I did some polishing on one of my cars, and two of the pads got bundled up in the towels when I was done. A week later I went to wash the towels, and found the pads. I was using Menzerna polishes...PO106ff and SIP.

I've never not washed my pads right away...how bad is that for the pads, or even more, how bad will that be for my paint next time I use them? Did the residue dry too much in the pads to try and snappy clean out?

Nothing would happen to them if you clean them and use them on the paint. Sure some of the polish would be hard to remove. But don't worry.

Go ahead and clean them up with the Snappy Clean. The sooner you get to it next time the easier it is to clean. It may just take a little longer this time around to get them as clean as you'd like. Pads should still be fine. Next time you polish, if you notice that you're kicking up specs of product, just remember it could be left over polish that has dried and you weren't able to remove.

George

I have a cleaning brush that I use when I forget to wash them or if a pad gets a little clogged. It was only about $5 from Autogeek. I'm sure DI carries something similar.

if you dont feel like cleaning your pads right away dip them in a bucket of water.
dont mix your polymer pads and your waterbased pads though.

i keep a bucket when i have to do a full detail when i go through several
pads. it makes the polish come off easier too.

griot's has a nice cleaner for pads. they call it MicroFiber Cleaner.
works great on my foam pads.