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Throwing away damaged car paint polishing pads can be painful, especially when you consider how much money you’re spending on them. Both microfiber and foam pads can be washed quite easily, so stop wasting money on ‘pad cleaning’ products and keep your existing pads in great shape by cleaning them!
How to clean automotive paint polishing pads
There are so many ways to clean your paint polishing pads, and they’re all fairly easy. Bring your dirty pad to the kitchen sink and get the water running until it’s warm to the touch. Let the water soak in your pad, make sure it’s warm but not burning hot.
Once your pad is soaked with water it will absorb soap much more efficiently. Get your dish soap out and apply a few small drops. It can be any dish soap, the brand doesn’t matter.
Massage in the dish soap for about 20 seconds and really work it in the pad. Do this while under the warm water, but have the water barely running so it doesn’t rinse out quite yet.
Next, turn up the water and start squeezing the soap out. Massage it out, but squeeze and really push out any soap. Keep doing this until no more soap comes off the pad.
That’s usually all it takes to clean a foam or microfiber polishing pad. This is just as effective with smaller hand applicator pads as it is for larger dual-action polisher pads.
Check out the video below for an example of how you can clean your automotive paint polishing pads.
Need new polishing pads?
As you can see in the video above, this is a simple task and it’s something you should do after each paint correction job. Never let your pads sit dirty for long periods of time. Leaving them dirty will shorten their lifespan. There are people out there who have been using the same pads for a decade simply because they take care of their pads.
If your pads are already damaged and you need new ones then we recommend checking out Rupes – they have foam, wool and microfiber pads available in all different sizes and types. If you prefer to shop on Amazon then check out SPTA buffing & polishing pads, they’re a Prime item, and probably the best deal you can find for quality pads.
Currently using hand applicator pads? Get a dual-action polisher with 3 pads for less than $100 – check out our review of the Avid Power Polisher.
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