Grout sponge mini-review

[Cassman]

Finally had the chance to buy and use the almighty grout sponge! I used it with QEW, one bucket method per spoiledman. I have used QEW with various wash media including microfiber cloths, dreadlock microfiber spong thingamajig, eurow sheepskin mitt, etc. My car was what I would call medium dirty: It had been driven in the rain on pretty dusty roads, so it had THAT film and grit on it. I did not presoak. BTW, my car is an 04 G35 coupe, black.



So, I made my bucket of QEW, using 3 capfuls in about 2 gallons of water. Started with the hood and top of car. The interesting aspect of using the grout sponge vs. other media is that it seems to kind of gently scrub the paint with very little to no pressure. Sheepskin seems to glide and microfiber is, well, just microfiber. I then moved down to the sides and rear of car. On my car, due to design, the sides and especially the rear bumper really pick up a lot of muck. I noticed that the sponge really picked up the grit but the best part was that the sponge came clean so easily! It released all the grit effortlessly, unlike ANY of the other media.



As far as the end result, I noticed a real difference between the sponge and the other wash media. Usually, I am kind of secretly frustrated when, after about 2 miles of driving, I look into my driver`s side window and try to see the shine and reflection off the side of the car. It usually looks a little muted without real shine to it even if I just washed the car. Kind of dull. I always thought that was just what happens with dust on the black car. However, I drove about 38 miles to the airport yesterday and the shine stayed bright the whole way. I then parked it at the airport, went out of town, came back last night, and the car still looked sharper than what it would usually look. I did nothing different after the wash which would explain the obvious (to me) difference. I think there was a microscopically cleaner surface than usual and that there was less for dust/stuff to stick to as I drove down the road.



My feeling is that the sponge does a better job of gently cleaning the surface than the other mentioned media. If you feel the way the sponge slide across the surface, you will know what I mean. It feels gentle yet very thorough. I checked for marring both before and after and noticed none. I am impressed with the grout sponge and will use it all the time from now on.

[twitch]

I too have an 04 G35 Coupe (soft paint!) in a much more forgiving color... Desert Platimun. And well I have to admit I tried the grout sponge Tuesday night.



I really liked it but disliked it at the same time.



First of all it does hold a good amount of solution which worked well on the horizontal surfaces BUT on the vertical surfaces it dropped entirely too much solution to the garage floor (which sucks for me because I have dyno tile in the garage so I felt I had to mop up the solution). The solution that fell to the ground came from the back side of the sponge so the solution didn’t even touch the painted surface… its immediate destination was the floor which was already clean :hmph:



My sponge didn’t seem to rinse out that well. It was still discolored by the grime even after aggressively dunking, squeezing, and massaging it out in the solution.

Is this what is considered “normal� when people state it rinses cleanly?



Did you notice any marring or scratches after using the sponge? I noticed some scratches which I didn’t *think* were there BUT I was inspecting the paint really well so it’s possible (more like probable) that they existed already.



I will try it again but modify its use some. I may use it as a “second swipe media� after the sheepskin to clean the surface thoroughly. Because as you stated Cassman it seems like it cleans the surface well which was nice.



After this I applied Danase Wet Glaze then AquaWax... the car still hasn`t dried from the ONR session Tuesday night :chuckle:

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Little trick, mix a little Danase Wet Glaze with some 105........

[Smithule]

I too have an 04 G35 Coupe (soft paint!) in a much more forgiving color... Desert Platimun. And well I have to admit I tried the grout sponge Tuesday night.



I really liked it but disliked it at the same time.



First of all it does hold a good amount of solution which worked well on the horizontal surfaces BUT on the vertical surfaces it dropped entirely too much solution to the garage floor (which sucks for me because I have dyno tile in the garage so I felt I had to mop up the solution). The solution that fell to the ground came from the back side of the sponge so the solution didn’t even touch the painted surface… its immediate destination was the floor which was already clean :hmph:



My sponge didn’t seem to rinse out that well. It was still discolored by the grime even after aggressively dunking, squeezing, and massaging it out in the solution.

Is this what is considered “normal� when people state it rinses cleanly?



Did you notice any marring or scratches after using the sponge? I noticed some scratches which I didn’t *think* were there BUT I was inspecting the paint really well so it’s possible (more like probable) that they existed already.



I will try it again but modify its use some. I may use it as a “second swipe media� after the sheepskin to clean the surface thoroughly. Because as you stated Cassman it seems like it cleans the surface well which was nice.



