Cleaning Pads Dry?

[SR77]

Does any one clean their pads by using a foam pad brush or tooth brush on a dry pad spinning it on the machine instead or washing them by hand or machine. I know a lot of people complain about the back pad coming unglued because of washing, so i am wondering if anyone cleans the pad with a brush instead after the polish or wax on the pad has dried. Also, my main reason for asking this is, i know companies like meguiars recommends cleaning the pads like this but they also say to use the same product on it, but can the pad be effectively cleaned and able to use different products/polishes using this method. I don't have enough pads or money to dedicate each product to one pad, so i am wonder if it is safe to use this cleaning method and still be able to use different products. Seems that the pads backing would last a lot longer this way, but i don't want to cause marring or other problems and cause more work for myself either. i always wondered how professionals clean there pads too, the amount they use their pads each day with different products, they would have to wash them every night if that's the way they cleaned them. thanks for the help.

[SteveOst]

Originally Posted by SR77

Does any one clean their pads by using a foam pad brush or tooth brush on a dry pad spinning it on the machine instead or washing them by hand or machine. I know a lot of people complain about the back pad coming unglued because of washing, so i am wondering if anyone cleans the pad with a brush instead after the polish or wax on the pad has dried. Also, my main reason for asking this is, i know companies like meguiars recommends cleaning the pads like this but they also say to use the same product on it, but can the pad be effectively cleaned and able to use different products/polishes using this method. I don't have enough pads or money to dedicate each product to one pad, so i am wonder if it is safe to use this cleaning method and still be able to use different products. Seems that the pads backing would last a lot longer this way, but i don't want to cause marring or other problems and cause more work for myself either. i always wondered how professionals clean there pads too, the amount they use their pads each day with different products, they would have to wash them every night if that's the way they cleaned them. thanks for the help.

I've cleaned my pads several times over the past year or so in many differnt concoctions and have not had any problems with them. I usually hand wring them out and run them through my wringer and just let them air dry.

[ecodetail]

That's is the way I clean my pads, and I dedicate each pad to my mainstay polishes IP, Optimum compoud, Final polish2 and Klasse. I've not had any marring issue with this method and my pads last longer than when i wet cleaned them.

[SR77]

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone else use the dry method for cleaning while using different products on the pad. It seems hard to dedicate a polish to a pad why you come across different levels of swirl removal. Sometimes different polishes are needed, sometimes different levels of pad aggressiveness are needed, I would need a ton of pads to dedicate each product to for every situation. At the same time I am trying to see if there is alternatives to cleaning the pads without having to hand wash them after every use. Does anyone else clean their pads dry using different products without causing harm to the paint. thanks again?

[Coupe]

Im in the same boat.
I cant afford to buy hundreds of pads for each product.
The pads i do have i need to last a long time.

[abbeysdad]

I don't think I'd dare let them dry out and then expect to get them clean - sometimes too much product absorbed in the foam and depending on the product, may set-up and become impossible to clean out.
It may not always be the case, but one time I remember squeazing a lot of product out of a pad as I was hand washing (which is how I clean them). I suppose they could go through the washer, but I'm more comfortable hand washing them, then set on a shelf in the garage to dry.

[Lightman]

It probably is a bad idea, but I typically spray them with wheel cleaner or citrus degreaser, something that will cut the wax/polish, and work it in by hand and rinse...has worked pretty well so far, but I'm sure there are better methods. I use tons of different products with the same pads.