentrate here and have a bunch left. Also have a bunch of APC.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Eldorado2k]

Meguiars degreaser safe for pads? Haven't tried it but picked up a gallon of concentrate here and have a bunch left. Also have a bunch of APC.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Both are safe enough, but neither produce mind blowing results.. I've tried them both maybe once for pad cleaning and moved on.

[fightnews]

If I just have a few pads I will spray with pad cleaner ( currently McKees or PB Tornado), massage in with my fingers and rinse under the sink. Squeeze water out and lay pad velcro side up on rack in my garage.

If I have a lot of pads:
- throw them in bucket of Snappy Clean. I squeeze them in the solution when I first toss them in to get the solution working inside the pads
- when done, I use a Pressure Washer and my ghetto pad washer to clean. This gets them very clean
- to rinse, I use a 2 gallon bucket and let the hose run in it. I keep squeezing the pad until no more residue comes out. By having having the hose constantly supplying fresh water from the bottom of the bucket I always have clear water to keep rinsing the pads
- Squeeze water out of all the pads and face velcro side up on rack in garage.
- Even with this method it seems I still sometimes get dust from the pad when I first use them again. This drives me crazy but I can't figure out what else to do to rinse better. We have very hard water here so I am wondering if that has something to do with it.

Hope you find a method that works for you. By the time I get done detailing I am whooped so I don't feel like entering a marathon pad cleaning session. Plus, these days I use way more pads than I use to as the newer generation pads need to be rotated out more often. My goal is to get the pads clean in the quickest and safest manner. I use to throw them in the washing machine but the wife wasn't thrilled with the residue that was left in the washer :-)

Was there actually residue in there or was she mad about "theoretical residue"??? I wash my pads in the washing machine with the powdered yellow pad cleaner BUT I spray and rinse them in the sink first to get the bulk residue out.

It would definitely be a bad idea to throw them in there "as is" after you use them. That could wreck the machine. I haven't had any problems rinsing them first. You just have to be careful with microfiber pads the machine can rip them.

[Wknd Dtlr]

Was there actually residue in there or was she mad about "theoretical residue"??? I wash my pads in the washing machine with the powdered yellow pad cleaner BUT I spray and rinse them in the sink first to get the bulk residue out.

It would definitely be a bad idea to throw them in there "as is" after you use them. That could wreck the machine. I haven't had any problems rinsing them first. You just have to be careful with microfiber pads the machine can rip them.
There was actual nasty residue. Yes, I did throw them in "as is" and we're talking pads that been worked out hard with a full correcting cycle. I was actually cleaning out the tub when she saw me. This was back in the day when I first started detailing.

For me, if I am going to take the time and energy to prep the pads prior to the washing machine it is far easier and efficient to soak in snappy clean and then use my ghetto washer to clean them.

A funny story to share from the early days.... I had just gotten some brand new white CCS pads and used them on my car. This was the first time I had purchased mulitple quantities once I learned you need more than one pad to do a car! There is nothing like having new pads when detailing. Anyway, I threw all my pads and some MF towels in the washer with some MF cleaner. I had a bunch of orange Sams Club MF's that I had used but had not prewashed. My brand new beautiful white pads turned orange from the dye transfer! After that I had to take a sharpie and write "white" on the sides of the pads so I didn't mistake them for my orange ones.

[DaveT435]

Pad washers seem to reduce the lifespan of pads with the friction of the spinning pad on the grit.

I've got the Lake Country pad washer so it's not like spinning it on a grit guard. It's a late wit ridges on it so it's more like squeezing the pad as it spins. I started to order the AG pad washer, but I was kind of thinking the same thing you mentioned so I went with the LC.