Okay, I'm trying to find a suitable wash mitt for handwashing my truck. I see all sorts of mitts out there nowadays, and I'm a bit stumped. I'm stuck between the MF mitt, MF chenelle, and Lambs wool mitts.. What is the difference between all of these other than price? I only hand wash my truck about once or twice a month, and just use the car wash bays to rinse and soap it in between cleanings, so I need something that is cost effective for my use. From the looks of it, I could buy a 3-pack of the Megs MF wash mitt for almost the same price of 1 SM Arnolds Wool Mitts from ADS.. so which is more practical and the best to use on a black f150?

I'm going to assume the Wool mitt is the best, based on price alone, but how do these mitts usually hold up, how many washes can I get from 1 mitt, and how do I keep them clean?

MF mitt


MF chennele


Wool mitt

 

Go with the MF chenille mitt it is the best for what you described i have used all three and prefer the MF one only because is has lots of places to go for dirt build up. It releases the dirt with a quick scrub on the GG and is very cost effective. I have had my mitt for a year now and no signs of wear and tear AT ALL. As for washing them and keeping them clean maybe a quick was in the washing machine every 6 months or something. After all it is a wash mitt and kinda gets cleaned every time you use it lol.

A lot of people have not tried the MF chenille mitt because of cautiousness i promise you will like it. You can get them at Target, BJ's, I do not like the Auto Zone ones i think BJ's has the best for now.

Hope this helps

-Chris

 

O yea if you go with the MF wash mitt NOT the chenille one i believe you will experience some massive marring because you truck is black and those mitts can't handle the kind of dirt that you will have after a month that you wash your truck. The MF chenille is the safest.

 

I have a MF mitt like the 1st pic in your post. I like it, BUT, I kinda don't like the cuff. If you can find a mitt like that without the cuff I think you will like it more...I am still looking for something like that.

 

The experts here all seem to go with the SM Arnold. I went with the TW sheepswools from Big Lots for 4 bucks a pop - I hand picked half a dozen of the plushest on the rack. Walmart sometimes has a fairly decent sheepswool.

I use a cheap Walmart chenille on grubby areas (rocker panels, wheelwells, etc.) and wheels.

 

I also second the cotton chenille mits. Most chenille mits a higher pile density and even when it is wet, the fibers continue to stick outwards which makes picking up dirt more efficiently. I can machine wash it without worrying it will fall apart unlike the luck I had with the expensive wool mits.

As for wool mits, yes they seem very soft, luxurious and plush when you feel and see them at the store but for my experience, this was very misleading. Once they get wet, the nap seems to dissapear and the fibers fall flat on its face like a the hairs on a wet dog. This made the mit less efficient to lather car shampoo and was even more evident on the truck that the white suds were almost nonexistent. My wool mit fell apart after around 3 washes in the washing machine.

That's just my opinion.

 

As far as wool goes I have tried the ones from Big Lots and just received my SM Arnold mitts. The ones from Big Lots do seem to lose their nap and plushness once they get wet. The SM Arnold mitts don't appear to have this problem from my experience.

 

I prefer the MF mit for cleansing capability, I dont have any slip or rub issues accidentally, and it glides on the clear coat very well. I have never tried the Wool mits, but I would imagine it would be the safest for the paint to prevent swirling but thats what D/As and polishes are for right?

Either way, better than the days of brush scrubbing my paint and using cottom towels to dry and wash with :o

 

LOL some things never change. If I remember correctly, Zaino gurus swear by using these cotton towels to remove their wax/sealant.

 

Everyone will have an opinion on this particular item however; what needs to be kept in mind is what the mitt is actually accomplishing -- that being the washing step.

Because you're washing, you'll want something with a high enough 'pile' to it that will allow for a couple of things; 1. You want it to carry a lot of wash solution to the paint so that the surface is properly lubricated and is able to offer cleaning action and; 2. You want it to have a thick enough pile so that when it encounters dust/grime/crud on your paint, that it may become entrained in the mitt rather than being down on the end of a very short microfiber-type mitt and get continually drug around the paint.

By utilizing something with a very high pile, that doesn't scratch inherently, and can soak up a lot of volume in wash solution, you're going to minimize your potential for washing-induced scratching (which is where nearly all of us cause our swirls -- there and QD'ing).

Having used nearly every mitt mentioned in this thread - and a bunch more that haven't been mentioned - I continually come back to the SW Arnold mitt as I feel it offers the qualities that I previously mentioned here as well as a HIGH level of quality, dependability, and durability. It *is* the best mitt that I've utilized.

-RP-

 

I prefer to use the Proline Grout sponge from Lowes..