how to use washmitt

[webstrive]

hi,



when i use my washmitt, i usually just rinse off (the mitt) with hose then dip again in soap, usually after something like 1/2 hood or 1/4 hood size, i barely use any pressure



i don`t think its working because i noticed some light scratching .... what is the correct way to use the mitt? i don`t have a foam gun right now, but one is on its way

[imported_steveo3002]

try to pre rinse the worst of the dirt off



use plenty of wash soap in your bucket...wash say half the roof, then rinse in another bucket thats got clean water



maybe an idea to a have another mitt for below the door molding areas and keep em seperate

[webstrive]

still not sure how people use their mitts



do you rinse it off with the hose after each section, or shake it / agitate it in water, with other hand? how do you keep it clean

[imported_hooked]

I`m no expert/pro, but I do both. I keep it on my right hand, and take the hose in my left hand and zap it with water. Then I have a bucket with just water in it and rinse it off in there. I make sure I don`t dunk it all the way to the bottom of the bucket so I don`t pick up any grit that might have settled down there. Then I squeeze it out a bit to get rid of the excess water.



I`ve read in some other post where someone will put the hose inside the mitt so that the water will flow out of the mitt, thus pushing any dirt out.

[03COBRA]

I hit my wash mitt with a good spray of the hose while still on my hand. If you take rather good care of your car, as far as keeping it clean, I would think that would be all that you would need. I`ve never used the 2 bucket method except for hoseless washing, and I have never had any marring issues.

[Accumulator]

While I`dse the foamgun- here`s something you might try until it arrives:



Fill the mitt with wash solution by holding it cuff-up in the bucket. Hold the cuff shut- the mitt will be full of shampoo mix, which will seep out of the mitt.



Holding it by the cuff, gently whisk it across a panel, only allowing the tips of the mitts nap to touch the paint. The idea is that the nap will gently dislodge the dirt and the shampoo (seeping out of the mitt) will help rinse it away.



Do limited areas and clean the mitt out thoroughly. I`ll use the hose on it if it seems really conaminated (actually, *I* would get out another mitt, I`ll use a lot of `em on some washes) and when I dunk it in the rinse bucket I really massage it to get it clean. I`d absolutely plan on using more than one/two mitts.



Consider changing your rinse water at least once in the course of the wash.



This is sorta like what you can do with the foamgun- the point is to keep from getting contamination stuck to the mitt. If you get dirt on the mitt when you clean the first inch, and then move the mitt two more inches, you`re likely to get a two-inch long scratch. The dirt doesn`t really migrate up the nap away from the paint; it`s more likely to get pressed against the paint causing marring.

[webstrive]

thanks for all the tips, great idea about filling the mitt with soap solution, i probably never would`ve thought of that!



it gave me another idea, perhaps I can use the foam gun and wrap the nozzle inside the cuff and spray so soap keeps moving out of the mitt



i guess i`d have to be very careful not to hit the foam gun on the paint though, but perhaps using the tip of the mitt instead would work well since foam would be shooting in that direction?

[salty]

What type of wash mitt are you using?

[webstrive]

its from griot`s garage .. i`m getting some new ones from autogeek soon (two)

[Pennypacker]

If it`s the Griot`s Sheepskin Wash Mitt, be careful because that thing really clings onto debris. I like it. It`s just that their sheepskin has a fine, stringy texture compared to say the Eurow or Werkstatt mitts, which causes dirt to really get embedded into the nap and, therefore, not rinse off so easiy. Besides that though, it`s excellent.

[Accumulator]

... perhaps I can use the foam gun and wrap the nozzle inside the cuff and spray so soap keeps moving out of the mitt...perhaps using the tip of the mitt instead would work well since foam would be shooting in that direction?



That`s what I call my "mitt-balloon" technique. It won`t work with the sheepskin mitts as the leather backing blocks the flow of foam too much. Works well for me with chenille mitts, but I have boosted water pressure; others have tired it and said they couldn`t get it to work for them. You might want to give it a go (with chenille or MF mitts).



I let the foamgun inflate the mitt and then I barely rub the inflated mitt against the car. Tricky to do on the horizontal surfaces; I`ve done it many, many times and I still don`t find it all that easy. Don`t bump the car with the bottle ;)



Much easier (and about as good) to shoot the foam through the bristles of a *high quality* BHB while just "jiggling" the BHB against the panels (as opposed to wiping with it the normal way).