Removing gum or other contaminants from clay mitt

[Carlos]

I managed to get gum on one of the Adam's mitts, and some other sort of greasy thing on the other.  They spread that over a big area before I figured it out.  Got that clean, but can the mitts be cleaned?  Those are expensive disposables if not.

 

[Rich]

I'd toss it because whatever you clean it with will contaminate it as well.  

[RayS]

I have to agree with  Rich, the chance of the contaminate transferring to a vehicle is too high to risk it.

[falcaineer]

Since that's two votes for toss it, doesn't hurt to try and clean it just in case IMO. Try some APC or Towel and Pad Revitalizer, see where that gets you. You may also relegate them to dirty areas like wheels or engine bays.

 

 

 

[Tim]

Rubbing alcohol and duct tape works wonders on gum.

[Carlos]

The alcohol mix I used to prep the car didn't seem to remove the gum from the car.  That's how the mitt got contaminated.  I thought it was just a scratch, since the alcohol/water mix didn't remove it.  I found that bug and tar remover makes it come off instantly, but no idea if I can use that on the mitt.  For the duct tape...just put it on the affected area on the mitt and pull off?

 

$25 mitts that I have to wait a couple days to get is discouraging when trying to clean up a car.  Seems to easy for an amateur like me to miss something and contaminate it again.

 

[RayS]

I think you need to chalk it up to bad luck.  You should have gone over the gum twice before you hit it with the clay mitt.  First time with the with Strip Wash and wash mitt, second time with the microfiber towel when you looked for spots you missed during washing.  Then on the 3rd pass you caught it with the clay mitt. 

I do agree that I would prefer to catch it with the wash mitt or microfiber in lieu of the clay mitt.

[Carlos]

I suppose it was so hardened, that none of the original passes got it.  I did a machine wash, then hand clean with the alcohol and microfiber.  I knew the car had a few scratches but I should have put a fingernail into everything that I incorrectly assumed was a scratch.