Pad Cleaning question/help

[Jimmy Vegas]

Hi guys,
Can somebody help me figure out what I'm doing wrong when cleaning my buffing pads? I've searched the forums and read several threads, but am still having issues.

After using these two pads, both with HD Polish, (the white also has a little McKee's 360) I then sprayed them with APC, worked them by hand and rinsed several times under running water, then used McKee's Spray Pad Cleaner, and washed them with my Microfibers in the washing machine. (Free and Clear detergent.)

They were still pretty much as they looked in the after picture.

After everything.

Next I used an orange based degreaser and worked them by hand under running water for at least 10 minutes each. Am I doing something wrong, or am I expecting too much? (That damn pad that came with the PC cleans back to bright white no matter what I out on it, or anything it picks up while in storage.)

[The Guz]

The coloring of HD polish stains pads. It won't harm the pads performance.

[Jimmy Vegas]

Thank you, Guz. I was starting to think I was banging my head off the wall for no reason. I may try to hit them with the power washer if I can catch a break in the rain tomorrow, but I'm not as worried about it now. Thank you again.

[CC268]

Thank you, Guz. I was starting to think I was banging my head off the wall for no reason. I may try to hit them with the power washer if I can catch a break in the rain tomorrow, but I'm not as worried about it now. Thank you again.

I think your gonna cause more damage than good hitting them with a power washer haha...I always have good luck with using Dawn Soap to clean my pads, but it does take more work to get all the soap out of them and even then you won't get them perfect.

[Jimmy Vegas]

..even then you won't get them perfect.

I think that was the problem. I kept seeing videos, etc. where the pads are back to perfect and that's what I was expecting from mine.

[Wknd Dtlr]

Jimmy Vegas-

With the right approach, a pressure washer will do a great job of cleaning pads in a short period of time. The trick is to use the wide fan nozzle ( 40 degree ). I have an electric unit so the pressure is not too intense. If I had a gas unit I would probably lower the PSI. I borrowed a friend's low end PW once with the swivel spray head attachment. He forgot to tell me that the tip was jammed or broken and it shot out a stream of water which destroyed a fairly new pad! Most of the time I can get my pads back to near new looking. However, some pads just get stained and can never get cleaned completely.

I just quickly spray and saturate the pad surface with Zep purple degreaser and then do a couple quick passes with the PW in my homemade pad washer. I quit using dawn as it took forever to rinse out and even when I thought I had rinsed it out the pad would let out a bunch of dust when it was dry.

These are the dirty pads I had this weekend after having a little detailing session. I experimented with a bunch of products so that is why I had so many




Here are two pads showing 50/50 cleaning in my pad washer




And finally, here they are all cleaned and ready for another fun day of detailing! Took me about 15 minutes for all of these. When I use to hand clean them it would take forever. When I would put them in the washer my wife would get frustrated with the scum residue that was left from them.


And yes, you will notice in the clean pads pic that one of the white polishing pads is stained. HD Speed seems to leave a pink stain no matter how much I try to clean them. I've learned to live with them that way as long as I know they are super clean.

Hope that helps some.

ted

[Jimmy Vegas]

If I may revive this thread. I just spent the better part of an hour trying to clean orange Lake Country pads that I used today with McKees 360. I was using McKees pad cleaner by spraying it onto the pad when I'd finished using the pad/changing to clean one. I put the used pads, soaked with cleaner, into my towel bucket to clean later.

When I was ready to clean the pads, I scrubbed with a soft brush (they were still soaked with pad cleaner), thoroughly rinsing while working the pad with my thumbs. I could see the reddish tint of the McKees pad cleaner run down the sink while doing so. They were still stained with dark gray areas where the 360 had been. I then tried APC, same method, then soaking in a bucket of APC dilution for 1/2 hour. Rinsing, going again with the McKees cleaner, let soak, soft brush, then working it under running water.

No improvement. I currently have them in the washing machine with my MF towels, hence no pictures.

If the washing machine doesn't help, I'll give my power washer a go at it tomorrow.

Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong? This is getting really frustrating.

Thanks in advance.

[ski2]

This has worked very well and cut down on the time it takes to clean pads. Haven't seen any deterioration of the pads.

http://www.autopia.org/forums/auto-d...tml?highlight=

[Sleper]

Jimmy Vegas-

With the right approach, a pressure washer will do a great job of cleaning pads in a short period of time. The trick is to use the wide fan nozzle ( 40 degree ). I have an electric unit so the pressure is not too intense. If I had a gas unit I would probably lower the PSI. I borrowed a friend's low end PW once with the swivel spray head attachment. He forgot to tell me that the tip was jammed or broken and it shot out a stream of water which destroyed a fairly new pad! Most of the time I can get my pads back to near new looking. However, some pads just get stained and can never get cleaned completely.

I just quickly spray and saturate the pad surface with Zep purple degreaser and then do a couple quick passes with the PW in my homemade pad washer. I quit using dawn as it took forever to rinse out and even when I thought I had rinsed it out the pad would let out a bunch of dust when it was dry.

These are the dirty pads I had this weekend after having a little detailing session. I experimented with a bunch of products so that is why I had so many




Here are two pads showing 50/50 cleaning in my pad washer




And finally, here they are all cleaned and ready for another fun day of detailing! Took me about 15 minutes for all of these. When I use to hand clean them it would take forever. When I would put them in the washer my wife would get frustrated with the scum residue that was left from them.


And yes, you will notice in the clean pads pic that one of the white polishing pads is stained. HD Speed seems to leave a pink stain no matter how much I try to clean them. I've learned to live with them that way as long as I know they are super clean.

Hope that helps some.

ted

I basically use this method. rinse under warm water after and air dry. have had great results

[Jimmy Vegas]

First of all, thank you to everyone for the great advice. This is how it all ended. up.

The first picture..
I sprayed the dirty pad with Mckees pad cleaner when I took it of the DA. It was thoroughly soaked with cleaner. I massaged it with my thumbs under warm running water, trying to work the product out of the pad. I could still see/smell the McKee's 360 in the pad, so I sprayed it with APC (LATA 1:1) and repeated. Same result, so I mixed some of the LATA powder in a bucket of warm water, and let it sit for at least 45 minutes while I searched the forums to see what I was doing wrong.

I then rinsed while working the pad, no change. Sprayed with APC again, etc, same result. Next, I threw it in the washing machine with my Microfibers (All Free and Clear, warm water, extra rinse.) That is what you see here..

Next, I stayed it with my pressure washer, attempting to work the dark areas out of the pad.

That's what you see here. The image is a little blown out from the sunlight, but I now consider it clean. Those have to be stains. I think I'm just expecting too much out of the pad cleaner.

Thanks everyone for the advice, and if you can think of anything I've missed, please let me know.

- Jim