A Better Grout Sponge

Kaban said:
Wow... that really answers the question...
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there are several grout sponges that lowes sells, and the one that you specifically want is the "tile & grout" sponge clearly marked on the package as such below...



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The Walmart auto sponge is a lot stiffer and more abrasive than the grout sponge. I only use the Walmart spnge on relatives cars that are already swirled.
 
cpufreak3 said:
So I'm not sure if it's been answered clearly or not, but is the easy grip sponge fine?



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It just looks like a shaped grout sponge, or is it not as good?
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Great, network hiccup lost my reply.



Bought a pair of these this weekend and gave them a trial run on my cars. Pretty sure this isn't the one you want to use. My observations using ONR:



1. Extremely squeaky going over the paint. Grippy and not that smooth, even with ONR.

2. Holds a LOT of wash, which was nice since I could give it a squeeze for some extra lubricity. Didn't help all that much though.

3. After several weekly washes (about 4-5) on my DD with a chenille-cover foam pad and an OCW coat each time, the paint was very slick to touch. Using this sponge with no OCW application, the paint does not feel nearly as slick. I'm afraid this sponge may have removed whatever coats of wax were on my car, as I noticed some light marring on my trunklid that matched the movement pattern of my drying towel.



These will likely be relegated to tire dressing application. Only $2.00 apiece, but it's going to be hours of work to correct the paint. Which I still haven't done since purchasing the car in February. Oops!
 
I just bought a few more of these sponges. I noticed that the current batch that I bought is not nearly as soft and is much more dense than the ones I usually buy. What is going on?! Did they change their formulation?
 
amcdonal86 said:
I just bought a few more of these sponges. I noticed that the current batch that I bought is not nearly as soft and is much more dense than the ones I usually buy. What is going on?! Did they change their formulation?
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Are you sure that you are not comparing the new one to an old worn out sponge:)
 
Haha, yes! I've only used my other "worn out sponges" twice or three times each. Those I can smash into the size of a golf ball if I try hard enough . These are much heavier and denser and can only be smushed into the size of a peach or so!



I think they may have also marred my paint slightly (I can see long thin scratches on my trunklid in the sun) that I swear weren't there before!
 
01svtL said:
So, does anyone use anything special to clean their sponges??



Polishing pad cleaner perhaps?
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you could refill the bucket with clean water and massage/squeeze out all the soap or run it under running water (hose) and do the same...
 
amcdonal86 said:
I think they may have also marred my paint slightly (I can see long thin scratches on my trunklid in the sun) that I swear weren't there before!
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That sounds (well, at least to me) like marring from stuff stuck in the sponge, rather than from the sponge itself.
 
Accumulator said:
That sounds (well, at least to me) like marring from stuff stuck in the sponge, rather than from the sponge itself.
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It's very possible, but the trunk was the first panel I did with this brand new sponge and it seems like that's the one with most marring. Maybe I didn't stir in the ONR well enough and the sponge was just saturated with plain water?
 
Wow, I tried using QD spray (Lucas Oil Slick Mist Speed Wax) while drying today, what a difference! I no longer feel like I am scratching the paint by using the QD, and the surface of the car comes off extra shiny!
 
amcdonal86 said:
It's very possible, but the trunk was the first panel I did with this brand new sponge and it seems like that's the one with most marring. Maybe I didn't stir in the ONR well enough and the sponge was just saturated with plain water?
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If the wash medium itself is doing the marring, it'll usually (as in, almost always) result in uniform marring everywhere.



Yeah, the "first panel done" might indeed factor in, and the ONR mixing might be to blame...hard to say.



Glad to hear the QD-while-drying is working so well!
 
Thanks for the info.



My current theory is that I put the sponge in the water before I added ONR, and the ONR didn't penetrate the sponge on the first panel, causing the dirt/debris on the trunk lid to be dragged across the surface without lubrication (other than water). This happens to me because I live in an apartment and walk my 2 gallons of water 1/4 of a mile of my car. I only have so many hands so I usually just put the sponge in the water!
 
Accumulator said:
Good heavens, that's some serious dedication you're exhibiting :eek: :bow
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Haha, thanks. Yesterday I got it all cleaned up at 7AM, then on the way to work no more than 30 minutes later, half the car got sprayed by one of those damn water trucks that were washing the road! AGHHH!
 
Bah, I can't seem to find these ProLine sponges on the shelf anymore.



I had to buy this "Armaly proplus" Heavy Duty Grouting & Concrete Sponge instead. Do you know if this one is acceptable or not? Seems like every sponge I buy is a little bit stiffer than the last.



Armaly Brands
 
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