"Eco-Friendly-ed" my Pad Washer

[Detailing by M]

I hate wasting water!
I'm very Eco-Friendly with my business and I only car 55 gals with me so I'm always very cautious of my water use.

So every time I want to use my Grit Guard Pad Washer I'd cringe at the 4.5 gals of water it uses regardless if cleaning 1 or 10 pads it's still 4.5 gals.
So I down sized to a 3 gal. bucket and cut up the inner Pad Washer piece.

Worked out great!
Now I'm only going to need 2.5 gal of water to clean my pads.
That save 2 gals each time I use it, yeah!
Just doing my part to save a little water.

Took my Sawzall with a metal blade and just cut off the bottom legs.




Almost the same clearence as the original. only lost 3/4 of an inch.


2 gals difference.


Heated up the sticker and transfered that too!

[PerfectCreature]

Re: "Eco-Friendly-ed" my Pad Washer

Could you fabricate one of those on your own to use an even smaller bucket?

[Detailing by M]

Re: "Eco-Friendly-ed" my Pad Washer

no. this is a highly engineered product.
A smaller bucket? These were the smallest I could find that would fit the Pad Washer.
I I'm thinking the biger bucket works better on multipul pads.
I made mine smaller for cleaning 1 pad. I just hated using 4 gals of water for 1 pad.
Water costs me money and I only carry 55 gals with me, so I save water every where I can.

[PerfectCreature]

Re: "Eco-Friendly-ed" my Pad Washer

Just curious. Thanks.
I have a citrus based pad cleaner that I usually use, and I use a tooth brush as my pad comb, I was just wondering if there was cheaper alternative, since these are pretty expensive for someone who does not correct paint on a daily basis.

[Detailing by M]

No problem
Yes these are expencive.
If your only doing one pad every once in a while then what your doing if fine.
As a pro I need to be able to clean lots of pads quickly.
I like cleanning on the job and not when I get home so this is worth the money to me.

[PerfectCreature]

Re: "Eco-Friendly-ed" my Pad Washer

True. I only detail on the side once in awhile, so such a bulk cleaning would be pointless for me.
I use the "So Fast Pad Cleaner" from chemical guys, seems to work well. They recommend a 1oz cleaner with 15oz water, but I get better results using a 2 oz and 14 oz water mixture.
I can usually get one pad on a whole car if I clean after each panel with the stuff.
Maybe if I get more business, I could invest in one. I will most likely do your modification, as it would be easier to bring around, then a 5 gallon pale.