Cross contamination of pads

J

jastg

New member
Hello Everyone,
General Question. When pads are properly cleaned using pad cleaners does anyone have concerns regarding using the same pads for different products. I understand that some polishes or sealants may be difficult to completely remove product residue so I may need dedicated pads. I also know that you may overlap several different pads for the same polish. I would love to keep my pad count down to perhaps 3 of each type on a PC and Flex DA's. I was looking for some guidance. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks so much for your help.
 
Good question jastg, If one properly clean their pads then I don't see any problems in cross contamination of products from the pads.
 
I use this reason as a excuse for having dedicated pads. Wife believes me so as long as she dosen't read this I'm safe.With proper cleaning I also think reuse is safe with another product.

Paul S
 
Thanks Guys. Paul, great reply. I'm trying to keep my costs to a minimum as well as conserve space with my arsenal. I know that will require more LC orange and white pads than anything else. Knowing if I keep my pads clean I can keep the collection down to a minimum. (with a couple of extra's just incase of the occasional pad getting killed.)
 
I used to use dedicated pads for each product. It got to be too much. I have a ton of pads now. Once I started cleaning my pads with Meg's Super Degreaser I started using pads for which ever product I needed.
 
I'm with Jokeman on this. I clean my pads throughly after every use and don't worry about cross contamination. Like joke, I have so many pads I just grab a clean pad for whatever I need. I will say though that I have dedicated LSP pads, some for the nuba's and some for the sealants.
 
jastg said:
Hello Everyone,
General Question. When pads are properly cleaned using pad cleaners does anyone have concerns regarding using the same pads for different products. I understand that some polishes or sealants may be difficult to completely remove product residue so I may need dedicated pads. I also know that you may overlap several different pads for the same polish. I would love to keep my pad count down to perhaps 3 of each type on a PC and Flex DA's. I was looking for some guidance. Any suggestions would be helpful. Thanks so much for your help.
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I agree with Jokeman as well. I clean my pads with Meguiar's Super Degreaser right after using them and have never had a problem with contamination with various polishes.

I do not like to use the same pads for different sealants however and I never use a 'sealant' pad for polishing or vice a versa. Sealants can be very difficult to fully remove from the pads and can cause some wierd problems at times. As such I only use Concours Gold pads for sealant appication and never for machine polishing.
 
Do you consider Meguiar's Super Degreaser the best product for pad cleaning or...are there other off-the-shelf products that you could recommend as well?

What about cleaning an orange pad that let's say was used to apply Gel Coat Labs Micro-polish & Sealant....then later down the road using it with M105/205???

Would you feel comfortable doing that?

Thanks.
 
The only "Pad Cleaners" I have seen are Snappy Clean and Detailers Pride which seems to be more economical versus the Snappy Clean. If you can get away with an all purpose cleaner that's great.
I don't plan on doing a ton of detailing. Perhaps 1 car a weekend pending hours involved. I already have a full time job so my schedule is tight. With that said I think a big jar of DP will last me quite a while.
 
Agreed on pad cleaning products - those are the ones I'm familiar with too.

Back to the cross contamination question: Would anyone feel uncomfortable using a pad (once cleaned in Snappy Clean) to apply polish like M105\205 after it had been used previously with Gel Coat Labs Micro-polish & Sealant? (or vice versa)
 
I like Dawn Power Dissolver (found at WalMart for $2.47) cleans my menzerna polishes and compound right out. Now, Wet Diamond - doesn't touch it, I have 2 dedicated red LC pads that I just wipe a MF towel across and go. I know I really need to get those Gold pads!
 
Thanks Junebug. I will have to try that. $2.50 at Wal Mart seems like a good route to go first before I drop $18 on some pad cleaner.
btw- I hope you are feeling better.
 
elliot r said:
Do you consider Meguiar's Super Degreaser the best product for pad cleaning or...are there other off-the-shelf products that you could recommend as well?

What about cleaning an orange pad that let's say was used to apply Gel Coat Labs Micro-polish & Sealant....then later down the road using it with M105/205???
Would you feel comfortable doing that?

Thanks.
Click to expand...


Because I polish so much paint I find that Meguiar's Super Degreaser is not only the best (that I have used) pad cleaner but also the cheapest! 1 gallon of Super Degreaser is about 15 dollars (have to check to be sure but it less then 20) and it should be used when dilluated 10:1 with water. So it is 11 GALLONS for under 20 dollars.

Not to mention how well it works on engine bays and general degreasing.

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable using a pad that has used a product with a sealant first, but it doesn't mean you cannot give it a shot. If you don't get the results you are looking for I would think this is the likely culprit.
 
th0001 said:
Because I polish so much paint I find that Meguiar's Super Degreaser is not only the best (that I have used) pad cleaner but also the cheapest! 1 gallon of Super Degreaser is about 15 dollars (have to check to be sure but it less then 20) and it should be used when dilluated 10:1 with water. So it is 11 GALLONS for under 20 dollars.
.
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I use it 4:1 on pads and it cleans them up spotless. I have not even had a problem with the velcro separating from the pad or anything.
 
What process do you guys use for the Meg's SD on your pads? Soak in solution or spray thoroughly and rinse with warm water? Thanks.
 
mikenap said:
What process do you guys use for the Meg's SD on your pads? Soak in solution or spray thoroughly and rinse with warm water? Thanks.
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Hi Mike and welcome to the forum!!!! :hurray:

I will fill up two buckets with water: A wash bucket and a rinse bucket.

First I will dunk the pad into the wash bucket then spray liberally with Super Degreaser. Massage the degreaser into the pad with your hands and let it 'soak' with degreaser for 30 seconds or so. Then re-dunk it into the wash bucket and massage the pad under the water; you will see the polish release from the pad. Then ring the pad out over the wash bucket thoroughly.

Then dunk the pad in the rinse bucket to make sure any wash solution is released. After a while the rinse bucket's water will become a little cloudy, so I tend to dump it and fill it with clean water.

Then spin the pad on a rotary polisher (if applicable) and let air dry.

Keep in mind that some foam pads will take a very long time to dry to allow time for this: The Meguiar's foam cutting pad, the Lake Country Hydro Tech pads, and the blended Lake Country white foam take longer to dry then normal pads.

Hope this helps and welcome!

Todd
 
Thanks Todd. I've been using the DP powder and am happy with it, but it's a bit pricey if this method works just as well. May have to give this a shot. And thanks for the welcome, this seems like a pretty cool site.
 
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