Cleaning LSP Applicators After Use

dschribs

Active member
What you do you guys do with your LSP applicator pads after use? I have a bunch of the Buff and Shine red foam wax applicator pads that I use for things like 845 and Jescar Power lock - but stuff like that is a bear to clean out of these pads.

  • What are you guys using to clean these types of pads?
  • Do you normally put them in the washing machine or clean then by hand. I`m hesitant about putting them in my washing machine for obvious reasons........


Thanks!
Dan
 
Ah, just used 845 on the `93 Audi, along with FK1000P.

I wash applicators by hand, never having had good results with the washing machine. They just didn`t get clean (no real worries about contaminating the washer, but I guess it could happen).

In the past I`ve just used APC or Dawn Power Dissolver, which were always effective but took a *LOT* of rinsing. But then I got a freebie sample of Wolfgang Pad Cleaner with an order and I will say that stuff really works great. I`d always sorta dismissed all the rave reviews of Pad Cleaners (yes, Stokdgs...thinking of you and Snappy Clean :D ), but now I`m rethinking that. Not that I`ll switch until I use up all my old stuff.

Heh heh, somebody here`s gonna say "just pitch them!" but I`m not like that ;)
 
I throw my saver applicators in the wash with my towels. I only use sealants so not so mucked up. If I weee using wax I’d soak in snappy clean for a while, rinse, wash machine.


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I throw my saver applicators in the wash with my towels. I only use sealants so not so mucked up...

Huh, the Sealants I use won`t even come out of MFs unless I pretreat `em! My applicators just seem to float around in the wash without getting all the [stuff] worked out of them.

Just another of those !YMMV! things, but I`m always envious of people who find easy solutions that work for them :D
 
Huh, the Sealants I use won`t even come out of MFs unless I pretreat `em! My applicators just seem to float around in the wash without getting all the [stuff] worked out of them.

Just another of those !YMMV! things, but I`m always envious of people who find easy solutions that work for them :D

Yeah had that issue with applicator in top loader. I only use specific towels for sealant removal so don’t know if they lost absorbency (still remove no problem). Washing with my drying and waterless towels hasn’t affected them so far. I wash them on hot maybe that helps


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The yellow foam ones I toss after they get too worn or very dirty. They are just too cheap for me to worry about cleaning them. I seal them in plastic bags marked with the name of the product used to keep from cross contaminating.

The microfiber pads I wash after a few uses. They hold up much better than the yellow foam applicators. I am no longer buying the yellow foam applicators.
 
Yeah had that issue with applicator in top loader....
Hey, you got me thinking! I`ve never tried putting an applicator in the FRONT loading HE washer, only in the Top loading washers. Hmmm...it`s not like they`ll "just float around on top without getting any agitation" in the front loader..thanks for kickstarting my brain :D

The yellow foam ones I toss after they get too worn or very dirty. They are just too cheap for me to worry about cleaning them...


INSERT quip about your being a Pro who can Expense them ;) Sorry, couldn`t resist...

I seal them in plastic bags marked with the name of the product used to keep from cross contaminating.

Yeah, same here. I once left on in the can of FK1000P a bit too long and found out how potent its solvents are :o
 
I use the same procedure for all my pads and applicators and it seems to work well.
At the end of the day, I spray them with LATA, diluted 1:1 and work it in with a soft brush. Then they get tossed in a bucket of hot water with Dawn and left to soak for at least overnight. The next day they get a thorough rinse, squeeze out the excess water and left on the rack to dry. Usually, I find a bunch of silt on the bottom of the soak bucket. I`m only a weekender and have enough pads that I can afford to have them out of service for a couple days. If I need one back in service quicker, I`ll stick it on my rotary and spin it dry. So far it seems to work on everything except Poorboys Black Hole on a B&S Supersoft White pad. The black dye in that stuff must be pretty stout.

Bill
 
I pre-wash/scrub applicators in the sink with a de-greaser or APC to get 95% of the crap out. Then I launder with the MF towels. Seems to work well and doesn`t leave a mess in the washer.
 
The only way I have found to get ALL the sealant out of a pad is to soak it in a container of Tide Free and Gentle. Just put the pad in the container, pour in enough Tide to cover it, let it sit for a day or so, then pour the solution down the sink and rinse pad until the water is clear. I could not believe how well this worked, and with minimal effort on my part.
 
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