Sponge vs Mitt?

[Spotty-Dog]

Mike you posted a link to a thread which showed the two fellows who detail some of the cars around your place. In that thread, you said that Derek used a grout sponge to wash cars with and he had also converted David to the same philosophy.

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
...
Here at Meguiar's, a lot of management have their cars on a maintenance program with a couple of reputable detail companies, You can see them here
...
Mike

This seems contray to what I read both hear and on other forums and even Meguiars:

"Lambs Wool Wash Mitt
A natural lambs wool mitt has all kinds of advantages. It's softer, more durable and it holds more water. So it's faster to wash with and gentler to your paint. It also has a remarkable ability to pick up and trap dust. So it's an easy way to touch up your dashboard and other interior surfaces, too. "

In the good old days, I always used a sponge but what did I know So these two guys must do good work or surely Barry wouldn't let them do his car. For the sake of comparison, what do you use? For the record I use one of those fancy lambs wool mitts.

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Spotty-Dog,

If you go back and read that thread carefully, you will see I never once recommend using a sponge, and I never said Meguiar's recommended using sponges. I did say that two of the detailers that take care of some of the cars at Meguiar's on a regular basis use sponges.

I believe high quality fuzzy wash mitts offer many more advantages over any kind of sponge. Dave, one of the detailers told me he has done comparison testing over an entire month using sponges on some cars, and wash mitts on other cars. He told me his results show the sponge to leave less wash-induced scratches over wash mitts.

So I posted his experience, and his results, not my own or Meguiar's. I mostly tossed the idea out there for discussion

Just recently, I tried the grout sponge, as well as another sponge sold by a competitor and also a fuzzy wash mitt. I even took pictures for what it's worth.

Here's what I found. I personally don’t' like how a sponge feels when washing a car. I don't like the idea of dirt and other contaminants trapped between the face of the sponge and the finish. I do like the feel of a fuzzy wash mitt against the surface.

I know with a fuzzy wash mitt, dirt and other abrasives can bury into the nap and this makes more sense to me. Also, with fuzzy wash mitts, the material can slide into the cracks, crevices, body seams, and other areas, like grill vents, so these areas get cleaned also. Sponges, because they are somewhat stiff and have a flat surface, only touch the outer surfaces, they don't get into the gap between say, the hood and the fender. This could potentially leave dirt in these areas that could later end up on the finish when you cleaning, polishing or waxing. If your using a rotary buffer, it's possible the air-current could drag this dirt onto the surface where it could potentially create swirls.

Again, I only tossed the idea out there for discussion, and you can discuss it here if you like.

As far as what the detailers use on the cars they detail, they are responsible for doing professional work on all the cars they detail here at Meguiar’s. always look flawless, so their work speaks for itself. They only use Meguiar's products when they detail cars here at Meguiar's. Both of these detailers, referenced in the post on SCG, are professionals, with established businesses and excellent reputations.


Hope this helps...

Mike

[Dnz]

Just my unskilled 2 cents - i prefer a good washmitt. A sponge was a whole lote more effort to use, and it also didnt shift that last thin layer of dirt as well. Very happy using a mitt with some gold class wash and a hose now...

[Spotty-Dog]

Sorry Mike, I didn't imply or mean to imply that you recommended a sponge over a mitt nor was I trying to put you on the spot. I only included your quote so others could see the pictures and your comments for themselves in case they didn't see it in the other thread. My other quote was from the product detail for the mitt and I thought it contradicted what those two fellows do. But as I said in my post, they must know what they are doing or your people would never trust their cars to them. After all, Barry Meguiar's car is an advertisement for Meguiars products and he would surely want it to reflect the quality of the products.

My question should have been phrased to ask why do they think the sponge is better?

[Mike Phillips]

Hi Spotty-Dog,

As I wrote in my above response, Dave has done testing over his 17 years of owning his how detailing business that tells his eyes, that the sponge does a better job than a wash mitt.

Barry's car looks flawless in any light, so I'm not going to tell Dave how to do his job.

I cannot, for the life of me understand how he has come to this conclusion, but I have talked to him numerous times and he is fully convinced of his opinion.

Take it for what it's worth...

I have recently compared sponges to wash mitts, and to me, for the reasons I listed in my response above, prefer fuzzy wash mitts and can make a case for using them over sponges.

Again, take it for what it's worth. I’ll contact Dave and ask him to chime in on this thread, he a super friendly and helpful guy and a good friend. As far as any contradiction goes, Meguiar’s recommends using fuzzy wash mitts and other washing tools that have a nap for any potential abrasive particles to bury into. Meguiar’s recommendation are just that, recommendations. Meguiar’s cannot force anyone to practice their recommendation.

Again, I have seen both Dave’s and Derek’s work for years now, and their results speak for themselves.

What do you like to use when you wash a car?

Mike

[Spotty-Dog]

I agree with you - I use a mitt. I guess it just seems intuitive now but as I said previously, for years I used a big sponge like a grout sponge. But then, I probably had horrible swirls and didn't know any better


If I thing about it, a grout sponge does have large holes in it and maybe these indentations either hold more water to lubricate or suspend the dirt? When you are working grout, the idea is to pick up the excess grout isn't it?

I'm curious (but not intolerant) - an incurable fault I'm afraid.

Kent

[electricgreen]

I use a chenille (sp) mitt myself.....

[Mike Phillips]

Originally posted by Spotty-Dog
I agree with you - I use a mitt. I guess it just seems intuitive now but as I said previously, for years I used a big sponge like a grout sponge. But then, I probably had horrible swirls and didn't know any better


If I thing about it, a grout sponge does have large holes in it and maybe these indentations either hold more water to lubricate or suspend the dirt? When you are working grout, the idea is to pick up the excess grout isn't it?

I'm curious (but not intolerant) - an incurable fault I'm afraid.

Kent

I know Dave thinks the large holes allow him to trap and then flush out dirt and other abrasive particles when he rinses his sponges.

Mike