Whenever I post about my car cleaning antics and talk through the stages of a wash that I will do, there's one question I get asked more than most: What the hell is claying?
To detailing fans, this one's obvious. But for the majority of people, if you tell them you rub your car with clay when you wash it, they will probably think you're insane. So I think it's important to answer that question first, what is claying, and what can it do for you?
The claying process is usually done immediately after washing whilst the car is still wet. The clay in question is a special resin compound designed specifically for the job. Along with a water based lubricant (usually called a quick detailer) the clay removes microscopic contaminants that become embedded in the paint through normal driving.
"But my car looks perfectly clean after I've washed it, do I really need to do this?" I hear you cry. There's a simple test to see if your paint is contaminated, the bag test. To do this, simply wash and dry your car as you usually would. Next, take a thin sandwich bag and place it on your hand then run your hand over any painted surface on the car. The bonnet or front wings are usually a good place to test as these take the most abuse. If when you do this there is a rough texture to the paint it's still contaminated. Those lumps and bumps you can feel are all the microscopic bits of dirt and grime that have been left embedded in your paint.
It's almost impossible to remove these imperfections through regular washing which is why claying is so important to get a perfect finish. The caveat to this is how time intensive it can be. When using clay, you use a small piece in your hand and have to go over the entire car in quite a lot of detail which is way more work than most want to put into cleaning their car.
This is where the G3 Clay Mitt comes in. The mitt is designed with a flat, wide clay surface to contact more of the paintwork on each pass compared to traditional clay. The rest of the mitt is covered in a short microfibre material to use in tandem with the clay for a perfect finish. The surface on the mitt uses an advanced rubber polymer which claims to last up to 5x longer than traditional clay bars. So how well does it work, and what trade-offs are there if you were to switch?
When swapping from a clay bar to the G3 clay mitt, its immediately obvious that this will save you time. There's no getting round the fact that the larger size of the mitt means you can cover more of the car. This means that if you were looking for a fast and simple way to clay, this is a fantastic contender. It should also work out cheaper in the long run. The G3 Clay Mitt retails around £15 (Halfords) at the time of this article being published. G3 claim that their clay mitt can last up to five times longer than a standard clay bar which retails around £10-12 for a good quality one.
When claying, you should be able to feel the resistance of the paint change as it removes the dirt and leaves a glassy finish. The G3 mitt does give you this feedback which is good as it means you can find and redo sections that may still be contaminated. The drawback over a standard clay bar is the visual feedback.
When using clay, you're able to look at the surface and see what has been picked up as well as tell when it's time to fold the clay and start a new cleaning surface. With the mitt this isn't possible, meaning you can't see how much dirt is on the mitt and possibly end up scratching the car. The simple way around this is to regularly and thoroughly clean the mitt whilst using it.
Another potential issue I found with the mitt was when using it on a hot day. The cars were drying out very quickly and the paint was able to heat up. When the mitt hit a dry spot it would melt some of the rubber onto the paint and leave some residue behind. Traditional clay doesn't work on dry paintwork but I've never known it to leave residue like this. This was user error (not actually mine) but something that could catch novices out. The marks weren't permanent and can be wiped off with a soft cloth. When using this product or any other clay products, it's important that the bodywork stays wet and cool during claying. Keep a jet wash or hosepipe close by to rinse and cool the car when necessary as well as using a clay lube or concentrated shampoo solution.
An alternative way to use the mitt is to simply use it during the washing phase as you would a microfibre sponge or cloth. This cuts out the extra step and negates the need for a clay lubricant. However I wouldn't recommend this for a couple of reasons. Clay mitts are designed only to remove the tiny contaminants on the paint and not standard road dirt. If using it as a sole "sponge" you may cause more damage by covering the clay in larger dirt particles and dragging this across the paint. You could wash the car twice, once with a standard sponge and again with the mitt which I have tried during a maintenance wash and was very pleased with the results.
So what's my verdict overall? I think this is a great product that makes claying much more accessible to everyone and for a good price. If you're looking for a quick and easy way to get a better finish, this is definitely for you. This is much less time intensive than polishing or waxing and leaves the car with a glassy look and feel.
If you're into detailing, this still has a place among your products. It's a great way to cover panels quickly and easily. However, I don't think it can completely replace a standard clay bar. The level of detail and feedback from a clay bar can't be matched by the mitt, nor can the ability to mould the clay to any contour on a car.
My suggestion? It's definitely worth a buy. I've used it on my car during a full detail in tandem with clay, polish and wax. The results have been fantastic and I feel if I were to do a maintenance wash, I would only need the mitt. I've also used this on its own during a quick wash of my families fleet and it left the cars with a much better finish compared to just washing. I'm very happy with my purchase and if you are to try it, I'm sure you will be too.
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