Just a quick question regarding pad care. I recently had a Flex 3401 demo machine that was supplied with 2 pads (a blue and white Flex branded pad). I washed them after use in some warm water with a drop or 2 of dishwashing liquid before squeezing them out and leaving them to dry. Now I am not sure if it was me or the pads but the one lost it's velcro stickyness all together and wouldn't stick to the backing plate and the other seemed to get all crumbly and disintegrated. A local Meguiars tech told me they wash their pads in plain water on the backing plate to keep the velcro good and to stop them from drying oval :gasp: Any specific do's and don't regarding cleaning your pads ? Just ordered a bunch of LC pads from Phil and I really don't want to destroy them within a few weeks of use :thud:
I've washed and even soaked pads for days with various cleaners and haven't had a problem yet. Some of the stuff I use is plain Dawn dish detergent, Snappy Pad Cleaner, APC's, and Dawn Power Dissolver. I often mix some DP Polishing Pad Rejuvenator (same as Snappy Pad Cleaner) in a bucket and let the pads soak for a few days. Pads that don't come completely clean are treated with some regular Dawn or Dawn Power Dissolver. I know Meg's used to warn against washing their pads but I haven't had a problem with them. The pads I use come from various vendors such as Meg's, Exceldetail, LC, Sonus, and 3M. Some guys like to run them through a washing machine and report no problems. I did that once with some APC but it is easier for me to just use a bucket and let them soak.
I like to clean them with warm water, a soft brush, and either microfiber wash or DP pad cleaner. Spin dry on the rotary, then lay them face down/ velcro up on a paper towel to dry. Never had any issues.
Hmmm....so far it would seem that maybe the original Flex branded pads are just not up to the task then !
I have reused my pads for at least a year (my lcc ones). Only on my black pad is the velcro becoming weaker. I have almost worn it out.
Carn, We'v been washing our L/C and Megs pads with sunlight liquid and water so far in the the 8 months of use they holding strong .. Try not to squeeze them dry .. they tend to go off shape .. just try to remove the excess water but wacking them around in the air and let them dry ait dry face down. or as someone also said spin them on the Rotary to remove excess water.
I spray them with Danase foam pad cleaner, (this stuff works great), leave them soaking in warm water for 15 min, then rinse them and spin them dry with the UDM or Flex.
Not too concerned with the LC's anymore, I think the Flex OE pads were just carp. We always spin them out on the rotary anyways, just wondering if anyone else ever heard of Mike's oval drying theory :thumb:
I tried snappy clean on the weekend with a pile of pads I had been 'collecting' and that stuff works GREAT! much better than using APC or Dawn etc... (which didn't seem to clean very well) I used some: 1. Hot water (from the tap) about 2-3 gallons 2. 1 pack of snappy clean Threw all the pads in for about 5-10 mins.... agitated (wearing gloves).... and rinsed several times. Look as good as new. (almost!)
