JOE55
Posts: 183
Joined: 3/26/2007
Status: offline
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just fyi about drying your car...
A towel is a towel, right? Unfortunately, this is not correct. If you grew up in a house like mine, Mom retired the old bath towels to the garage for car and dog duty. What Mom didn't realize is that most bath towels use a backing material that contains heavy polyester thread. The edges of the towel are stitched with polyester thread, too. Pound for pound, polyester is stronger than steel. This is great for long-lasting bath towels, but it's not so good for your car's paint. Traditional polyester and polyester blend thread scratches automotive paint finishes. Use paint-safe microfiber or 100% cotton detailing towels.
Your choice of wash tools is important, too. You should find a wash tool that is comfortable for you to use, but take a few things into consideration. First, your wash tool should hold a lot of soapy water. The more it holds, the more soapy water you can get on your car. This is important for lubrication. The lubrication created by soapy water is what prevents dirt from scratching the paint.
Use a wash tool that cleans easily. If it does not easily release dirt and grit, it's not safe. I like wash tools with a lot of fibers, like a lamb's wool mitt or a cotton-chenille-covered sponge. Contrary to many beliefs, the natural sea sponge and the boar's hair brush are not good wash tools. Modern wash tools make these relics things of the past. A safe wash brush can be used on the lower body panels, but should not be used above the bottom-of-the-door line.
The recent popularity of microfiber has created a large number of microfiber products, including microfiber wash mitts. In my own testing I have concluded that many of the microfiber wash mitts are not paint safe. If the fibers have hooked or split ends, designed for dry cleaning and dusting, the cloth will not be free-rinsing. This means that the cloth will retain dirt until it is heavily agitated in a washing machine. The retained dirt particles may scratch your paint.
For drying, a combination of tools may be necessary. The sheepskin chamois has been used for centuries as a towel for drying. This naturally soft leather is very absorbent. All-natural chamois are still a good choice, but they are not as effective or as easy to use as modern drying towels and synthetic chamois.
If you like to dry in a hurry, there are paint-safe squeegees available that will quickly remove 80% of the water from your car with just a few strokes. Follow up with a good towel, and you're done. If you use a paint-safe squeegee, be careful. It only takes one small dirt particle between the blade and your car to create a scratch.
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