After this I applied Danase Wet Glaze and AquaWax... the car still hasn`t dried from the ONR session Tuesday night :chuckle:

I noticed the same thing when washing the vertical panels. I lost much more water to the floor with the sponge. I also noticed that my sponge would not rinse clean but neither does my MF mitt so it was of now matter. I also noticed the the sponge does hold a lot of water but not a lot of suds, my MF mitt holds much more suds witch alows for better vertical washing.

[BlackElantraGT]

My sponge didn’t seem to rinse out that well. It was still discolored by the grime even after aggressively dunking, squeezing, and massaging it out in the solution.

Is this what is considered “normal� when people state it rinses cleanly?

For the most part, it practically rinses clean. I haven`t used any other media that rinses more clean. The only thing that I have trouble rinsing off (and this applies for other media too, not just the grout sponge), is road tar or the greasy grime from your wheels/wheel dressing.



I made the mistake of rinsing my wheels and tire brushes against my grit guard. Because it was already getting dark, I didn`t realize that the grime from the tire and wheel brushes had transferred onto my grit guard. After I was done washing the car for the evening, I rinsed and agitated my grout sponge against the grit guard before leaving it to dry for the night. Some of that grime then transferred onto my sponge, and that stuff just does not want to come off. I could probably get it off with some Dawn Power Dissolver or a degreaser, but I was just lazy and plus it was on the sides of the sponge, so it didn`t really affect it too much.



Worse comes to worse, you can cut a corner off that sponge or something to distinguish it from the others and use it for dirtier areas of the car like your wheels. $2 lost, not a big deal. Sheepskin on the otherhand, you never know if you`re going to get a good one or one that will fail after 2 washes. That`s at least $5 down the drain.



I`m still on my original 2 grout sponge. I don`t think I`ll have to replace mine any time soon. Plus, I can use it wash after wash after wash. I couldn`t do that with my mf mitts as the pair would be too grungy after 1 car.

[a.k.a. Patrick]

Ooooooooohhhhhhhh Chris..............where are you?! Its uncommon for several replies to arrive before you........lol

[jesselyons2002]

Ok im going to be the Thrid person with a G35 Diamond graphite. But I didn`t use the grout sponge with ONR, I use it with a conventional wash. First I rinse the car and then foam gun it with gold class wash and filled up my bucket with nxt wash and saturate my grout into the nxt was solution. Did each panel quick and fast because the sponge rinse out clean into the rinse bucket, which help me out to get more solution.Then after I was done(Rinse and Dry) I check the car under halogen to see if there was any swirls or marring and there wasn`t.



To me if you use any mitt towel or material with ONR. The thing going to come out dirty.

[toml]

Is there a way to drop less solution on the floor when using ONR with the grout sponge? I can see that being a problem in the wintertime here in New England when the temps drop below freezaing for the night.

[a.k.a. Patrick]

If you figure out how to defy gravity, N.A.S.A. may want to speak with you.......

[jesselyons2002]

Is there a way to drop less solution on the floor when using ONR with the grout sponge? I can see that being a problem in the wintertime here in New England when the temps drop below freezaing for the night.

You can try using a garden sprayer and pick up the grout sponge from the bucket intil you see less dripping and spray the panel while wiping the sponge over it. Kind of like what you do with the foam gun.

[toml]

If you figure out how to defy gravity, N.A.S.A. may want to speak with you.......

:lol :lol :LOLOL Very funny, Patrick!

You can try using a garden sprayer and pick up the grout sponge from the bucket intil you see less dripping and spray the panel while wiping the sponge over it. Kind of like what you do with the foam gun.

That`s a thought ... I know someone who is selling sprayers



Still, I wonder if by nature the grout sponge is just going to be more messy than a sheepskin mitt.

[SpoiledMan]

Squeeze more water out.



I know you thought my debut in this thread would be more dramatic but.......

[toml]

That`s the common sense reply. Thanks!



Chris, do you use just a one bucket method? Grit guard? How much solution do you mix up for an average car?

[Grimm]

I wonder if the type of wash soap could have anything to do with how well the sponge cleans up. I used Duragloss 901 when I tried the sponge last weekend, and it cleaned up perfectly, even after getting black a couple times. I used two buckets, and rubbed the surface with my hand for a few seconds, and it came perfectly clean. I didn`t really have any trouble losing soap on vertical panels either, and least not nearly as bad as with a sheepskin.

[amtrak23]

Anybody who has these at their store want to send me one?