Wish Me Luck Or At Least A Dry Day

[CharlieFarlie]

On a serious note.. I see absolutely no problems using a sponge on any car..

Main problem with whatever you choose to use whether its a sponge or a microfibre mitt is its ability or likelihoods to pick up and retain grit....

Many top detailers now acknowledge that micro mits hold onto and hide fine particles of grit far more than an open space sponge.. Open space means it has larger holes in it so anything that does get in gets out easy...

For the real enthusiast we would be using two buckets.. One with the wash solution and one with clear water to rinse the sponge or mitt. Both buckets would have grit guards.. This is the method I would use when working on someone else's car or an expensive car... For everyday use though its a bit of a faff around..

I have at first hand seen damage done by mitts !! I use B@Q grouting sponges.. Very large holes which gives the benefit of retaining massive amounts of water / wash solution between the bucket and the car. This helps because lots of water with good lubricity from the shampoo means less chance of swirling.. The large holes mean grit and fine particles of dirt are far less likely to hold in the sponge..

B@Q sponges are something like 5 quid for 4 so change them often. They do not go hard like cheap sponges do and will not mark paint !!

As pointed out above a good pre wash rinse or foam is the key to keeping the swirls at bay.. Japanese paint is very soft. So its worth taking a few precautions..