talked to mobile detailer who uses grout sponges

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97 bonneville/98 Z71
There was a thread about a year ago that I read and made copies of regarding two mobile detailers who use grout sponges. The website was showcargarage, which no longer exists I believe. One of these people is named David at innovativedetailing.com. David has detailed Barry Meguiar's vehicles as well as other vehicles at Meguiar's. I decided to call David myself and find out exaclty why he prefers these over wash mitts.



David told me, in his opinion, grout sponges rinse dirt & debris out better than the mitts, as mitts tend to hold/trap the dirt in the nap of the mitt. He told me he's done tests between the sponges and the wash mitts and noticed less marring/swirls when using sponges.



I just thought I'd share this info as I'm always trying to learn from other people. It's one thing to see/hear a person doing something, but finding out exactly why they do it is another. For the record, I personally have used both washing items with good results. I also do not know David personally.



www.innovativedetailing.com
 
Is there a pic of a grout sponge? How does it differ from a regular sponge?



I have never had any luck with sponges before but I am open to new ideas. I never get marring from my sheepskin mitts however.
 
I don't have a picture of the sponge he uses. The sponges he uses are at Home Depot. They are made by superior. I told David the Home Depot in my area doesn't carry this brand, but another brand called QEP. This is the grout sponge I've used.



www.qep.com



click on grouting & cleanup. Then click sponges. It's sponge 70005.
 
I don't know why he chose a grout sponge over a "car wash" sponge but I've seen the results and they speak for themselves. Let's just say that I have a couple of those around here. I don't know if they are the same brand though.
 
That sponge holds grit also. The best "sponge" is going to be a natural rock wool sponge or a deep sea sponge.



They are very porous and release all grit. They are what I use on my finer cars and for the lower panels I'll use several chenille or lambs wool mitts.



Home Depot sells deep sea sponges but they are small. You want the large ones which cost about $20 each.



Anthony
 
SpoiledMan said:
I don't know why he chose a grout sponge over a "car wash" sponge but I've seen the results and they speak for themselves. Let's just say that I have a couple of those around here. I don't know if they are the same brand though.
Click to expand...

Chris, please elaborate......
 
I have a grout sponge in my garage and never knew what it was. the LAST thing i thought of using it for was washing a vehicle...when that thing is dry it feels like sandpaper...what giveS?
 
When wet, the grout sponges are very soft, release most everything that they pick up. The holes leave plenty of area for particles to move into as you push the sponge around. They last a long time and don't cost much at all. Problem for me is I HATE to wash when QEW is so much quicker and there aren't any runs afterwards. I *did not* have a good experience when doing a QEW wash with the sponge but I guess it might be time to revisit that again.
 
if the sponges have "spores" where the sand particales go than where do they end up? pressing on the paint in the future i assume, seeing u wont be able to get it out of the spores, ill stick with a mitt.
 
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