POLLEN!!! but i have a cure:)

[djxrated81]

Well the pollen is at its worse right now in jersey, so my buddy told me to get the california duster, and ohhhh man does that thing work great!!! i have a garage so that helps too but once that door is down that duster got all that nasty pollen right off!! its like i went through the car wash def. invest in one of those, fellow camaro peeps!!!

[WiSSDiver]

Make sure you're "dusting" carfully using only the very tips of the CD. Don't mash it into your paint.

I use my CD to lightly dust off my cars and usually follow up with a waterless wash to remove anything missed by thd CD.

[C@m@roLVR]

Just hope it doesn't rain before you get to dusting.. I hate when that happens.

[Todd@Autopia]

Here is a picture of pollen under a microscope...


When you are using a duster you are dry wiping these extremely abrasive granules across your paint. Have you considered switching to a high quality water less wash system, perhaps BLACKFIRE Wet Diamond Waterless Wash and super plush microfiber towels?

The polymers in Wet Diamond Waterless Wash actually attaches to the pollen grains perfectly (because of the large surface area per diameter) allowing them to be wiped away with very little risk of marking in the paint.

In comparison I have tested pollen removal by dry mopping (dusting) using extremely soft paint panels, gloss meters, and microscopes. Regardless of the method used, rubbing these grains across the surface creates microscopic (perhaps even invisible) scratching that will dull the surface over time.

[Adam's Polishes]

Todd is spot on.

Wet removal > Dry Removal. No matter how careful or 'correct' some people will tell you the process can be with a duster, fact remains its dry removal and it doesn't do anything to address the abrasive qualities of the contamination on the paint or the dirt already embedded in the duster.

Waterless Washing is always going to be more work b/c it requires more attention and time, but in the end its the safest way to remove debris from the surface short of a full hose and bucket wash.

Fully understanding that there is a point where you just have to do what works best for you and what time you have to spend on your car... especially those of you contending with high pollen levels, I can see why you'd reach for the duster. Just be ready to reconcile yourself to living with some level of damage to the clear coat that will have to be addressed later.

[WiSSDiver]

Going over the car very lightly ala Junkman video is fine as long as you don't mash the duster into your paint and you inspect it as you go. Personally, following Junkman's advise dry is fine, but follow his suggestions to the letter. There is definitely a safe way to use that product.

Frankly, from a Waterless Wash standpoint, if the car is so dusty or so full of pollen that it's going to scratch the car, then it needs to be washed. WW isn't going get the job done without wasting a lot of product and likely do more damage moving dirt and pollen around. I'd rather just wash the car ala 2 bucket and hose. At a minimum, I think you could step up to a rinseless alternative like ONR, but even that has limitations on a very dirty car like in the middle of winter.

I've now had the opportunity to try both Adams WW and Blackfire WW and was very pleased with both, but both go allot further if your not solely relying on the ww to remove the dust / pollen. (i.e. use less product thereby saving money) employing a technique such as the Cali Duster, but again, follow the prescribed suggestion on how to use the tool.

Since I'm ranting, I have mad respect for both Dylan and Todd and the examples of your work that you've both posted speaks for itself, however I'm still going to trust my eyes based on what I've seen so far from both of your products when used in conjunction with the California Duster, the clear is a lot tougher than you give it credit for and can handle the occasional "dust / pollen only on a clean car" scenario. If the car was dirty when you put it away, was then all dusted / pollened up, then its time to wash it or as I indicated before, ONR it because I believe and have seen the clear handle it without any new damage.

thanks for letting me rant.

[jshaf]

I hose the stuff off ever so often and live with it for a couple weeks till it starts to go away. it has largely gone away here in the mountains of WV. back to washing her like normal :o)

[Hammer St. James]

The pollen was pretty bad here this year. I just washed it more often with the two bucket treatment.