Do you wash your LSP applicators

Do you guys wash your LSP applicators. Just short of the ones that do call for it like Zaino, I just ziplock them in a seperate baggie for each - Optiseal, Souvern, Blackfire, etc. Maybeeee 1x a year before winter, I'll apc them and wash them or if one get's grimey.....

Just curious...as I'm on this Labor day cleanup/organization kick.

 

Well with wax on them it is really hard to get water through, but what I do is let them soak in some CG microfiber wash and some Tide, then through them in the wash, then the dryer and they're as good as new.

 

I let all my applicators sit in a bucket of APC for a couple days and then I just rinsed the APC out of them. They came out like new.

 

I soak mine like xfactor and then wash them in the washing machine. This is very debatable topic. Very good one though. Kinda reminds me of the whole Dawn dilemma.

 

i wash my applicators at the same time when i do my pads

 

I was them after every use. If I am using the regular found foam applicators after two uses I just trash them as they are cheap. I got a whole lot from a online store closing and bought about 40ish of them. As for some of my other applicators I clean them with some APC and a pad cleaning brush.

 

I use dish detergent to clean them. No need to soak them. Once it makes contact the detergent liquifies.

 

I wash EVERYTHING after use - but then that's because they get reused with different product.
Maybe if I had more, 1-2 for each product, then I'd be a bit more like yourself, but I certainly wouldn't go 12 months before washing them.
Then again, certain LSP's will harden in the foam cells, so that can't be a good thing.

 

I wash mine when they look like they need it.... I also keep them in ziplock bags labeled for the wax type.

 

So how often do you guys wash them? I was mine after every use, is that too much?

 

I wash mine by hand with the microfiber wash solution. I may wash evey 2nd or 3rd use. I usually dedicate certain applicators to certain LSPs. Same thing with MF towels. Just keep them organized in labeled zip-lock baggies.

 

Wash Applcators after use

Always wash applicators as soon as possible after use, the longer they sit the more the wax / polish contaminants will set. The chemicals used in car care products will negatively affect the fibres structural integrity and weaken them, shortening their useful life. Residual chemicals will cause streaking, whereas dried chemicals will cause scratches. Do not use bleach or high alkaline cleaning products as they will shorten the life of your micro fibre. Read the label on the detergent bottle and use half of what they recommend and use hot water (120.oF)

 

do u guys talk about foam or microfiber applicators? as togwt said if Microfiber applicators not allowed using bleach ... i assume you guys talked abt foam applicators then ...

im confusing

 

When using a applicator with tough dry wax on it such as collinite 476 or fk1000p, it feels saturated and i couldnt spread as thin as i would like so prefer to wash them after every detail.

I also had better result by soaking them in dish washing detergent than laundry detergent specially with removing collinite 476. Btw, my way to save water and pails is to slice those empty gallon bottles into half and soak the mf cloth in it. For small applicator like the meg yellow foam, i use those 1.5l soft drink bottle instead.

 

I'm with xfactor. I soak mine in APC ( Tropicare Citrus wash rocks! ) for a day or so and rinse them out. I have tons of applicators a year or more old.

 

what is ur ratio for APC:water? do u mean mf or foam applicator?

thanks

 

I use foam apps and to be honest, I use them on one job (typically 2-3 layers) & then throw them out....

 

I dont use MF applicators for applying LSPs, only foam. I use the MF ones for applying dressings which are all water based so I just wash them with my interior towels ( not glass ). My foam applicators are too expensive so they get soaked in APC solution. APC:water ratio is about 3 or 4 glugs ( you know, start pouring and count glug, glug, glug ) to 4 gallons of water. Turn a grit guard upside down and toss it on top then the applicators can't float to the surface.

 

hmm---togwt. Got's me thinking but I have some nuba wax jars with the foam app sitting right on top under a capped lid.

 

Thats a brilliant idea to keep the applicators at the bottom with an upside down grit guard, and all this time i've had to deal with floating ones:thud: