You guys basically scared me away form clay bars for reasons I won't go into, so I bought an Eagle One prep mitt and a bottle of Meguiar's Quick Detailer instead and applied it to my 2010 Lexus to learn how to use it before applying to the Mustang. Will follow with polish, then wax, but phew, one day at a time.

Anyway, I haven't done anything but wash my cars for the last 40 years and brother was I impressed! I went over the areas twice and then flipped the mitt, and then dried with micro fiber, and it's already smooth as can be. I can't wait to see how it looks after it's polished and waxed.

The only thing about this mitt that they don't explain clearly is how to clean it as you're going along in a single session. You're supposed to wash it in soap and water and air dry, I get that, but when I am only half done with a car that's really got a lot of contaminants, I should presumably rinse it out or something just as you would rinse a sponge during a wash or turn a clay bar to a clean section of the bar. Otherwise you're just smearing lifted contaminants from one section on to another.

I rinsed in plain water as I was going along, but then the next section would have water and detailing compound going on to the surface simultaneously. I don't think that's what the manufacturer had in mind.

I guess I could buy 10 pads and change as I go along, then wash all at the end, but they aren't exactly cheap at $25.00 from Autozone.

Suggestions are welcomed. Thanks,

Rob

 

The mitt:

 

I use a separate microfiber to wipe away the leftover residue after I run the mitt. I never go too long in between "clay" sessions, so typically I can do the whole car without having to worry about bringing contaminants along. Otherwise, I'd have a bucket with grit guard, for rinsing with just a tiny dash of wash soap, then squeeze out the mitt before you continue. The "clay" part doesn't need to dry completely since you're going to be using your detailed or clay lube anyway.

 

Great. Thanks, Patrick

 

Is this similar to Nano Skin? I just bought one recently as an alternative to traditional claying but the weather hasn't been very conducive to a full tilt body wash/contamination correction/polishing & wax. I hope to do it all this week or next.

 

I clean my clay bars and clay substitutes (nanoskin mitt, opti clay towel) with an all purpose cleaner 'on the fly' (while in use like you described). I prefer Optimum Power Clean diluted 10:1. Agitate a bit by hand and rinse.

Side note - not a big fan of these type of products but I do use them (sometimes). More often I prefer a legit clay bar instead of a substitute. You are more likely to have micromarring from one of those towels then a clay bar. This is of course dependent largely on the paint (soft paint will marr easily). Speaking from experience here. I will not use one of these clay towels unless the car is being prepped for paint correction.

 

Thanks, Brian. With my vision, I am unlikely to notice regular marring, never mind micro-marring(!), but I appreciate your expertise and especially your tip about cleaning the mitt on the fly.

You are the first person I've heard explaining how the clay bar can be cleaned as you go along. I am glad to see that. Literally every other thread I read sounds like all you can do is re-fold it to conceal the crud and then throw it away after it is used one time.

 

So what would be the ideal clay mitt, for someone not concerned with any marring issues (I always polish after claying)?

 

personal preference but I like the speedy prep towel or the opti clay towel

 

there are a few clay cleaning products on the market but I think Optimum Power Clean works just fine. It wont take out everything but it will allow for some stuff to rinse off before refolding

 

I am a fan of using clay bars. I don't have a problem using them at all. Last weekend I used a new clawing product from chemical guys. It is a pad that can go on my porter cable buffing machine. You spray the same clay bar lubrication. It did a great job! It's called the CLAY ERASER DISC, GREEN (SUPER FINE) - 6 INCH. I then applied their paint sealer that is said to last 12 months. I ran out of time to apply a coat of wax on top, but with just two steps done, my car finish was incredible. Perfect reflections. At night, walking to my car in a parking lot, it was extremely noticeable at how reflective the paint was throwing off bright reflections of the parking lot lights. None of the other car came close.

I do recommend those clay eraser discs. Good luck all!