Cleaning PC pads

[zesty-man]

can someone walk me through the process of cleaning your PC pads? what products am i supposed to use, how to dry, etc etc.


thanks

[Jngrbrdman]

I just take a hose to them and blast them off. When you are using them and they get loaded up with product I think that is the easiest way to get them clean. Then I shake the water out of it before putting it back on the PC to spin the rest out before going back to work. Durring a job I may wash out the pad two or three times. There isn`t really much of a process to it.

[rollman]

Dish soap and water works good . A good way to get that product build up off the pads is a stiff nylon brush with the PC on hi . Some of the guys here use Murphys Oil Soap on their pads.

[zesty-man]

hmmm. heres the reason i want to wash my pad. i accidently dropped it on the ground, and i wanted to get all the tiny particles out of it. do i just shake the pads??? also, what should i spin the pads on to get the water out? the car`s surface?

[ACE]

When they talk about spinning the water out, that applies to a rotary. You can`t do it on a PC. I just soak my pads in some hot water and Dawn, Era, Murphy`s - whatever I have around. Let them soak for at least 15 minutes, agitating the pads in the water and squeezing them out. Then, rinse in a bucket of clean water, press them dry in between towels (MF is best) and then stand them up and let them dry overnight before putting them away in the plastic bags. Big pain in the ass if you ask me. I may go with the Megs method - have pads dedicated to one product. NEVER wash them and just brush off the dried product with a stiff toothbrush or whatever. It`s starting to make sense. Maybe i`ll try it on one pad and see how it works out.
Here`s a blurb from Mike Phillips - Megs resident expert:

Cleaning PC Foam Pads

As far as cleaning the foam pads go,

You can take a clean terry cloth towel and push it into the foam with your hand to draw out any excess product.

You can tap or bang with your hand the face of a dry foam pad to knock loose any dry residue.

You can spin the foam pads to a high rpm on a rotary buffer, which will expel any excess product and then drag a nylon brush against the face of them to remove any dirt or abrasive particles. (This requires that you or a friend own a rotary buffer and the appropriate backing plate)

Some people wash their foam pads out under running water using soap solutions. Meguiar’s does not recommend this so you do so at your own risk.


Just yesterday, Jason Rose, a Meguiar`s Professional Field Rep for California shared with me a method he was shown,

Take a clean terry cloth towel, or a clean microfiber polishing cloth and roll the foam pad up in the towel/cloth squeezing the pad/towel as you go, (Kind of like rolling up a sleeping bag). Squeezing the towel/microfiber polishing cloth will act to squish, or absorb any excess product out of the foam pad.

Kind of like ringing out a chamois.


Hope this helps…

Mike

[EZ Boy]

Originally posted by zesty-man
hmmm. heres the reason i want to wash my pad. i accidently dropped it on the ground, and i wanted to get all the tiny particles out of it. do i just shake the pads??? also, what should i spin the pads on to get the water out? the car`s surface?

Nope. PC and rotary can gently spin dry a pad, it just takes a little bit of time. Hold the tool with wet pad attached about one foot off the ground and hold it out in the air so the pad is perpendicular to the ground. Slowly stary up the tool, you`ll see water mist flying from the pad everywhere - remember to start SLOW. The weight of the water in the pad at it`s extremities (think centrifugal effect) will put load on the outer edge and walls of the pad, not a mind blowing amount, but can distort cheaper pads or older pads. So start slow and as the pad gets drier you can up the speed just keep it steady. High speed only when nearly dry and only lightly damp.

You can brush grit out with a toothbrush. On dry pads I`ve seen one of my detailers vacuum the pad while brushing.

ACE mentioned the PC can`t spin dry the pads - I have a 6" random orbital and it dries 90+%, the rest I can deal with. Saves spritzing the pad :)

I have a pad for each significant product - it maintains my working momentum. When I clean I soak in Dawn/warm water for 30mins then work out suds and product by hand. Never machine wash the pads, other DC members have had disasters with backing and foam failure etc. Before drying I squash the pads between my flattened palms to force water from the centre to the edges and just work around the pad. The rest is expelled by spinning and air dry overnight away from dust, dirt etc.

Hope this helps.

[ACE]

I know the PC will spin if you don`t press it against anything, but I was under the impression that it was not good for the tool. I may be wrong about that, but that`s what I heard. Maybe it`s worth buying a cheap rotary, just to dry the pads. It`s sure easier than the bucket ritual.

[EZ Boy]

Originally posted by ACE
I know the PC will spin if you don`t press it against anything, but I was under the impression that it was not good for the tool. I may be wrong about that, but that`s what I heard. Maybe it`s worth buying a cheap rotary, just to dry the pads. It`s sure easier than the bucket ritual.

I guess, you can feel it wobble and carry on at high rpms, I keep it on low to moderate, let it work out a steady pace. Goes well like that. My RO cost $52.00 so I am not super concerned if it dies.

[K.B.]

I like the Murphy`s Oil Soap because it comes in a spray bottle - just spray a little on the pad. Work in by hand - water rinse, spin rinse again, PC does spin almost dry.

[Big Leegr]

Another way of spin drying is to put the pad/pc in a bucket to spin dry. This way the sprayis cotained, and if the pad flies off, it might not end up shooting across the floor, thus re-dirty-ing it.

[groebuck]

You can spin dry some pads - but remember if you are using a soap (Dawn Murphy`s) you are most likely affecting the glue that holds the backing. I use the Edge Brush to remove the dry residue - if the pad gets dirty enough that I feel I have to wash it then I do. In the sink - get the pad soaking wet then I drop a little murphy`s on the surface. Work it in by hand and till I see the original color of the pad back, then I hold it to the faucett and run water through it. Squeeze, squeeze until I have all the soap out and then run water through it again and squeez squeeze. If I don`t plan on using them the next day I will let them air dry (velcro side down on a cake rack works great! - if you have the space put it on top of the fridge as it gets warm up there). Or if I need them sooner I will squeeze out as much water as I can and spin dry them on the PC - start out sloooow then work up to 6. Bucket method is great as stated - no splay all over the place!

[TheSopranos16]

I use this...

http://www.properautocare.com/snclpadclpo.html

I just put it in a bucket and soak the pad for a few minutes then rinse it...works great!

[groebuck]

How`s it work on foam pads (the link talks about nappy pads ;) ).

[zesty-man]

errr, i donr think you guys oompletey understand... the other day i dropped one of my PC pads, it it rolled on its side, but neither of its two faces never touched the ground. but to be sure, i want to take out any particles t hat it may have picked up while it was rolling on the ground, so the issue really isnt abour removing product from the pads, but more like "particles". would water still work, or would i have ot move on to dawn?

[Woob]

Originally posted by zesty-man
errr, i donr think you guys oompletey understand... the other day i dropped one of my PC pads, it it rolled on its side, but neither of its two faces never touched the ground. but to be sure, i want to take out any particles t hat it may have picked up while it was rolling on the ground, so the issue really isnt abour removing product from the pads, but more like "particles". would water still work, or would i have ot move on to dawn?

Water and alot of agitating since the particles are in the foam. I`m guessing you dropped the Edge2000 pad on its side. Just use a brush and agitate the sides to knock out those particles.