RallyJon

Now that I've abandoned the Griot's boar's hair brush, I've been trying out washmitts, looking for something that captures dirt without scratching and releases it easily into rinse water.

Tried two in the past few weeks, both used with Optimum No-Rinse car wash:

1) Top of the Line Microfiber Wash Mitt. http://www.topoftheline.com/microfiber-wash-mitt.html
This felt great... once. It is nice and soft, but the loops would not release the dirt. After washing, I spent 10 min trying to clean it in the sink and it would not come clean. It gradually released more and more dirt into the water with each rinse but never all of it. I gave up--it's still grey.

2) Sonus Der Wunder Mitt. http://www.autopia-carcare.com/son-dwmitt.html
Less plush than the other mitt, and the fibers are cut, not loops. Probably does not hold as much soapy water either. But it rinses mostly clean very quickly in clean water, so it's good for the two bucket method where you rinse frequently, and reload with wash water each time.

I do miss the long handle of the Griot's brush. I wish someone would make a quick rinsing mop-head style microfiber bonnet on a 3-4' pole...

Tonydec

I have the Griots micro fiber mitts. Just started using them, seem to release dirt OK, plus you get the benefit of a work out using them, man those things hold a TON of water and soap! I feel like I have to be extra careful as they get heavy so I worry about scratching, but I guess the fact that they hold so much (i.e. as lubricant) they should be OK, but again, too early to tell. I already had some of those washing micro scratches, I'll find out more after the next detailing session.

RallyJon

From what I've been reading--and observing--any wash mitt will push dirt across the paint and may scratch. I don't think any of them will literally scoop up and encapsulate dirt no matter how much there is.

So all I want is REALLY good "grab and release" where it gets the dirt off the car and then lets it go into the rinse water bucket. There's a lot of hype, and they all say they do that.

Tonydec

The Griots do let go of stuff better than the sheepskin I was using. I'm buying one of the new wash buckets they sell, it's a definite improvement over the old one, it has a lower grid so it keeps the mitts off the bottom where the dirt and grime accumulate. Plus, for the same price as the old one, it now includes the wheels, lid and grids.

BK

I am still on the fence with wash mits...I currently use the boars hair brush from Griots and it seems to be more gentle on the paint that any wash mitt could be...I mean the thing is soft and the dirt seems to be kept up off of the paint (frequently swipe and rinse, swipe and rinse) and I cringe when I think of a big mitt being dragged across the paint with or without dirt in the fibers...but the folks on here seem to be much more knowledgeable when it comes to paint care...maybe i just need more faith in the mitts, but Its hard letting that boars hair brush go!

BK

MoeMistry

Any wash mitt really isn't too bad. As long as it's not a terry cotton or synthetic sheep skin. I use an all-natural australian sheep skin wash mitt that costco use to sell years back. I use it for about 10-20 washes and chuck it. Swirls and halogramming come from after you wash. Remember, the soap has lubricating agents so it doesn't scratch the finish. It's the drying cloth, chamois, or poor microfiber towels used after the washing that are the culprits. Just as long as you remember to periodically rinse the wash mitt, you'll be fine against swirls from the mitt. I don't dry the finish with a towel anymore; use the Airmax blower. Then I follow of with a liquid carnauba spray and a high quality microfiber towel to wipe down the finish and reapply carnauba. Hope this helps.

BK

I really appreciate the tips...I'm itching to get out there and wash the car, but it actually snowed again last night and so its still a bit too cold...but very soon I'm going to get in there and get all of the micro-scratches out that the dealer's pre-delivery wash put in! :-) I am also going to try an air blower to dry it, but I'm a little paranoid about the stray rock or other debris getting sucked into the blower and shot out at my car...that would not be fun. Thanks again for all of the helpful info!

BK

BK

MoeMistry

The Airmax has a dual-stage filter that gets rid of any debris before the air hits the car. It also warms the air too.

texas911

I just bought microfiber wash mits from costco, for about $10, it came with three and a bath sized microfiber towel. Works great.