Car Cleaning Supplies You Need To Keep Your Ride Looking Good

Having a nice-looking ride is one of the joys of owning a car. Part of keeping your car looking good is keeping it nice and clean. While we’ve covered car interior cleaning before, in this article, we’re tackling your vehicle’s exteriors. Here are some car cleaning items you need to add to your maintenance shopping list.

Cleaners and Solutions

There are different cleaners and solutions on the market for different parts of your car’s body. Each one is specially formulated to tackle the kind of dirt and grime you find on these sections. Here are some of our favorite car cleaning formulas:

Car Shampoo

It’s no surprise that having a car shampoo like Meguiar’s Liquid Car Shampoo is a staple for giving your car a good wash. Add the solution to a bucket of water according to its instructions and you’re ready to scrub your car down. How often you need to shampoo your car depends on how often you drive it and what kind of environments you drive through. Generally, you’ll want to wash off heavy dirt and grime right away to avoid damaging your paint job. A general rule is to shampoo your car at least once a week.

Wheel Cleaner

Wheel cleaners like the Weathertech Universal Wheel Cleaner are formulated specifically for wheels. Dedicated wheel cleaners target dirt and grime you’ll frequently find on your wheels like brake dust, mud, and tar. Wheels tend to get dirtier than the rest of the car’s body because they essentially function as a car’s feet. While your typical car shampoo can clean wheels just fine, it’s much easier to wash wheels down using a proper wheel cleaner. Some types of wheel cleaners have different pH levels. Most mechanics recommend using pH-neutral wheel cleaners to be safe, but low-pH-solution wheel cleaners are great for tackling more stubborn dirt. 

Glass Cleaner

Stoner Glass Cleaner and other glass cleaners target the dirt and grime that stick to your windows after driving around on different roads. While you can use normal glass cleaners, automotive glass cleaners are great because they handle messes you wouldn’t usually find on home windows. Also, because car windows often have tint, you’ll want to pick up an ammonia-free glass cleaner that doesn’t rub it off. Some variants, like the Rain-X Glass Cleaner, have the added benefit of placing a hydrophobic film on your glass so that any rain or water slides right off your windshield.

Quick Detailer

Quick detailers, also known as QD’s, add a bit of gloss to your vehicle after a good wash. These aren’t cleaners so much as formulas for final protection. They’re great for touching up a coat of wax or finishing up your cleaning. Some detailers also serve as sealants to keep your car looking good for longer.

One quick detailer we recommend is the Chemical Guys Speed Wipe Quick Detailer, which has the added benefit of repelling fresh dust and dirt from your freshly washed car. It’s also formulated to lightly clean your vehicle between full washes.

Detailing Kit

Detailing kits are a quick and easy solution if you’re overwhelmed by the number of different cleaners you need to choose from. These kits typically include a combination of the different cleaners we’ve already tackled, including car shampoos, wheel cleaners, and glass cleaners. Some, like the Sonax Premium Exterior Car Wash Kit, even have microfiber cloths or other cleaning tools. Waxes and other more complex detailing solutions might also be included in these kits. Detailing kits are incredibly convenient to pick up, and they’re great if you need a starter kit for cleaning your first car.

Car Cleaning Tools

While cleaners and solutions are great to have, trying to use them without the right equipment can be a pain. The last thing you want is a bunch of scratches when you were only trying to keep your car clean. If you use the wrong cloth or brush, you can say goodbye to your pristine paint job. Avoid scrubbing down your car’s paint with the wrong tools. Here’s our recommended list of items to use with the right cleaners:

Microfiber Car Cleaning Cloth

It’s important to use a good microfiber cleaning cloth. If you want to clean anything scratchable like, say, your car’s body with its pristine paint job, you’ll want a good, soft microfiber cloth in hand. These cloths are extra absorbent, leaving behind almost no dirt or dust in their wake if you use them properly. Pick up a whole set like the Chemical Guys Workhorse Professional Microfiber Towel Pack so you have lots of extras. Remember not to use dirty microfiber cloths with pieces of debris in them, or you might end up scratching your car’s paint job. 

Sponge

Thanks to their soft and porous nature, sponges might seem like a great tool for cleaning your car. Unfortunately, the typical sponge has lots of holes that can hold dirt and grime. As we mentioned in the microfiber cloth section, these bits of grime can easily scratch your car, and even micro scratches can build up and dull the paint job. If you want to use a sponge for its grip or extra absorbency, try picking up one like the Sonax Car Wash Sponge, which has an outer microfiber layer to keep the dirt or grime from getting trapped in its holes.

Car Wash and Detail Brushes

We can’t stress enough how important it is to pick the right brushes for cleaning your car’s exteriors. You’ll need soft bristle brushes if you want to tackle your car’s delicate trim or any areas near painted panels. Don’t use brushes on your vehicle’s paint. Soft-bristle car wash brushes like the Chemical Guys Long Handle Body & Wheel Brush are mainly for your car’s undercarriage, wheels, and suspension parts. If they happen to brush against your vehicle’s paint, the soft bristles should help you avoid deep scratches.

Wheel detail brushes like the Chemical Guys Show Car Wheel and Rim Detailing Brush have longer, thinner designs to fit between the wheel spokes. Some wheel brushes have both soft and stiff bristles to tackle more stubborn grime, which means you have to be extra careful not to scratch the paint.

Having the right cleaning supplies for your car makes keeping it spick and span a lot easier. Cleaning your car at home should be more doable now that you know what things to buy and how to use them.