Sponges have long been considered a taboo in the world of automotive detailing, condemned for their alleged role in causing damage to cars. Detailers and car enthusiasts have often opted for alternatives like specialised mitts to pamper their beloved vehicles. Yet, despite the warnings and the advent of modern detailing tools, sponges continue to maintain a presence, especially among older generations and in various commercial operations. Walk into any petrol station, and you will likely find them on display.
Sponge Guru, a renowned name in the detailing industry, decided to challenge the long-standing perception that sponges were a menace to automotive paintwork. We at Sponge Guru believe that not all sponges were created equal, and not all of them spell doom for your car’s finish. Sponge Guru has been a trusted supplier of sponge-based tools for both interior and wheel, offering a range of automotive-shaped sponges attached to various lengths of batons. These sponges are convenient for tackling the dust lurking in air vents and other hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.
Pro Detailer Magazine, in the latest issue Seventeen, presented a test that Sponge Guru was involved in to assess different wash media, including their Ultimate Profile Sponge. The results were eye-opening, with the unassuming chenille mitt emerging as the victor, surpassing even expensive merino wool and high-tech microfiber alternatives. It was a revelation, but it didn’t end there. So, without further ado, let’s explore the world of sponges and discover why the Ultimate Profile Sponge might be the game-changer we’ve all been waiting for.
Pro Detailer Magazine Wrote:
For years sponges have been a big no no for detailers – as with chamois leathers, they have been bedevilled for causing damage to cars, an archaic reminder of the sheer automotive brutality of outdated methods. Despite this, they are still widely used by the older generations and in many a commercial operation – plenty of mainstream manufacturers still supply them, along with just about every petrol station in the land.
Pro Detailer Magazine back in issue 8 carried out a mini test on different wash media and found that a cheap sponge is indeed a terrible option, and surprisingly – it was the humble chenille mitt that won, beating off expensive merino wool and fancy microfibre alternatives.
"NOT ALL SPONGES ARE CREATED EQUAL"
However, Sponge Guru, want to set the record straight – not all sponges are created equal, and not all sponges damage paint. Sponge Guru (formerly Hygan Car Care) have been around for years in the detailing industry, primarily supplying very handy sponge-based tools for interior and exterior cleaning – a range of automotive shaped sponges on various lengths of baton that are very handy for de-dusting air vents and other hard to reach interior and exterior areas.
Sponge Guru also supply bodywork sponges but generally the pro car care industry has shied away from testing them as the use of the sponge has traditionally been a sin for pro valeters & detailers.
Understandably, if Sponge Guru turned around and declared sponges to be safe, not many of us would be convinced… after all, they’re a sponge manufacturer, of course they’re going to say that, so Sponge Guru turned to the University of Birmingham to provide a scientific, and unbiased assessment. The project was funded by a third party too – a group called AMCASH that helps West Midlands-based SMEs to improve their products and processes, funded in part by the European Union Regional Development Fund.
The Birmingham University study tested Sponge Guru’s creation against a cheap sponge, a microfibre wash mitt, a chenille ‘noodle’ mitt, and a lambswool mitt. First of all they fired up the electron microscope to take a closer look at the morphology of the various wash medias. This revealed that the cheap sponge was considerably less smooth than Hygan’s, observing ‘jagged striations, which doesn’t sound like a good thing, right?
The imagery was fascinating, as you can see though they couldn’t use the electron microscope with everything so much of it is from a high-power optical microscope. They hypothesised that the pore size and distribution, combined with the smooth surface, would make the Sponge Guru sponge better at retaining dirt particles away from the surface and ergo safer to use than the conventional sponge.
To build on this, Sponge Guru commissioned Tom Humphries of TH Detailing to prep, polish, and coat a Mercedes E400. This was then inspected to ensure the paint was as close to perfect as possible before being let back into the wild for 6 winter weeks of touring the West Midlands. The car was then brought back to be washed with the different sponges and mitts. On close inspection, only areas cleaned with the cheap sponge showed signs of wash marring – the Sponge Guru sponge, wool, microfibre, and chenille mitts all passed the test.
So, the upshot is that Sponge Guru have proved their point – the Ultimate Profile Sponge is safe to use and furthermore they have recently signed a deal with Halfords to stock Sponge Guru products so you can buy their Interior and Wheel car care kits in Halfords stores and we suspect the Ultimate Profile Sponge won’t be far behind.
IN CONCLUSION
In a world where the automotive detailing industry has long harboured doubts about the safety of sponges, Sponge Guru has emerged as a beacon of hope and innovation. The meticulous research conducted in collaboration with the AMCASH – University of Birmingham has shattered the conventional wisdom surrounding these humble cleaning tools. It’s no longer a question of whether sponges are inherently damaging; instead, the focus has shifted to the quality and design of the sponge itself.
The real-world test done by TH Detailing involving a Mercedes E400 subjected to weeks of winter adventures reaffirmed the Ultimate Profile Sponge’s prowess. It left no marks, starkly contrasting the cheap sponge’s fewer forgiving results.
As a result of this groundbreaking research, Hygan has secured a partnership with Halfords, making their Interior and Wheel Car Care Kits readily available in Halfords’ stores and online nationwide to car enthusiasts and detailers. The Ultimate Profile Sponge is set to follow suit, promising an era where sponges are no longer the enemy but the ally of automotive beauty.
Sponge Guru’s commitment to innovation and quality, backed by scientific evidence, has the potential to revolutionise how we care for our beloved vehicles. For those seeking a safe and effective way to pamper their cars, the Sponge Guru Ultimate Profile Sponge is a compelling choice, backed by science and ready to transform the automotive detailing world.
Say goodbye to the age-old scepticism about sponges;
a new era has dawned.
SEE FOR YOURSELF
Click on the button for the research findings from Birmingham University.
