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If cleaning your car means nothing more than nabbing the washing-up liquid from the sink and grabbing a hose from the garage then there is the whole world of detailing to be unlocked for you.
For some washing the car sounds as dull as taxation forms, but for others, it's the perfect way to spend an afternoon. And if you're wanting to take your first step into this pastime, we've put together a conclusive guide of what to do and what products you'll need to have your car looking like it should be at the Concours d'Elegance.
The essentials tools you should have:
Other than the cleaning products themselves (shampoo, glass cleaner etc), there are a few extra items that make all the difference between a cleaner car and a clean car:
Cloths: How you clean your car can vary, whether you're going waterless, with a pressure washer and snow foam, or the old fashioned shampoo and bucket method. Irrespective of which routine you go with, you need cloths for buffing and/or drying.
Best microfibre cloth
The waffle weaved MF4 is a great all-rounder. It's absorbent for drying but also great for buffing and glass cleaning. At 60cm x 60cm it's a generous size and can therefore cover a lot of area before getting saturated.
Best general-use microfibre cloths
In addition to a top quality drying or buffing cloth, some reliable ones for most of the cleaning are also useful. This pack of five microfibres are 100% recycled and the different colours of each mean you can easily track which cloth you're using for each task.
Best microfibre wash mitt
A wash mitt is the most effective way to clean car bodywork. The larger, noodle-y surface area is much greater than that of a sponge or regular cloth and helps filter grit away from the bodywork, rather than catching it and moving it around. Autoglym's wash mitt has the best quality-value balance around.
Brushes: While you can cover the bodywork with a cloth or mitt, other areas such as wheels and parts of the interior are best served with a brush.
Best brush for wheels
A regular-shaped brush with a head and bristles on one face is useful for the wheel face but can't reach between the spokes. This lambswool barrel brush can. The lambswool is very soft, yet effective at removing grime. Thus, it's great for even delicate alloys.
Best detailing brushes
For interior and exterior use, this pair of boar hair detailing brushes are perfect for delicate and fine cleaning. 26JPN produces quite a few excellent car cleaning products, this set being one of their best.
Bucket: If you're doing the classic bucket and shampoo method, 50% of that method involves a bucket so don't forget about it.
Best bucket for car cleaning
This big bucket from Meguiar's offers five gallons (US) of volume and comes with a grit guard to keep your paintwork safe.
Best 'standard' bucket
Made from old CD cases, the 10-litre Addis bucket is a more familiar shape for those frightened by the big, yellow Meguiar's bucket above.
Pressure washer: may seem a little bit like overkill for the uninitiated, especially as the well-known models from Karcher cost upwards of £100. However, a pressure washer will totally transform how you wash your car. Not only will it mean you can blast away embedded dirt with ease, but it also unlocks the magic of snow foam, something that will pretty quickly become part of your cleaning arsenal. You can use it on your patio too when you're done.
Best budget pressure washer
For a simple, entry-level pressure washer we recommend this option from Bosch. Designed to be used for cleaning cars and other smaller domestic tasks, it balances price with power, offering a 330 L/H flow rate and 110 bar pressure. We also like the compact design, it's perfect if you haven't got a lot of storage available.
Start with wheels
Your car's wheels and tyres are the most exposed to the elements, add brake dust on top of road salt, mud and grime. As such your best bet is to start here when it comes to cleaning your car.
Invest in some proper wheel cleaner to remove the debris. Then some wheel sealant to make it harder for grime to stick, keeping them looking fresher for longer and easier to clean.
Essential equipment for cleaning your wheels:
Hose or pressure washer
Wheel cleaner
Wheel brush
Bucket
Wheel sealant and a clean applicator
Best alloy wheel cleaner
Our top choice when it comes to alloy wheel cleaner is this option from Bilt Hamber. Simply spray it onto your wheels, agitate with a brush and rinse off when the job is done. It's pH-balanced and can be applied to any wheel type, even magnesium wheels.
