Wash Mitt: Microfiber vs Lambswool

S

Sirgibson

New member
I have washed my Black Mustang 3x with a Gilmore Foam Gun (foam down and rinse 1x, before washing with mitts), and 2 microfiber wash mitts and the 2 bucket method since my first big detail.



I'm seeing some small fine scratches (and few larger, deeper ones) after drying. I've studied the boards and came up with 2 solutions, to help.



1) Use a quick detailer when drying. (I had not been doing this)

2) Get a grit guards. (I have been agitating the heck out of the mitts and shaking them a bunch after dipping them in the first bucket. Also, I'm using one mitt on, only, the bottom 12-16 inches of the car.)



My question is: I'm I making a mistake using microfiber instead of Lambswool? Also, are the grit guards that important?



Thanks!



Joe
 
go to home depot and get some grout sponges. after each swipe you can squeeze them and watch what seems to be all of the dirt and grime foam up and out of it. then go for a dunk on the bucket. I dont know if anyone else does this but it works like a dream for me.
 
Do the CD test with your mitt. What are you drying the car with? Do the CD test with that (assuming it isn't a leaf blower). If you want to go with a lamb's wool mitt, try the CD test before you buy it. As long as the mitt passes the CD test, you will be alright.

The grout sponge method as mentioned here is also a good way to go.
 
Here's another REALLY good tip. Let the mitt/sponge remove the dirt.

All too often you see people pushing their weight into the vehicle scrubbing the $H!+ out of it thinking it cleans the car better it doesn't. It only afflicts damage into the surface.

Your soap cleans, the mitt/sponge removes that dirt from the surface.

When I wash cars for example; I use a microfiber wrapped sponge. I glide it on the top surface of the vehicle in a front to back motion not not even applying any more weight that that of the sponge which is weighted by the absorbed water.



Personally I use a single bucket but "blow" the dirt off the surface of the sponge with my garden hose nozzle before entering it back into the bucket of soap.
 
I'd go with the softest lambswool mitts you can find. Be sure to always have the foam gun constantly flowing soapy mix over the paint while gently washing one section at a time. I personally don't chance the whole rinsing out mitts in soapy buckets with Grit Guards thing; I invested in multiple mitts designated for specific sections of the car, so if I do need to wash with mitts, I'm all set to go to grab a fresh one as I work my way along.



If you don't air dry with a blower of some type, be sure to QD the area first, and lightly pat dry with a super soft but absorbent WW MF- good idea to use several of those too.
 
Sirgibson- I use both MF and sheepskin mitts. As long as they pass the CD-test (remember to test them wet with shampoo mix, not dry) the type of mitt only matters in that MF can retain certain types of dirt more readily than sheepskin (so you gotta work harder to keep the mitt clean; I use maybe six MF mitts when I use that type just to be on the safe side).



I'd change the wash technique and use the foamgun's output to provide constant lubrication and flushing at the point of mitt-to-paint contact. The prewashes (done the way you're doing it) don't help all that much IME, or at least don't contribute *nearly* as much as having the foamy output there when the wash medium moves across the paint.



QDing while drying is good, but actually there really shouldn't be any dirt there by that point anyhow, so the QD oughta be merely added insurance against something that shouldn't happen in the first place.



Mote that if your rinse bucket has dirt in it at the end of the wash, that dirt got there from the mitt. That means you were moving a dirty mitt across the paint. Not good IMO.
 
i have found the sheepskin to be the softest and i rinse it off with the hose water after cleaning the car before i redunk it into the soap bucket to get the dirt off. This way there will be less dirt being put in the soapy water mix.
 
White lexus 23 said:
go to home depot and get some grout sponges.
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bill57 said:
Do the CD test with your mitt. What are you drying the car with? Do the CD test with that (assuming it isn't a leaf blower). If you want to go with a lamb's wool mitt, try the CD test before you buy it. As long as the mitt passes the CD test, you will be alright.

The grout sponge method as mentioned here is also a good way to go.
Click to expand...



Totally agree.
 
bill57 said:
Do the CD test with your mitt... try the CD test before you buy it. As long as the mitt passes the CD test...
Click to expand...



Many sheepskin mitts that won't pass the CD-test when tested dry will be plenty soft enough when tested wet with shampoo mix.



Same with BHBs, *none* of which would ever come close to passing the test when dry.
 
Some great advice! Thanks a ton, guys.



I'm going to wash the car again this week (if I can make time for it). I'll be sure to try the CD test (never heard of that one before) and I'll pick up some grout sponges (another idea I was unaware of).



I didn't mention this but it came up... I foam, let the foam dwell for 4-6 minutes then rinse. Then, I foam again, then begin to wash. Also, I use nothing more than the weight of the wet mitt on the car. NO pressure whatsoever is applied when washing.



I didn't mention this, but I normally only dry with some Cobra Microfiber towels that I shake out continuously as I'm drying. I don't a have an air compressor or leaf blower...so I need to hand dry. I think the QD will make a big difference here.



Thanks again for all the help.
 
I'm suspecting it's either the mitt (that has become too embedded with dirt), or the drying towels. They are designed as drying towels? Or are they multipurpose towels? If multipurpose, you have to start looking into how they are cut; the cheaper hot wire cut towels basically had their once microfiber edges turn into something like a hard abrasive plastic. So whatever the towel is, try folding it in a way where the edges have the least chance of touching the paint.



I sometimes use a Metro Vac to dry my car, followed up by spot drying with a towel, but I think I'm using it a lot less in the summer; it's been too hot where I can't dry it faster than the heat does with this product. I offer this in case it makes you feel any better for not having an air dryer atm.



It seems that many believe that a secondary bucket for mitt rinsing only (with the grit guard) is unnecessary, as the heaviest particles will drop to the bottom, and so therefore the water is always cleaner than the car; at least IIRC that's the reasoning someone gave. For me, the second bucket is only $5 if that, and I put a gallon at the very most in it. It's probably unnecessary with my own car, but I've washed enough dirty cars with two buckets, that the bottom of the rinse bucket actually has some small black stains on the bottom. One car was so filthy, I actually threw out the rinse water in the middle of the wash, and refilled it. In a nutshell, it's probably unnecessary, but what's $5 and maybe a gallon of water per wash . . . ?
 
[quote name='Bill D'] I personally don't chance the whole rinsing out mitts in soapy buckets with Grit Guards thing; I invested in multiple mitts designated for specific sections of the car, so if I do need to wash with mitts, I'm all set to go to grab a fresh one as I work my way along.

Ditto! I always play it safe using this method.
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