Is cleansing necessary?

[Reflections]

Is there any purpose in using something like AIO after doing heavy polishing for anything other than a first layer of sealant? Is there any contamination for the AIO to remove chemically after heavy polishing?

[SpoiledMan]

AIO is typically used after polishing to remove any oils or whatever that would remain from some polishes as they can be incompatible with some sealant.

[Accumulator]

AIO can be a good chemical paint cleaner, but the only time I ever use it is before a sealant.

It could also work to clean off any compounding residue, but I'd follow such compounding with a milder polish anyhow. There *might* be some polish residue left after such procedures... I usually end up using *something* between my final corrective polishing and my LSP. But often that "something" is another milder polish (so mild that it doesn't really do any correction) that also has cleansers in it (e.g. 1Z Pro MP, #80, 1Z WPS, etc.).

But OTOH, on fresh repaints I've gone from PI-III RC/MG straight to my #5 without any need to clean the paint. Maybe a spritz of #34 and a final buff, but no real cleaning step.

Gee, guess I can argue this either way

I guess the answer is "if you think there's a need to clean then use something" but if you don't think there's a need I wouldn't bother. The final polishes I use all leave a clean surface.