Best iron fallout remover
Seriously dirty wheels with layers upon layers of grime often call for something a bit more serious. Iron fallout remover is applied like a normal wheel cleaner (spray on, wait, agitate, rinse) but gets rid of embedded contaminants. The 26JPN Fallout is our pick of the bunch because of its ease of use and effectiveness.
Best wheel sealant
Offering up to two years of protection from a single application, Gtechniq C5 Wheel Armour is a tough sealant and our top choice for long-term protection. Available in 15ml and 30ml (for alloys over 17-inches), you simply wipe it on with a pad, let it sit for a minute then buff. Afterwards, you'll need to let it cure for 12 hours but after that, you'll have excellent protection.
How to clean your wheels:
- Spray the car's wheels with your hose or pressure washer to remove any embedded dirt and loosen grime and debris. Don't forget to wash down the tyres too.
- Apply the wheel cleaner using the instructions as a guide.
- Use a bristled brush to help agitate the surface. Make sure you use your buckets to clean the brush regularly.
- Rinse the wheel with the pressure washer (a hose is also acceptable here) and use a drying towel to make sure it's dry.
- Apply the wheel sealant according to the instructions and wait for it to properly cure.
- Buff the wheel with another drying towel for sparkling alloys that won't get dirty as quickly.
- Finally, as an option, apply some tyre dressing using an appropriate applicator and wait for it to dry too. You now have a stunning set of wheels.
Cleaning your car's bodywork
The meat and veg of the cleaning process is doing the exterior. How much you do depends on how much you want to clean it. We're going to show you how to thoroughly clean and protect your car, but these steps are by no means essential every single time you clean your car.
Essential equipment for cleaning your car's exterior:
Hose or pressure washer
Snow foam and/or car shampoo
Buckets
Cloths or wash mitt
Detailing brushes
Drying towels
Polish
Paint protectant
Best snow foam
We've been very impressed by the snow foam offered by Bilt Hamber. The foam is thick and clings to paintwork like a sloth to a tree. It cuts through embedded dirt with ease without harming paint or wax and is fully biodegradable.
Best car shampoo
A shampoo that is effective, affordable, biodegradable, and smells nice - it's exactly what you need. GWash comes in several bottle volumes, depending on how often or thoroughly you clean your car(s) and is highly concentrated. GWash can be diluted at about 1.3ml per litre, while something like Meguiar's Gold Class is 25ml per litre.
Best clay bar kit
This kit from Autoglym offers an excellent beginners kit for your first clay barring. Coming with a clay bar, lubricant, drying towel and even a little bottle of polish, it'll transform how your car looks and convert you to a clay bar enthusiast.
Best car polish
This very fine polish will help remove small scratches but won't damage your delicate paintwork. It will also reinvigorate the paint colour and generate a nice deep gloss. The best part is it will not break the bank.
Best simple wax
We've chosen this liquid synthetic wax from Meguiar's because it's very easy to apply and still remains effective. The wax creates a hydrophobic coating that helps protect against UV. It comes with an applicator and towel too.
Best waterless car wash
Before we dive into how to clean a car exterior, we want to draw your attention to waterless car cleaning. Rather than using a hose and bucket, you spray on a cleaner that lifts dirt and is then wiped off. The best of these is Showroom Shine from Greased Lightning. Use this for quick cleans in between full car washes or as your go-to. Either way, you'll be impressed, saving a lot of water all the while.
How to clean your exterior:
- Using your pressure washer with a foam lancet, liberally coat your car in snow foam. This will help dislodge stubborn bits of dirt making the rest of the cleaning process easier. It will also limit bits of dirt scratching your paint as you begin to clean it by hand.
- Get those buckets filled with water, adding shampoo to one of those buckets. Then take your wash mitt and begin to wash the car with the shampoo starting at the top and working your way down. Remember to clean your wash mitt in the clean water before dunking it into the shampoo bucket.
