How do you clean pads without buying an expensive cleaner?

[Ted S.]

I squirt a little Dawn on a wet buffing pad, work up a good lather for about a minute, then rinse as well as is possible, then roll in a towel.

[RhetoricMixes]

In the sink. Filled sink with the hottest water I could stand, squirted in a good amount of Dawn, dropped the pads in and let them sit for an hour or so. Then held each pad underwater and squeezed soapy water through each one.
Drained and refilled sink with fresh, warm water and squeezed clean water through them until there was no more soapy residue.
Then rolled them in an old bath towel and squeezed as much water out as possible. Then set them on another dry towel until they were dry

Good to know this is a proven method as I have been doing this for the past 2 months with good results.