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i am really disappointed with the Jopasu Duster. My first piece conked off in 3 months. i got a fresh one assuming it was the wash which destroyed the older one.

However, this one is even worse. it stopped being effective in just 15 days!! it does still pick up dust but leaves a very rough feel to the paint. its almost like its leaving behind some residue. After a wipe with the duster, i hate the feel every time i touch the paint. Only a Quick detail with ONR makes it normal.

Never getting jopasu again. what are my options for day to day cleaning?

The jopasu will not remove stuff that is stuck to your paint. I don't think that any duster will. It is for removing loose dust only, and doing so in a way that minimises the chances of scratching. Perhaps you were expecting too much?

I am not talking about stuff stuck to the paint. While cleaning it makes the paint feel as if something it stuck to it.

Case in point, I cleaned and waxed with collinite on the weekend. The car was slick. Today, I cleaned off the dust using the duster and immediately felt the paint surface was rough. Everywhere I cleaned with the duster, the paint felt rough to touch. A QD with ONR got rid of whatever it is that the duster is leaving behind.

This is happening because :-

1. the dust is scratching on the paint while you drag the duster on the surface.

2. Dont expect the slickness of collinite to stay for more than a few days. For me the slickness went off in two days but it beads water and functions as it should.

So dont worry the collinite is still there.

Also since you mentioned you cleaned the car with duster today after the weekend, im guessing there would have been a pile up of dust. It is therefore not advisable to use the duster in such a case as TEG always points out. To avoid such roughness, you can dust down your car everyday or 2 days so as to reduce dust build up.

In case of heavy dust build up, its better to wash the car rather than doing a rinseless wash. A quick detail with ONR should be done on a clean surface to avoid micro marring by dust when being dragged with the towel on the surface.

Ive washed the duster 5 times until now as in almost once every month and haven't had any problems.

Also if you want slickness to remain for long, you should opt for a sealant.

If after all these steps, the duster still doesnt function well, perhaps you can give california duster a try. Costly but should be good. I think BHPian TopSpeeder has that.

Hope this helps.

^^As you said, you have washed the duster 4-5 times. Can you please tell me the procedure, How you wash it ?

I did went through few reviews, which stated that their duster went useless after the wash.

Thanks,
Sameer

P.S My 1000th post clap:

Please share the process you are following to wash the Jopasu.

Edit:
aah, just posted the same question. You are oficially a Senior BHPian now, congrats.

Congrats Senior BHPian clap:

Well you can use surf excel washing machine variant as that is what I have at home. But long back I once used normal surf excel and savlon to kill germs lol: I use the same detergent even for microfibre towels.

I have been using the same duster and the mini duster since last year and both are subjected to the same wash process.


How does the california duster behave after washing?

First Id say give it a normal wash with water in bucket and wring it dry. If it works well and good, or else go for the wash detergent. For me it worked only a few times then had to move to surf excel.

It is true that I often warn about the effects of dust on paint work: it is dust that gives us the swirl/scratch marks. Ideally, a lot of water is the thing to get rid of it, and a dry or damp cloth is the worst thing.

A Jopasu duster is not going to be as safe as water, but I do think it is pretty safe, as long as it is used with a very light touch. This is not to clean a car, and is certainly not to make it shine, it is just to remove that loose dust layer.

Funkyp, you say that the duster is leaving something behind. I have not tested in the way that you describe, partly because I only expect the results as I just mentioned, rather than clear, shiny paintwork, so I really don't know about this. There is a certain waxiness to the duster, which is what makes the dust stick.

As to washing the J. duster, some people say that they have done so many times, others report that doing it once has spoilt it! This leaves me a bit nervous about washing mine, even though it is filthy to look at! I wonder what the reasonable life expectation actually is, when regularly used on a very dusty car?

Somewhat tangential, but I try to minimise the dust build-up by keeping the car covered. This is especially important as it is not used every day.

I bought Jopasu duster in August'12 and went on very well for 3-4 months. Usually I use it almost every day and while wiping, every time I shake Duster and remove dust in the duster. Till now washed twice. I take two pinches of surf excel in half bucket of water and soak duster for 2-3 hrs and then rinse it in normal water for 7-10 times, each time I see lots of dust in the bucket. Now the duster is some what ok and is not as effective as it was earlier as the wax in the threads would have gone. Need to buy another one, as another wash would make my duster a broom. Can anyone tell us about california duster's durability.

What is the process involved? do you soak it in soap solution for some hours and then rinse as high octane mentioned or do you follow a different process? While the duster mentions to wash in mild detergent, it is very vague. It does not mention the process and moreover mild for me may not be mild for the duster.


Thankyou, I'll try that process or combo of your and parthas process. I am thinking of using car shampoo as this may be much safer.

Some say washing the duster makes it work like new and some say it never worked after the first wash. For the same reason I'm using my duster for a year now without washing it. It looks dirty but picks up ok. I now think the dust stuck on the duster itself may cause some micro scratches. So I either have to wash or buy a new one. Not bad to buy a new duster everyyear considering the time and effort it saves.

I really have to thank ParthasarathiG for his advice on cleaning up. Currently maintaining it as per his suggestions. Also, wax your car properly guys! I had an incident where the car's bumper kissed a silencer of a bike. I was expecting a scratch but was happy to see that the wax had taken most of it and the paint was unscathed.

Like many here advised, I tried WD40 to remove sticker gum stuck on my fuel cap of the car. Just sprayed and wiped with a microfiber towel. And the gum was gone. Next experiment on tar spots.

Can someone tell me if Zorrick88 is the same composition as WD40? That becomes an even more economical product to use.

It is the same as HighOctane has described it. I take it out of the handle and wring it in the water nicely. You can see the water turn black due to the dirt.


Haven't tried this out though.

Buying a new one maybe a good idea. But the California duster also seems to be made of this wax coated strands as given on their site description. They have also described that the dirtier the duster gets, the better it works. Maybe this Jopasu should work in the same way then.

My jopasu gets dirty completely almost every month and thats why the need for frequent washing. Perhaps I shall try not washing the next duster I buy.

Hey thats good to hear. Do post some pics of your detailed car clap:

I follow the same method for cleaning btw.
About the california duster, TopSpeeder has used both. Here is the link to the post.

From the website's description it seems both the dusters are similar material and these are the instructions from the site at this page

And this is what El Lobo had to say about both the dusters. Link

Overall at the price which one can buy Jopasu, it makes it very vfm. California duster in India becomes very costly, IMO. Id stick to Jopasu.

It is same but from different mfr.

Why do you need soap to clean the duster? I must have washed mine more then 10 times but I clean it under running tap water. That's it. No soap-no shampoo nothing. Just rinse it with your hands under running water under a tap for 5 minutes & it will be reasonably clean. Soap will make the strands harder.
I don't believe that wax will protect your Paint from Scratching. Impossible. The scratch would be too soft to damage the base coat & hence the happiness. But do check your clear coat during daytime at different angles. I am sure you will notice some scratches if at all something has touched there.

Sir, If I may disagree here. The USP of Jopasu duster is it is wax coated ( Please don't ask me if it is true and how long this wax on the loose strings will last :) ). If anything to go by the manufacturer's claim of waxed strings, my humble suggestion is to use a mild detergent like a Baby soap, diluted soap oil or anything which is mild.

Soak it in for a while and do not use warm water, then rinse and let it dry under the shade. It might not make it look like a brand new duster but should do the job of reasonably cleaning the stuffs off it, while maintaining it close to the original shape.