Cleaning your car or truck doesn’t only make it look good. It also protects your vehicle by removing dirt, dust, moisture, and other substances that can corrode or wear its various parts. Use the right car cleaning components to get the job done correctly.
Here’s our list of recommended car cleaning components and why you need them:
Before you wash your vehicle, treating its surfaces with an all-purpose cleaner is recommended. All-purpose cleaners lift difficult-to-remove dirt and grime from most surfaces. Also, there are specialized formulas for treating convertible tops, undercarriages, and other surfaces with unique requirements.
Our Top Picks For All-Purpose Cleaners
Car wash soap removes most dirt from your vehicle’s surface without damaging it. There are also heavy-duty shampoos specializing in removing mud, bugs, and tar that resist general cleaners.
Our Top Picks For Car Wash Soap
Keep your vehicle clean and safe by coating it with wax after washing it. Car wax shields the coated surfaces from direct exposure to the elements, keeping the paint and body panels safe. A wax coat also stops dirt and other sticky substances from touching the coated part. Some products use carnauba wax, while others use ceramic-based wax.
Our Top Picks For Car Waxes
A glass cleaner specializes in removing dirt from the windows. It eliminates stickier substances like dirt, grime, and insects from the exterior side of window glass. When applied to the interior side, glass cleaner can remove the oily film that builds up on the surface. Formulated to clean windows safely and effectively, glass cleaner doesn’t leave streaks after use, keeping car glass like the windshield clear.
Our Top Picks For Glass Cleaners
The interior of your vehicle has various surfaces made of different materials, such as leather, plastic, and wood. Each material might have unique cleaning requirements. For example, an approach that works for plastic might damage leather. You need a universal interior cleaner that can safely clean most surfaces. Consider getting specialist formulas that clean specific parts and accessories, such as floor mats.
Our Top Picks For Interior Cleaners
If you must remove relatively light dirt but lack the water to rinse car cleaner and car wash soap, use a quick detailer. It reduces friction between the treated surface and your cleaning tool, enabling you to remove dirt with a microfiber cloth. Some quick detailers have wax, allowing you to clean and wax your vehicle simultaneously.
Our Top Picks For Quick Detailers
Wheels get dirty all the time. In addition to the usual culprits, dirt and water, they also get exposed to brake dust, oil, and other substances that are hard to remove. Use a wheel cleaner to eliminate contaminants without damaging the part. Some wheel cleaners can remove iron-based contaminants like brake dust and iron deposits.
Our Top Picks For Wheel Cleaners
Choosing the right kind of brush can make cleaning your car easier. A good car wash brush can scrub off clingy dirt without damaging the surface. You also need a separate brush that’s safe for use on leather and textiles.
Our Top Picks For Car Wash Brushes
The cleaning cloth is the jack-of-all-trades in cleaning. It can dry wet surfaces, apply cleaning solutions to surfaces, and wipe away dirt. Thus, you require multiple pieces, reserving some for use outside your vehicle while only using the others to wipe interior surfaces.
Our Top Picks For Cleaning Clothes
Some liquid car cleaner products require spraying over the surface. That’s a job for a sprayer. Also called foam cannons and foam guns, sprayers apply liquid cleaners in the best pattern to treat the surface.
Our Top Picks For Sprayers
Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.