- After rinsing away the shampoo with water it's time to crack out the clay bar and lube (no sniggering). Spray the lube onto the bodywork in small areas and run part of the clay bar over the area. The clay bar will collect any last pieces of debris from your car, including tree sap and overspray. Once you've finished with your clay bar, rinse your car down again.
- Dry the car using a clean drying towel. Drape it over the bodywork, starting at the top. Doing it this way will maximise the drying towel's surface area and is the most effective way to avoid having any leftover watermarks.
- Once the car is dry it's time to polish and seal it. You can choose to either polish by hand or with a machine (by hand is much easier). Follow the instructions of the polish and remember to take your time.
- The final stage for your bodywork is to seal it with a protectant. Apply the product according to the instructions and make sure to buff it with a clean drying towel.
Trim pieces
Trim pieces are also worth covering because they vary from car to car and need different products depending upon what you own. Own a beautiful, older car with plenty of decedent chrome trim? Then you'll need to polish those bits of chrome with a proper product. The same goes if you have a boggo car with black plastic bumpers. The good news is that you wash your car as normal and apply these products during the polishing stage
Essential equipment for cleaning your trim:
Trim restorer/polish
Applicator or cloth
Buffing cloth or pad
Best black trim restorer
Those plastic bumpers from 20 years ago have now all gone sad, flat grey colour and could do with some TLC. This trim cleaner from Meguiar's not only cleans black plastic trim easily but also adds UV protection and will restore the lost colour to the trim.
Best metal polish
Designed for use on your car's metal as opposed to paintwork, this polish is a must-have for any classic owner. It can be used on any polished metal surface and will give a long-lasting shine to your car.
Glass
You can treat the glass area to some proper cleaning to get the best results possible. After all, who wants finger marks and bird poo residue ruining the look of their car?
Essential equipment for cleaning glass:
Glass cleaner
Cloth
Best glass cleaner
Not only is Rain X renowned for improving visibility on rainy days with rain repellent, but it is available as a glass cleaner too. Simply spray this onto your glass and wipe it away with a drying towel. It prevents debris from sticking to your window and is incredibly simple to use.
How to clean your glass:
- Firstly, don't worry about getting shampoo or snow foam on your car's glass. They will do no harm and will probably help remove some dirt.
- Once you've washed your car with shampoo and dried it, add some glass cleaner onto the windows as per the product's instructions.
- Wipe away the residue on with a drying towel and repeat on the other side of the glass too.
Anything else?
Convertible tops
If your car has a folding metal roof then you can clean it like your other bodywork (just remember to put the roof up first). But if you have a soft top then a special product is needed.
Best soft top cleaner
This kit is designed for your soft top. It won't damage the fabric but will remove stains and marks. The kit also includes a protection spray that prevents water absorption. It's suitable for mohair, double duck, fabric or canvas fabric hoods.
The oily bits
Although not essential, you may want to clean your engine bay from time to time. Any serious grime should be investigated straight away but it's only natural that your engine will get a bit of muck on it over time. Thankfully it's an easy fix with some engine bay cleaner and a nylon brush.
Simply spray the product onto the engine bay as directed and brush away the grime with the brush. Then wash away the leftovers and you'll have a sparkling engine bay to match your car.
Spray this product onto an engine bay and watch as it cuts through and dislodges oil, grease, grime and traffic film. It works as a detergent and degreaser and is water-based meaning you aren't harming the environment when you use it.
Best engine bay brush
This brush from Draper is tough enough for any task you can throw at it. The nylon bristles can cut through dirt and debris without damaging and the brush is very well made.
Headlights
Headlights are not something you should need to tackle every time you clean your car. But eventually you may need to look into restoring your headlights to their former glory. After all, nothing will ruin the look of your freshly cleaned car like some clouded lenses.
Best headlight restoration kit
The Quixx kit is the best for DIY use by hand and includes plastic polish, a sanding and polishing block, 12 sandpapers in three grades, two polishing cloths, lens sealer, and two application cloths. It's everything you need.