Maybe a silly question but I couldn't find a good answer and I really don't want to wreck my new, fairly expensive hex polishing pads. I've seen people say you want to wring them out and maybe squeeze them with a dry towel, but not to put them in a dryer or use a lot of heat to dry them. Is there some reason for this? I want to correct the whole car and waiting for these to dry takes forever, and I've only got a few to use for now. I don't even want to set them over a heater vent (it's still coldish here) if it's going to wreck them. Thanks

 

Rinse in water and let them air dry

 

This^^ and when you rinse them you can put them back on the buffer to spin more water from the pad so it will dry faster.

FWIW the pads don't have to be bone dry, you should have them a bit damp prior to your first application of compound on a new (or dry re-used) pad. You just don't want it wet to the point where it's spraying water on the car.