Mike, when I've used a plastic wad, I cut the shot cup off and load that on top of the nitro cards and fiber wad. Either way works well. Today I did not use the shot cup but just put the shot down on the wad column. I like you method of fouling control. I may just have to dig out a spray bottle and give it a try. The soapy water spray is enough to clear out some of the fouling and keep what remains soft?