Clay towel at the end of its life?

**Eldorado2k** · 02-01-2018, 07:50 PM

I’m outside claying my car right now when I notice my fine grade clay towel marred the heck out of my hoods normally hard paint..

That’s twice in a row this has happened. Has anyone ever noticed this to be one of the signs of a clay towel being near the end of its life? In the past my other clay towels just quit removing contaminants and I replaced them, but this is the 1st time I’ve seen this happen. I guess I should’ve taken better care of them.

Back to the claybar for now. I’m in no mood to polish my whole car right now..

**WillSports3** · 02-01-2018, 10:40 PM

I don't know if it's the clay towel at the end of its life but it could be that there was stuff on it that wasn't cleaned off properly? Either that or there was some really rough stuff stuck on your paint.

**Belair** · 02-01-2018, 10:54 PM

^^ Yeah, it's either the towel or the clay that's dirty.

**Eldorado2k** · 02-01-2018, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by WillSports3

I don't know if it's the clay towel at the end of its life but it could be that there was stuff on it that wasn't cleaned off properly? Either that or there was some really rough stuff stuck on your paint.

Well I’ve had less trust in my clay towels lately due to my lack of care for them... For example I’ll usually let them dry outdoors and then bring them in and lay them flat with nothing protecting them from dust. Clay towels are sort of a PITA to put away.

I wouldn’t say there’s noticeable stuff/debris on the clay towel but I also wouldn’t say it looks like it did when it was new...

I went outside just now to inspect the rest of my paint after using the regular claybar and it’s just fine. No marring and ready for lsp. Then I decided to shine the light on my hood to get a closer look at the clay towel marring... Holy damn! My paint was perfect just before I used that claymitt on it! Wow what the hell!

That clay towel is officially done.

**Opti** · 02-02-2018, 05:25 AM

Just out of curiosity...other than rinsing it out how would you clean out a clay towel???

BTW...ive had the same problem at my winter prep in october as shown in the first pic. I later gave the car a light polish (with menzerna 3500) and the marring was gone.

**Desertnate** · 02-02-2018, 08:16 AM

I've never used a clay towel, but I did use a Nanoskin Speedy Prep Sponge. I was never able to clay a vehicle with it without causing damage. No matter how much or the type of lube used, it always left heavy marring like you experienced. I eventually tossed it because it was causing me more work rather than minimizing it. I happily went back to clay.

**DBAILEY** · 02-02-2018, 08:27 AM

How many cars has it been used on? Just curious.

Mike Phillips advised a year or two ago that the Blackfire Clay cleaner & extender can be used to safely clean that rubber surface. I don't know if it is available anymore with their changes. I still had a bottle of from probably a decade ago that I never used. I didn't like using it on actual claybars. I've used it to clean my medium clay towel and fine clay mitt a few times. It did look a bit cleaner but it was hard to tell being black rubber. It hasn't seemed to cause any problems with the rubber so far.

**mmhammer** · 02-02-2018, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by Eldorado2k

Well I’ve had less trust in my clay towels lately due to my lack of care for them... For example I’ll usually let them dry outdoors and then bring them in and lay them flat with nothing protecting them from dust. Clay towels are sort of a PITA to put away.

I wouldn’t say there’s noticeable stuff/debris on the clay towel but I also wouldn’t say it looks like it did when it was new...

I went outside just now to inspect the rest of my paint after using the regular claybar and it’s just fine. No marring and ready for lsp. Then I decided to shine the light on my hood to get a closer look at the clay towel marring... Holy damn! My paint was perfect just before I used that claymitt on it! Wow what the hell!

That clay towel is officially done.

Just a question: So how did you manage to make the clay towel create perfect circular scratches?? Are you sure the clay towel is the only problem?

**Kevin845** · 02-02-2018, 10:02 AM

I thought the same thing, the marring is circular.

**Eldorado2k** · 02-02-2018, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by DBAILEY

How many cars has it been used on? Just curious.

I’d say close to 30 + numerous window clayings. It’s put in some good work.

I went to grab my other claymitt last night after I posted this thread and it looks like it’s for sure done as well... I left it on my detailing cart to dry and it looks like my cat decided to take a nap on top of it. Lol.

I’ll be sure to take better care of my next clay towels.

Originally Posted by mmhammer

Just a question: So how did you manage to make the clay towel create perfect circular scratches?? Are you sure the clay towel is the only problem?

Originally Posted by Kevin845

I thought the same thing, the marring is circular.

Did you guys know that swirls, as far as our eyes see them are an optical illusion? They appear circular because of the human eye. I forgot who told me about that [my 1st guess is Michael Stoops] But I’m being totally serious, swirls are mostly always circular not because they are, but because that’s the way our eyes are able to see them. Maybe someone can help properly explain in full detail.

But in reality, no swirls, including the ones in my pic are actually perfect circles in the paint.