Snowboarding/Skiing - What to do instead of using base-cleaner?

Question

Well, I've waxed my board a ton of times before, always using a base-cleaner spray on it first to remove all the old wax and dirt and c**p, but I've recently been told that you should never use it, as it dries out and messes up your base.

What do you guys use to get the base nice and clean before waxing? Using a brush/scraper/scourer just doesn't seem to get it the same, and I hate waxing my board without it being totally clean first.

Answer 1

Hot scraping is going to get all the gunk out of your base, and will be the best choice. Just apply a cheap wax, and scrape it off before it cools.

Answer 2

Put news paper over the base and iron through the paper, it removes all of the old wax easily.  Use black only no colors.  I keep the junk off of the base by hot waxing every 3 days of use and scraping down to a thin layer.