Wash Mitt vs. Boars Hair Brush

R

RAG

New member
Most savvy enthusiasts have no doubt used a sheep skin wash mitt, but for those who have also used a good quality boars hair brush, how do you feel it stacks up?



Personally, I like to use both tools in conjunction. I feel the boars hair brush is easier to use, but is too soft to remove bugs and other stubbord debris.



My wash tool of choice had always been a boars hair brush I got from CMA and I wlways liked it very much; however, I shied away from using it (except on grills and other hard to get to places) after I read an article that suggested it was an archaic tool and a good wash mitt was much better at preventing marring. But now I'm not so sure - those long bristles are pretty soft and release grime perfectly when rinsed. My only question would result from the fact that when you apply any pressure, it is no longer the tips of the bristles contacting the surface, rather the sides of the bristles gliding along the surface.
 
You use a tiny boar's hair brush to wash your car? Doesn't that take long? I usually wet the car, go over once with the wash mitt with an excess of car shampoo solution dripping from the mitt. I let it soak for a few minutes while I do the other panel and then I come back to go over once more with the dripping wet mitt. The first pass softens any stubborn dirt and I don't need to apply any pressure to remove it.
 
The brushes aren't very tiny, they are about the size of a wash mitt in actuality.



I have never used one, only for the fact that sometimes I get into a rush, and I would not like the handle being around when I wash the car.
 
aaron33- There are different sizes of BHBs, from toothbrush to paintbrush to about a foot long. I'd say we're discussing the latter. The paintbrush size ones are great for nooks and crannies though.



I've used BHBs for years and I still do *for some things* now that I'm all obsessive about my wash technique. They work *VERY* well in conjunction with a foamgun on really dirty vehicles due to their free-rinsing nature.



The handles don't cause any damage as long as you don't do something so careless that, well, you won't do anything like that so don't worry about it ;)



BUT if you just use them the "normal" way, wiping them across the panels, you'll get marring from the dirt that gets trapped between the bristles and the paint. Probably not much worse than you'd get from using a mitt the "normal" way.



These days I *NEVER* press so hard as to be using the sides of the bristles :eek: You'll grind the contamination into the paint and cause marring. I try to use so little pressure that I barely flex the bristles at all. Of course you gotta use a slick LSP (so dirt doesn't stick much) and you might have to pre-soak to loosen the dirt too.



The real ticket with a BHB is to blast sudsy soap through the bristles with a foamgun while gently rocking the brush against the panel. So gently that you just touch the tips of the bristles against the paint. This knocks the dirt loose from the paint so the foamgun's output can rinse it away. And since you're not wiping in broad arcs, even if you *do* get marring from the dirt getting pressed against the paint, the scratches will be maybe 1/8" long, which most people won't even see without magnification.
 
Ahhh, from the link that RAG posted, now I understand. I had always only thought of boars brushes when it comes to detailing nooks and crannies and not for washing the entire car. And that handle does need a little bit of extra care to avoid hitting the paint.
 
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