Cleaning buffer pads

0

02 WS-6 T/A

New member
What do you guys use to clean your buffer pads? I'm not having any luck getting any of my pads to come clean. Once they dry, they dust horribly and you can see the dried up old product still in the pad? Anyone have any tips or tricks to cleaning these pads, I'm currently using some Sonus pads but I will be picking up some Lake Country CCS pads in the next week or so.
 
not sure if you do this for a living or are mobile etc . . . . . what i do is when i know i am for sure done with the particular pad i'm using i'll spray it with apc, brush it lightly with a soft tooth brush and let it sit in a bucket of water to prevent the product from drying up inside. If i have the time sometimes i will just rinse it out really good instead of soaking it in a bucket of water and let it air dry.



Most pads come 100% clean but there are time where the product does stain the pad.
 
I have a few pads that I hand washed with Dawn and rinsed out really well, wringed them out, and air dryed. This is how I wash all my buffing pads. But these in particular have little black dots/stains on them. I can't figure out where they came from. They were not there when I put them away. I have never had this happen before. Not sure what could've happened, or if it's safe to use the pads again.
 
I just soak them in water after I'm done with them, and then use some green degreaser you can get at Home Depot to clean them.
 
Not a pro, just a weekend warrior. Thanks for the help guys. I'll try some dawn this weekend, maybe that'll do the trick. I've tried regular laundry detergent and that didn't work out so well... The pads still dusted up the first time on the buffer like a sand storm blowing through Afghanistan
 
^+1

I put my pads in a tub that has enough surface area to float the pads, and then put just a small amount of power dissolver into warm water. Pads come out amazingly clean with little to no additional cleaning necessary after about 3 - 4 hours of soaking. Someone said PD has been discontinued but I've seen it at my local Walmart and ShopRite...
 
I just use Blue Dawn . after I have finished my detail I put the pads in a pail of hot water with dawn to soak while I'm cleaning up. Then I squirt a little Dawn on a pad and kneed it into the pad with my thumbs till it sudses then I set it aside . I do all the pads and once done I dump the water and run a continuous stream of fresh cool water into the pail and submerge each pad one at a time and squeeze them under water till no suds come out. I then lift the pad out of the pail and give it a couple of squeezes under the running water and set it aside. Once all done I put a backing plate on my cordless drill and spin the pads in an empty pail to pre dry then they go on a rack velcro side up to dry.
 
loco said:
I have a few pads that I hand washed with Dawn and rinsed out really well, wringed them out, and air dryed. This is how I wash all my buffing pads. But these in particular have little black dots/stains on them. I can't figure out where they came from. They were not there when I put them away. I have never had this happen before. Not sure what could've happened, or if it's safe to use the pads again.
Click to expand...





I had the same problem after i put pads into a plastic bag. It looked like mold grew on them. Maybe someone has a tip to clean the stains here??
 
I used Griots Pad Cleaner. Works really well. It broke down the wax and polishes really fast. Then I just rinsed it with water and let it air dry.
 
LMG_35C said:
Someone said PD has been discontinued but I've seen it at my local Walmart and ShopRite...
Click to expand...



I think that rumor has been floating for a few years now, its still available, my wal-mart carries it.
 
gonzojd7 said:
I had the same problem after i put pads into a plastic bag. It looked like mold grew on them. Maybe someone has a tip to clean the stains here??
Click to expand...



That's how I store mine, in plastic. I use zip locks. I probably shouldn't have sealed them up completely. Usually I leave them a little bit open. Duh.
 
I asked this question a few weeks ago and didn't get too much of a response but after watching some youtube videos I decided to try Meguiars APC and it worked GREAT. I sprayed each pad really well, rubber the cleaner into the foam pad and let it sit for about 10 mins. Then I rinsed them really well with a strong stream of water from the hose. The wool pads I mixed up some APC in a bucket, just enough to cover a pad in the bottom of the bucket and let it sit for about 10-15min and then worked it in by hand then rinsed really well. I made a jig to hang the pads on to air dry.
 
Spray each pad with Power Dissolver then wash in washing machine with dish Dawn, and APC and some Tide. Do a extra rinse with a couple oz. of vinegar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top