Polishing pad care/cleaning?

[GPowers]

How do I care for the polishing pads after being used?

Do I need to clean off the polishing compound from the foam, after each use? IF so how and with what kind of solution?

Will dried up polishing compound, left on the foam pads, cause problem when I use the polishing pads in the future?

Thanks, I'm new to polishing after sanding. It all because of the "I hope this helps" videos.

 

[RKA]

Wash them out with dish soap, rinse well, squeeze out the water and let it air dry for 1-2 days.  You don’t want to leave the polish to dry in the pad.

 

[peter halle]

Wash them out with dish soap, rinse well, squaeeze out the water and let it air dry for 1-2 days.  You don’t want to leave the polish to dry in the pad.

[member=8022]Greg Powers[/member] , Great to see you posting again!

RKA gave great advice.  You never know what the polishing chemicals will do to the foam over time in storage.  I would offer that you might want to do a final rinse with bottled water to eliminate the possibility that some chemicals in your drinking water will affect them during their storage.

That is just a further suggestion whereas I have seen the effect of tap water on toilet parts in my area.

Peter

 

[leakyroof]

Griots Garage Microfiber and Pad Cleaner Solution. Does not leave a residue for me, removes polishes and waxes out of my foam pads. Previously, I used Dawn Dishwashing Soap, not any more.
If you are using a power tool with your Foam Pad, use it to spin the pad dry once you’ve washed the pad. Faster than plain Air Drying, just hold the tool and pad away from you while you spin the water or cleaning solution out of it.

 

[Cheese]

1.Griots Garage Microfiber and Pad Cleaner Solution. Does not leave a residue for me, removes polishes and waxes out of my foam pads. Previously, I used Dawn Dishwashing Soap, not any more.

2. If you are using a power tool with your Foam Pad, use it to spin the pad dry once you’ve washed the pad. Faster than plain Air Drying, just hold the tool and pad away from you while you spin the water or cleaning solution out of it.

1. I've just always used dish washing soap, what advantage does the Griots cleaner solution have?

2. Great idea  [thumbs up]  to dry those pads faster. I've just always air dried them for 2-3 days.

 

[GPowers]

[member=8022]Greg Powers[/member] , Great to see you posting again!

Peter

[member=1674]Peter Halle[/member] It has been a while, life gets busy. Good to be back.

 

[leakyroof]

1.Griots Garage Microfiber and Pad Cleaner Solution. Does not leave a residue for me, removes polishes and waxes out of my foam pads. Previously, I used Dawn Dishwashing Soap, not any more.

2. If you are using a power tool with your Foam Pad, use it to spin the pad dry once you’ve washed the pad. Faster than plain Air Drying, just hold the tool and pad away from you while you spin the water or cleaning solution out of it.

1. I've just always used dish washing soap, what advantage does the Griots cleaner solution have?

2. Great idea  [thumbs up]  to dry those pads faster. I've just always air dried them for 2-3 days.

. No soap suds to rinse out of the pads. The cleaner is basically non-foaming. Very quick rinse with water once you’ve worked the cleaner into the pad.  A gentle squeeze to lose some water and remaining cleaner out of the pad.
Then a quick spin to help dry the pad. I still air dry them, but that forced spin with your tool really sheds the excess water, which makes the air drying go faster

 

[Cheese]

No soap suds to rinse out of the pads. The cleaner is basically non-foaming. Very quick rinse with water once you’ve worked the cleaner into the pad.  A gentle squeeze to lose some water and remaining cleaner out of the pad.
Then a quick spin to help dry the pad. I still air dry them, but that forced spin with your tool really sheds the excess water, which makes the air drying go faster

I like that...I've been wringing mine out but it seemed to be tough on the sponge. Then I placed a pad between 2 layers of a towel and compressed the towel/pad/towel sandwich which worked better but not great. I like the spin-o-roo technique better.

 

[nclemmons]

I use the Griot's and really like it.

One other tip - don't mix abrasive types on the same pad.  Use a marker on the back of the pad to indicate which abrasive / compound you are using if it happens you are not using Festool's color coded system.  I use the polishing compounds from Griots as well as the FT compounds.