Chamois question

[96greenmustang]

This could be a while so bare with me . Getting my car completely dry has been a huge problem ever since I started washing cars when I was 14. I always use to use cheap chamois from Napa or O'Reily's. But thanks to the help on this site I've gone past those and bought an Absorber. The first time I tried this I could tell I didn't like it and really haven't tried it since, even though I should. I then went and bought a Super Suede Drying towel. Sure it did the job but when I got the car out in the sun I could see where I "chamoised." Did some of the soap stay on the car to cause that? Now its really dirty and was wondering whats the proper way to wash one. Still unhappy with my results I bought a California Water Blade. This thing works like a dream, sure it leaves some water behind but thats where I use a chamois.

So my questions are..
What chamois do you use along with what technique?
How do you properly clean a chamois?
Are the California Water blades "Meguiar Safe" in that they don't scratch the paint?
Whats the best way to prevent "streaking" (lack of better words) from a chamois?

If I have anymore I'll ask later thanks guys

[black240sx]

Water Magnet drying towels are great.

[Murr1525]

I love the Water Magnets...

But incidently, if you QD, or Spray Wax, or Clay/Clean the paint.. it doesnt matter as much, at least if the spot/streak is small and fresh.

[Desertdawg]

When you buy a new chamois, it is full of oils from the tanning process. I have found the best way to get it clean is to put some warm water in your sink, and use some dish washing soap.
Soak the chamois and ring the heck out of it about a dozen times, then drain the water and start over. The first couple of sink fulls, you should see the water turn a yellow/brown color (oils).

Now for the fun part, after you do the above steps 3 or 4 times you should see clear water after all the wringing, now you have to get all the soap out of it... Yep! fill the sink with warm water and NO soap this time, start the soaking and wringing process again a few times. I also do the last couple of rinsing under the running faucet...

If you don't get all the oils out, you will see streaking, if you don't get all the soap out, your chamois will dry out and crack. My last chamois lasted me about 4 years out here in the Az desert...

Just be sure to get your car clean before you chamois it, any left behind grit will get embedded into the chamois and you will get scratches from it...I also throughly rinse out my chamois after every use.

When you get your chamois prepared right, it will work fantastically for years...

[sneek]

wow that sound hard im going to give my absorber a hug lol thanks for saving me gallons of water, time and effort!

[Mark2]

I use the watermagnet+ some QD. The QD makes drying easier IMHO, I don't know why but it works.

[Magic]

I'm going to have to try that!

I use the watermagnet+ some QD. The QD makes drying easier IMHO, I don't know why but it works.

I use 2 Water Magnets. I use one to knock off the bulk of the water, and use the second WM to dry completely. I tried using 1 WM but it seemed like it would get too soaked, and no matter how hard I tried wringing it out, I couldn't get it dry enough and it would leave streaks all over. Then I would have to QD the entire car to remove the streaks.

But with the 2 WM I no longer have to use QD, after I dry to get rid of the water streaks. Now I just Quick Wax after I dry.

[LiquidBlack]

Heres the technique video I made awhile back:

http://www.zippyvideos.com/2387122172213296/liquidblacks_chamois_technique/

Another thing I like to do is soak the chamois in hot water an hour before I do the detail. It may all be in my head, but I feel that doing that really maximizes the absorbency of the cloth when I'm drying.

[Jon_Purdy]

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[LiquidBlack]

I'd also like to point out that I can usually also see where I had used the chamois. This to me is a non issue, as the streaks usually disappear. If they dont, its still ok because I usually wax right after a wash.

[gb387]

Originally posted by Desertdawg
When you buy a new chamois, it is full of oils from the tanning process. I have found the best way to get it clean is to put some warm water in your sink, and use some dish washing soap.
Soak the chamois and ring the heck out of it about a dozen times, then drain the water and start over. The first couple of sink fulls, you should see the water turn a yellow/brown color (oils).

Now for the fun part, after you do the above steps 3 or 4 times you should see clear water after all the wringing, now you have to get all the soap out of it... Yep! fill the sink with warm water and NO soap this time, start the soaking and wringing process again a few times. I also do the last couple of rinsing under the running faucet...

If you don't get all the oils out, you will see streaking, if you don't get all the soap out, your chamois will dry out and crack. My last chamois lasted me about 4 years out here in the Az desert...

Just be sure to get your car clean before you chamois it, any left behind grit will get embedded into the chamois and you will get scratches from it...I also throughly rinse out my chamois after every use.

When you get your chamois prepared right, it will work fantastically for years...

Interesting.... I missed this post.