At one time I simply used water to wet sand with my MicroMesh pads and it seemed like I was replacing them almost every year. Then a few years ago I started adding a drop of Dawn dishwashing liquid to the tap water. This is something that I picked up many years ago when I spent some time in auto body shops. The idea is that a little bit of soap lowers the surface tension of the water which helps wet the paper and the material more thoroughly therefore reducing scuffing.
The Scientific Mumbo Jumbo: Surfactants are chemical compounds that reduce surface tension of water which helps wash away oil and grease. Most dish soaps, as well as laundry soaps, hand soap and body washes contain Anionic or negatively charged surfactants. They are widely produced and are made from a range of raw fats and oils like soybean, palm, tallow and coconut.
About two years ago, I took this one step farther by switching to a drop or two of a nonionic surfactant (Cascade Rinse Aid) instead of dish soap (Dawn). I think it reduces the surface tension of the water more than soap and it not only helps wet the paper and the material more thoroughly, it also helps de-wet the surface when the slurry is being removed when wiping the blank with paper towel after each grit. The most conspicuous observation is that blanks start to de-wet when I get about half way through the MicroMesh grits. It is an obvious indication regarding the surface tension of the liquid. In addition, although it is entirely subjective, I think the level of gloss is higher than when I was just using the soap.
More Mumbo Jumbo: Nonionic surfactants contain no charge which makes them less likely to form a "soap scum" in hard water. As for cleaning ability they are much less effective so they are usually marketed as a rinsing or drying aids such as Jet-Dry.
I am still on my second set of MicroMesh pads after making this change. I also periodically use a toothbrush and running water to scrub off any "whitish" CA film left on the pads. They look good as new afterward.
Best Regards,
Dave
PS One final note, the last time I bought MicroMesh, to save money I bought the 3" x 4" inch pads and cut them into four pieces. Of course they are a little smaller than the 2" x 2" pads, but they work fine for me and I got 4 sets for just a little more than the price of one. Although it never caused a problem for me I carefully run a flame along the cut edges of the pads. The heat causes the foam to shrink up a little so it doesn't rub against the finish (only the grit touches the finish). I picked this process up from someone else on the forum that was having problems with the foam rubbing on the finish.