Proper way to use a WW

M

mikebai1990

New member
What is the correct way to dry using a WW? Here are a few problems I've noticed when I was trying out the Walmart WW's for the second time on my van:



-The WW always leaves water behind when I move the WW around (this is not what I do to dry the car). When I use the blotting method, there is always left over water as well.



-The WW is hard to wring out. Even after I (attempt to) wring it out, it still leaves water behind.



Possible reasons for my problems that I can think of now: Since the WW has only been used two times (I also washed it when I first got it), maybe the performance of the WW will improve after a few more uses. Another possible cause is that the quality of the Walmart WW is not so good. However, hearing the autopians reviews, it seems like it should dry pretty well.



I'd appreciate it if somebody could help me out :)
 
yeah i also have questions. Do you guys just leave the whole towel out apart and wipe the car or do you fold it into like a 4 x 4 box and then wipe the car.
 
Well, I usually use the blotting method to reduce swirling. I take the entire towel, slap it onto the car, smooth it out with my finger, and take the towel off. For hard-to-reach areas, I generally scrunch the towel up and dab the area.
 
^^CO-SIGN.



I also usually follow behind the WW with a large blue Microfiber towel that i got from Target to get the remaining water.
 
Towels don't have an unlimited absorbtion capability. If you exceed what it will hold, it will leave water on the car. I use a blower to get most of the water off. If you don't use some method to get most of the water off, you will need a lot of towels. Once they get wet, wringing them will not get them back to dry; after you wring you can use it for a first pass, but you need to follow with a dry towel. Start with one towel, when it starts to leave water behind, follow with a dry towel, when the second one starts to leave water, change that to the first towel, and pick up a second dry one...
 
Setec Astronomy said:
Towels don't have an unlimited absorbtion capability. If you exceed what it will hold, it will leave water on the car. I use a blower to get most of the water off. If you don't use some method to get most of the water off, you will need a lot of towels. Once they get wet, wringing them will not get them back to dry; after you wring you can use it for a first pass, but you need to follow with a dry towel. Start with one towel, when it starts to leave water behind, follow with a dry towel, when the second one starts to leave water, change that to the first towel, and pick up a second dry one...
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:up Agreed. The only drying media that I've used that can be wrung out effectively is the Absorber.
 
I just pull out the electric blower, get's 95% of the water left over off quickly (plus less touching equals less marring). Then I just follow with a normal qd'er/microfiber. Never had to use a ww or other large towel for drying. But if I had too, I would use the "blot" method.
 
sheet the water off with just the hose as much as possible, and it will make drying easier. also when you do this, you don't have to run the ww across with much pressure to absorb the water, thus lessening the chance of marring/scratching...
 
imacarnut said:
sheet the water off with just the hose as much as possible, and it will make drying easier. also when you do this, you don't have to run the ww across with much pressure to absorb the water, thus lessening the chance of marring/scratching...
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:ignore Doesnt get any easier. Also, use an associate towel to follow up with. That way you dont have to dry completely with the first one, which will allow for a longer absorbancy period. The associate towel also keeps you from leaning on the car with your hand while drying, and if you need two hands on the car, you might as well be removing water/polish/sealant!:bolt
 
I always use the free-flow hose method and the blotting method and it does get most of the water off. I guess I was expecting the WW to be better than the Absorber which I usually use. But it doesn't matter much. First I'll use the WW a bit more to see if the performance improves. If not, then I'll use the WW for the second pass and use the Absorber to get the majority of the water out.
 
Mike the value of the WW is two fold. It also helps deter/reduce marring by capturing any foreign article in the pockets. The Zorber doesnt have that.....
 
Patrick, the other side of that argument is that you should be wiping down a clean (freshly washed) vehicle. There shouldn't be that much foreign material to begin with. :) Add to that there is nothing magical which would direct any debris into the "pockets".



Not intending to be bashing WW MF towels, I use them. But in all fairness they have their shortcomings, and the Absorber isn't as bad as people want to make out. When used in tandem them make a nice tool.



Whether you use the Absorber type product or a WW MF, you should never apply a lot of pressure. I just "float" an edge of my towel over the surfce for the first pass and then follow with a second pass if necessary. I like to use a QD type product on that second pass.
 
Good points, Patrick, and Mr. Clean. I often find that when I wax vehicles, dirt particles blow around and get onto the paint surfaces. I assume that when washing (and also after washing), dirt particles may very well reach the paint surface and cause marring when dried with a towel or an Absorber.



Thanks for the tips!
 
I use the walmart WW MF towels to dry cars, and IMO they work better than just about anything out there. I don't push down hard, I just run it across the surface and they do a very good job drying.



I simply will use 5 or so WW towels and switch them out as needed to keep them as dry as possible. I also inspect the surface of the WW for particles, and if I find anything, I ditch that towel and move to the next...



I've always thought its handy to keep just a ton of towels around to do a car...
 
No matter *how* well I wash a car, and I'm pretty thorough at it ;) I always get *some* bit of dirt from somewhere during the drying. Usually it comes from under some trim or where two panels overlap; dirty water stays trapped until I blow it out with the compressor and then I have to be mighty careful to avoid marring the finish. I tease a friend of mine whose WWs seem *awfully* dirty ("hey, you're not supposed to dry it until it's clean!") but the truth of it is that I too often get some dirt on at least one of my WWs by the time I'm finished.



OpticalSerenity said:
..I've always thought its handy to keep just a ton of towels around to do a car...
Click to expand...



Yeah, same here, I just use as many as I need to. What with the ones I use for doorjambs, under the hood, etc. it can add up to a *lot* of towels. Oh, and Welcome To Autopia!



mikebai1990- Noting that all WWs aren't created equal (and some don't age as well as others either), I've found that the Absorber (and the Water Bandit, Water Sprite, and the ones from Griot's too) always left a little bit of moisture on the surface. The WWs don't do that, they get it *all*. I too always use a pair of 'em, with the second getting whatever the first left behind. That "second one" is always one of my very soft ones, so I don't have to be as paranoid about wiping (as opposed to blotting).
 
I use a 32oz of ONR or QEW mixed with some PB SnG qd. I normally spray on the panel and wipe it with WW. Nice and slick and clean.
 
WW's are the only way to go and no need to wring them out. (too thick to do so)

I fold mine in half twice, hold a corner and slide slowly with absolutely no presure over the glass first and then the paint and I fold to a clean section regularly and may use four towels on one car to stop marring.

I blot some sections as well.



But most of all I always spray aquawax, 1Z raindance, Prima Slick or any other QD (alot of it) onto each panel before I dry it.



With one pass the paint is bone dry and by taking pics of my dark blue car after every wash in full sun, I can monitor any marring extremely well. Glad to say it's almost non existent and I'm loving it.
 
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