How to Properly Clean Polishing Pads - ESOTERIC Car Care 

This topic is the hallmark of polishing IMHO. Pads along with towels must be clean or you're going to fight something that you shouldn't have to fight. Also those quality pads like your rupes pads. They are the last thing you want to go cheap on. Outstanding video!

Todd another great video. Cleaning by hand with Sonax or McKees pad cleaner seems to be the answer when I have the time and then spin them on the polisher. Thank you again.

Mr Cooper some questions... a) You said, we need 8 pads to finish a car. (maybe... 4 for the doors, 1 for the hood, 1 for the back door, and 2 for the roof). I assume without clean them in between... How many pads do we need if we clean them during the procedure? b) Which pads live longer generally ? Foam pads or Wool Pads? c) I have tried many times to clean a Wool pad with compressed air during a compound or polishing stage, without success. The cream is still fluid and soft and it can't be removed that way. I have to wash first the pad, to let it dry, and then to use the compressed air to clean it. Is this happens to you too? d) Would you recommend to use a bucket of water (or something else inside) to throw in there the used pads, so it would be more easy to wash them after we done?

@5:52 is what you’re looking for

Hi Todd, Franco here again, thanks for this video,

Great tips on pad cleaning. Thank you for putting the video together for us!

We use Feynlab’s pure rinseless to saturate our pads, then brush with a vegetable brush, then saturate again, then spin them out into a container, then blow them out. We’re able to do about 3 times the amount of surface area per pad with this technique which does take time and is a bit tedious to do. After the 3 times we need to soak the pads in a citrus based pad cleaning solution like snappy clean and then they soak over night and we wash them by hand in the sink and air try face up on a wire rack before being put away.

When he said use all purpose cleaner clean pads, than you know he is the guy that you can trust

To clean my pads on the fly I like to use a pad washer !. I have a Meguiar's professional pad washer, and when I work on a vehicle I like to have it near me with the snappy clean powder from lake country, I run the pad in, I dry it at speed 6 in it, then on a microfiber. The pads come out practically like new and I can work with them again !. And even from time to time after each panel a brush stroke for the pads and let's go. I still have several identical pads to swap them from time to time during polishing. When finished, when I don't have a lot of pads to wash I do it by hand, a shot of meguiar's apc spray where super degreaser does a great job. Otherwise when I have a lot, for the machine washable pads, I spray apc or sd on the pads, I let it act, and I wash at 40 ° C max with 60ml (2oz) of chemical guys microfiber wash and 60ml (2oz ) of white vinegar, and a gentle spin. It comes out impeccable too !, especially the meguiar's that I find resistant to the machine!

thanks a lot from PH.

Great video again Todd. Pads do need to be taken care of. Keep the great information coming. Love the videos.

How about the 3000D pad cleaner

I like to throw in a bucket with APC till I get to cleaning them. Do you think is good idea to keep certain pads for polishing and waxing ?

Great info!

I clean mine with my power washer and they come really good and its much faster

Hi Todd. Thanks for the very informative video. If you don't have access to compressed air, could you use a metro vac air force blaster to blow the residue out of the pads?

Would Chemical Guys pad cleaner be an acceptable cleaner to use. Thanks 👍

Very informative, nice vid Esoteric.

Hey Todd. What is that wonderful wire rack you have ? Where can I get one? Thanks

But how exactly do you clean them? Just water and soap?

Good stuff Todd, you are correct that pads and towels cost a bunch and should be looked after. I find the pad washer (5 gal bucket) helpful at the shop and while mobile. Your thoughts and maybe a video on that topic too?

About how long you guys use pads before you end up tossing them altogether? These Rupes pads with simple cleaning methods seems to last awhile. Love the video break down series. Thanks so much.

Do you actually hold the polisher in your hand like that and wave the Tornador around when you clean your pads on the fly? It would’ve been nice if you showed some real footage of you doing it instead of having 2 unplugged nozzles on the table and telling us about how they’re the greatest way to clean pads on the fly.

I was using a rupes yellow pad on a black car, 1 side of the car came up nice. The other side had holograms, I'm thinking maybe beaus I wasn't cleaning the pad out enough. Would this cause holograms having a pad filled with compound and muck?

Dish soap works the best and your done.

Any thoughts about the hex-logic pad sold by chemical guys? They seem to be a non porous material?? Would they still clog? Great information, thank you for the videos 👌🏻👍🏻

Todd, in one of your answers you said you only use yellow n white. Why do you not use blue n green rupes( better cut) pads ?

Can you use Dawn dish soap to clean the pads? Also, a lot of conflicting info about priming the pad. I know you've mentioned it wasn't necessary, but someone else mentioned heat?

Mike, when you use a rupes polisher which has not the rod upgrade so it doesn’t spins when stopping the machine , do you just launch the machine and then apply the compressed air together with the tornador ?

Todd, when you switch to a new foam or MF pad during a detail, do you prime the new pad at all before you start using it?

What is the best way to clean the uro wool pad

Surely if you are putting the pads on a rack to dry they will get covered in dust.

Any opinion on the grit guard universal pad washer?

How many black finishing pads would you need for normal size car

Why don't I ever see in your videos that you aren't using the Beast Backing Plates?

How does the 1 pad 1 panel rule work on 3 inch pads? How often do you swap em out?

Hi Todd, what are your thoughts on something like the Grit Guard Universal Pad washer?

Is it ok to use stained pads from single stage paint or if the color doesn't come out, it's not clean?

we use the pads on aluminum polishing, have yet to find a way to clean pads.

You go through $120 just in pads when you detail a car? How do you make any money??? You must charge up the ass.