Reader Question: California Doesn’t Duster?

Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!

Tom writes: I tried to dust my car this morning, and the California Duster left little smudge marks all over my paint. I thought that the dirtier it is the better it works.  What gives?

My reply: I’ve dealt with this myself. I think what happens – which is what you’d expect – is that after a number of uses, the material becomes so suffused with dust that it cannot pick up new dust, so it smears the dust all over your finish. It’s analogous to those K&N filters, which supposedly filter better as they accumulate particles, etc.

Both need to be cleaned periodically (K&N specifically say so, once every so often). But – with regard to the duster – it’s better policy in my experience to avoid letting the car become too dusty to begin with.

As the owner of a classic car, here’s what I do:

Every so often – as indicated by the need – I wipe my car down with a spray detailer (several brands are good, I personally like the product sold by AMSOIL) which serves the purpose of getting the grittier/heavier stuff off the finish without the use of water  (which equals rust) and in between, use a duster to maintain the sheen. The duster gets shaken out vigorously after each use, too. And it gets replaced once every 2-3 years or so, depending on the condition of the thing.

This system has worked really well for me and may for you as well!

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