Are sea sponges the best for washing your car’s paint?

[David Fermani]

Forgive me for thinking out loud here, but I`ve never used a sea sponge before. From what you guys are saying regarding there being the chance of one having sand particles in it, why would you risk using one knowing this? Are you sure that ALL the sand is being removed when you are flush them?

[52split]

If it`s good enough for Todd Helme...I`ve used mine quite a bit. Never had any marring from it. I currently use a chenille mitt using the foam gunn/mitt combo. I`m sure the sea sponge would work just as well.

[GearHead_1]

Forgive me for thinking out loud here, but I`ve never used a sea sponge before. From what you guys are saying regarding there being the chance of one having sand particles in it, why would you risk using one knowing this? Are you sure that ALL the sand is being removed when you are flush them?

Yup, never had an issue with mine. I understand your concern as I had the same fears before I got to know these products. I guess I should say that I`m every bit as sure as I am that I got my wash mitts completely clean from the last time I cleaned a vehicle.

I think things have changed with the processing of the sponges just as things have changed in detaiing. The last two sponges I got, even though I went through them meticuliously, I never saw anthing come out of them. What I have seen in the past is sponge pieces that were hard that would flake and break off. These too may not have been an issue when wet. Others have seen quite a bit of sand, I wouldn`t go that far. Like other things that have gotten a bad rap, I`m sure there were issues somewhere along the line. If it`s a concern that you can`t get your head around, order one and dedicate it to your wheel arches, under bumper, textured rockers or other low profie area and try it. It`s the only way you`ll ever know for sure. I`ll still clean my new ones before using, just because.

By the way, I rinse and clean mine in a bucket several times but I also run them through a cold cycle in the washing machine a coupe of times before use.

[David Fermani]

Thanks for the explanation GH!

[Accumulator]

Ah, I`m late to this thread, just saw it.

Heh heh, "good enough for...[whomever].." I sure wouldn`t think that way myself, all I care about is whether something works for *ME*. If you can wash for ages without needing to repolish your paint, then the wash medium works for you; if you need to remove wash-induced marring all the time then...well, maybe oughta reconsider the approach.

I used sea sponges for years before discovering BHBs. Can`t recall ever having that "speck of sand" issue, but I sure did worry about it!

IMO a sea sponge *can* work pretty well as long as the user takes advantage of the way it can hold *and then release* lots of shampoo mix, so the flood of the mix flushes away dislodged dirt rather than letting said dirt get trapped in/by the sponge and rubbed against the paint. It`d take me many dunks in the shampoo mix bucket and subsequent rinsing out in the rinse bucket to do a single panel, but it did work OK most of the time (overall, it was better than I could do with a mitt). NO SCRUBBING! Just barely touch the paint (gotta have a good LSP on there, something that releases dirt). The way I`d use a sea sponge is a pretty involved process and I suspect that most people just "dunk-and-rub" and end up getting marring, just as with BHBs, mitt`s, and most anything else. See much dirt in your rinse bucket? If so, well.... uh-oh, plan to break out the polisher.

I no longer use them as they`re not too compatible with my foamgun-centric wash regimen. But for somebody who`s currently using a grout sponge or a mitt (well, using them in the conventional manner) it might be worth trying out. As with most things, I wouldn`t expect a really bright person to get the optimal technique down pat with just a few washes

[MiVor]

I`m also late to this thread. I don`t think a sea sponge (or a regular sponge for that matter) would be the best choice to ensure against scratching the finish, even with a two bucket and/or foam method. Now I know some swear by a boars hair brush. I suppose it works fine, but they`re very pricey. Now I tend to often do a pressure wash/rinse (sometimes coin op, sometimes Karcher in the driveway) followed by an ONR wash using an inexpensive waffle weave MF towel for the wash and a fine MF towel for the wipe.
For the two bucket wash, I use a micro fiber wash mitt with lots of slick. (I`ll use some ONR in the bucket along with wash soap for extry slickness.)

[Accumulator]

... Now I know some..[guys like Accumulator ].. swear by a boars hair brush. I suppose it works fine, but they`re very pricey...

My great love for the BHB is greatly influenced by the way it works so well when used in conjunction with a foamgun. Otherwise (thinking back to before I got the foamguns..) I might almost go so far as to say it`d depend on the vehicle.

With the Pressure Washer things *do* change for the better and you can get away with a far less, uhm....extreme wash method.

As for the price, I`ve never worked it out, but I bet the BHBs might not be as expensive in the long run as one might expect. My mitts seem to last a LONG time, longer than they do for many other people, but BHBs last for years and years.

Eh, whatever works for somebody...seems to be a wide range of differing experiences.

[Accumulator]

Something else I always wonder about- there are countless deep crevices on my vehicles, too deep for the nap of a mitt (let alone a sponge) to get down into. Without the long bristles of a BHB I simply couldn`t clean those properly. How do BHB-less folks handle those?

[MiVor]

My great love for the BHB is greatly influenced by the way it works so well when used in conjunction with a foamgun. Otherwise (thinking back to before I got the foamguns..) I might almost go so far as to say it`d depend on the vehicle....

As I mentioned, I`m sure the BHB is fine, but at $80-$100, I can get 16 - 20 MF wash mitts (I should live so much longer!).
This reminds me of back in the day when the rage was to use a grout sponge for an ONR wash. I tried it, but felt it wasn`t as good as my waffle weave MF towels. But like you wrote `whatever works`.

[Texchappy]

Does anybody use a sea sponge with rinseless washes?

[Accumulator]

MiVor- Eh, I guess I can`t really argue that the BHBs are cost-effective! The smaller ones might be worth it for those nooks and crannies (where I need `em).

And I`m with you on the rinseless/grout sponge combo not working out! Sure is popular with others though.

Texchappy- Ah, maybe you could try it, you know...be a trailblazer...AKA Guinea pig For people who like sponges, I *do* think the Sea Sponge is worth trying. Just be careful about that "retained sand" issue.

[jmsc]

Never owed/tried a sea sponge. BUT, willing to buy one.

1. any recommendations for a top-notch sea-sponge?
2. does it work best on a Bucket-Hose Wash/RW/WW?

Thanks.

[Accumulator]

jmsc- I can only address the first Q: IIRC (it was a long time ago), I got mine from Top of the Line.

[jmsc]

Thanks. I`ll put TOL SS on my list to buy.

[Accumulator]

jmsc- Heh heh, OK....but don`t take my posts about them to be an official endorsement, I wouldn`t quite put them in the Accumulator-approved category But if somebody`s gonna use a sponge anyhow, and is willing to put some effort/time into the "sand issue", then, well....OK, sure, give it a try.