10 of the Best Car Cleaning Products for Spring
The winter season can be particularly harsh to your car and its finish, but luckily there are plenty of products that can restore it to a brilliant shine inside and out. In this article, we’ll take a look at 10 of the best car cleaning products you need to get your car ready for spring.
For even more car cleaning tips and supplies, check out our article on what you need to wash your car like a pro.
Best Car Cleaning Products
Spring is around the corner, which means it’s time to start planning on how to get your car back in a presentable, shiny condition for the warmer weather. As you can imagine, there’s a wide selection of products available to you to get your car ready for spring, but here are a select few that will get the job done. For this guide, we’ve picked products we have hands-on experience with and that we’d use on our personal cars.
A fantastic, one-step formula liquid wax from Meguiar’s, this product offers effortless application and is extremely easy to use. With Thin Film technology, you can apply this wax and wipe it off easily, even in full sun. More importantly, it won’t stain non-painted trim pieces white. Once you’re done applying the wax, Hydrophobic Polymer technology will increase surface tension to protect the paint.
Meguiar’s Ultimate Liquid Wax is safe and effective on all glossy paints and clear coats. It can be applied by hand or with a dual-action polisher.
No car is ready to take on the road in spring unless its wheels and tires are also spotless. CarGuys’ Premium Wheel Cleaner is the best-selling product in the Automotive Wheel Care category, removing brake dust and road grime with ease. It’s an extremely powerful formula that is acid free and pH balanced, making it safe on all wheel finishes including alloy, aluminum, anodized, chrome, painted, polished, clear coated, and even plasti-dipped.
Made in the U.S., this product requires minimal wheel scrubbing while delivering great results. It also comes with a 100% satisfaction money back guarantee and the company’s customer service is great for after-sales assistance.
No collection of car cleaning supplies is complete without a high quality microfiber towel. Meguiar’s Water Magnet Drying Towel is our pick for the best, measuring 22 inches by 30 inches, allowing you to dry up a large surface area with a single wipe. You’ve already did all the hard work of washing your car, so why making drying it a chore? More importantly, effective drying is important to making sure water spots don’t end up on your car.
This drying towel is super absorbent, leaving a spot-free finish with no streaks. Compared to a traditional terry towel, it can absorb up to two times the water, which means less time being spent wringing it out. It’s also machine washable and since it’s a Meguiar’s product, you know its quality will last.
Having clean windows not only makes your car look better, but allows you to safely see all around you while driving. If you’re looking for a premium glass cleaner that’s easy to use, take a look at Stoner’s Invisible Glass. It’s designed to dissolve and remove the thin layer of film that builds up on the interior of windshields, while leaving all other glass nice and spotless. Using a no-drip fine mist spray, it’s easy to apply and will leave a streak-free finish. You don’t have to worry about wasted product or drips on your dash when using Invisible Glass.
This is an ammonia-free glass cleaner, so it’s also safe to use on tinted windows. It’s offered in an 19-ounce aerosol can and will make quick work of bug splats, smoke haze, bird droppings, salt spray, and road grime.
There are dozens of car wash shampoos out there in the market, so it’s far from easy to pick one best product. But if we had to choose, our nod goes to Chemical Guys’ Mr. Pink Super Suds. Available in a variety of sizes, this car wash shampoo is ideal for weekly maintenance and is pH neutral for a gentle wash. It’s an extra-slick formula to prevent scratches while washing and best of all, it rinses clean with no residue being left behind.
Along with removing dirt, grime, and debris, it’s gentle on sealant and wax coatings, so it won’t strip away any existing protectants. You can use this versatile car wash in a standard bucket with water or add it to your high pressure foam gun to give your car a nice, thick blanket of suds. A single bottle goes a long way too, no matter the quantity you purchase. You only have to mix 1 ounce or solution to 5 gallons of water for a comprehensive wash.
So far we’ve looked at a variety of tools to keep the exterior of your car spotless, but you’ll also want to pay attention to your interior. There is a wide variety of car vacuums you can get, but a great and affordable option is the BLACK+DECKER Cordless Dustbuster. Featuring a lithium-ion battery that offers long battery life and outstanding performance, the company says this vacuum can hold a charge for up to 18 months. It’s lightweight and offers 15.2 AW of suction power, while cyclonic action helps keep the filter clean.
This handheld, cordless vacuum features a translucent bagless dirt bowl, allowing you to see everything it’s picked up and when it needs to be emptied. It also comes with a rotating slim nozzle to help you clean hard-to-reach areas inside your cabin. This vacuum comes with a 2-year limited warranty.
Depending on the design of your wheels, they may not be very easy to clean. It’s one of the more arduous tasks when it comes to washing your car, which is why we recommend a wheel brush. This product from Mothers is not only affordable, but one of the best for the job. It features a non-slip comfort grip and a protective rubberized bumper so you don’t have to worry about accidentally damaging your wheels while cleaning.
Packed with soft, gentle bristles, this wire brush is safe to use on all sorts of wheels to remove all that pesky brake dust. It also works great at reaching tight spots and you can even wash your fenders and bumpers with it.
No matter what’s inside your interior, you can use 303’s UV Protectant Spray to keep it clean. Although there are other interior and upholstery cleaners available, this is a great product that can be used on a variety of surfaces. Designed to brighten surfaces and keep them looking newer, longer, 303’s product features a formula that provides UV protection for any rubber, finished leather, plastic, vinyl, eisenglass, PVC, gel coat, and fiberglass surfaces. It shouldn’t be used on unfinished leathers such as suede, fabrics, or floorings.
This product not only protects against fading, discoloration, and cracking caused from UV rays, it also keeps dust and stains away. It’s a rinse-free formula that isn’t greasy, so it leaves behind a nice dry matte finish. It’s a waster-based solution that is non-toxic and has no odor, while 100% free of grease-producing silicone oils and petroleum distillates.
It’s a basic, easy-to-use product that can protect all inch of your interior.
Once your car is nice and clean along with its wheels, it’s time to make your tires shine brilliantly. TriNova’s Tire Shine Spray does just that, giving your tires the dark and shiny look you need to complete the appearance of your vehicle. Not only will this product make your tires shine, it’ll also protect them from outside elements that can potentially damage the rubber on your tires. What’s also great with this product is that you can control the amount of shine it leaves your tires with. The spray will let you choose from low, medium, or high shine.
So not only will you get that glossy finish on your tires, but you’ll prevent them from fading and yellowing with a simple spray-on application.
Did you think we forgot the most basic tool for washing a car? Almost seen as a necessity these days, avoid using a sponge or even a towel when it comes to washing your car by spending a few bucks on a high quality microfiber wash mitt. Available in two sizes as a single unit or a 2-pack is Relentless Drive’s Car Wash Mitt, which delivers a lint-free, scratch-free finish. Featuring double-sided chenille microfiber, these mitts are safe on any paint or delicate car surface. In case you’re wondering, microfiber holds more water than sheepskin and these thick, absorbent mitts can be machine washed for easy maintenance.
There is nothing overly fancy about these mitts, they’re just a high quality, affordable product that will do the job well.
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