I bought a micro-trains cleaning car and it does say if I nee to put a cleaner on the pad. I also how long I should run the car. Any help would be appreciated.
Is there a pad, a removable one supplied? That may be what they mean if there is none. So, you would need maybe a scrubbing cloth of some kind, maybe a piece of masonite. I find it hard to believe this is the case, so I will assume they mean to supply your own cleaning agent. I believe that lacquer thinner is the one most favoured by those in the know.
I would run the car once around the rails and then wipe them with a clean rag wrapped tightly around an index finger, maybe moistened with isopropyl alcohol. Do that about once a week, maybe even once a month, depending on the activity on the layout and how often intermittent performance crops up.
-Crandell