Do you have the right cleaning tool for your car? Cleaning and maintaining your car can be challenging but certainly rewarding especially if you have the passion to do it.
All of us car owners have our own way of cleaning our cars. While some may argue that they just need minimal tools to get the job done, it is still important to use the proper tools for effective car cleaning while avoiding scratches and other possible damage to your vehicle.
So in this blog post, I will give you 15 of the best and most essential tools for car cleaning jobs, both interior and exterior cleaning of course. I won’t be including soaps and waxes here alright!
Without further ado, lets begin!
1. Feather Duster
For me, feather duster is the most essential cleaning tool for cars especially if you live in a tropical country like the Philippines where dust is everywhere.
Parking your car overnight will certainly accumulate more dusts onto your car. And when it suddenly rains, these dusts turns into droplets of dirt when they dried up.
Feather duster or just any other dusting tool is an effective way to remove dusts from your car and avoid the hassles dusts makes to your vehicle. But feather duster in Amazon here.
2. Bucket
If you are in need of a simple or detailed car wash, then you will certainly need a bucket or two for a single wash session.
Buckets are quite an essential cleaning tool as it holds water or soapy water, that you need for washing. To be able to wash away all the dirt and grime, you’ll need a constant supply of buckets of water and soapy water.
What type of bucket you ask? Well, you don’t need a special bucket for cleaning your car, any bucket will do the job for you! Using buckets will effectively make the job easier and faster for you.
3. Dirt Trap
Dirt trap or grit guard may sound unfamiliar to most of you. However, this cleaning tool is very effective in trapping dirt and small debris from getting on your car while washing.
Use dirt trap and put it in your bucket and it will act as a filter while you wash your car with scrubber or wash mitts. Soaking your wash mitts into the bucket with grit guard will help keep the dirt trapped in the water underneath it.
This helps prevent dirt and other debris from scratching your paint while washing.
4. Car Wash Mitts or Foam
Car wash mitts or foam are used to clean both the interior and exterior parts of a vehicle, though it is commonly used for exterior washing.
Wash mitts or foam are effective in soaking up soapy water from your bucket which you can then wipe onto your car. If you already have foamy soap spread unto your car, then wiping your car with wash mitts or foam can help catch or remove dirt and grime.
With today’s car shampoo products commonly mixed with wax, a simple car wash using a wash mitt is all you need to get a shiny and clean car.
5. Garden Hose
If you aren’t that thrifty, using a garden hose for washing your car is a practical choice. Using a garden hose is an effective way at rinsing off the car as it provide light pressure to shoot water into your car paint.
The main benefit is the protection it gives when washing and rinsing as the pressure isn’t that strong. As most gearheads says, a garden hose is a staple tool for washing your car at home!
So make sure that your garage has a faucet that is connected to a garden hose long enough to reach every corner of your vehicle.
6. Pressurized Washer
If you aren’t satisfied with a garden hose, then you should purchase a pressure washer.
Pressure washer isn’t just designed for cleaning cars, it is also useful for cleaning air conditioning appliances and other types of house chores cleaning.
For car washing, I suggest buy a pressurized washer that offers 90 to 120 psi. Above that range are for industrial purposes already and will likely damage your car paint due to strong pressure. Also, keep a good distance of at least 2 feet when using a pressure washer.
A pressure washer can help fasten the rinsing process two folds compared to using a garden hose. Buy pressure washer here via Amazon.
7. Foam Cannon
Again if you are thrifty and lazy using a bucket for washing your car, then an aftermarket foam cannon can do big wonders for your cleaning job.
Foam cannons are separate cleaning tool that is connected to your pressure washer. It requires a specific adapter based on your pressure washer brand. So if you are going to buy a foam cannon, always tell the staff your pressure washer brand to get the right adapter or connecter.
Plus, always use a foamy soap when using a foam cannon and not just any car wash soap in the market. And make sure that you use 1.1mm orifice to ensure that it will produce more foam.
8. Wheel and Tire Brushes
Never neglect cleaning your tires and wheels. Car enthusiasts are always keen on keeping their wheels and tires clean as long as possible. Why? Because they make your car looks more better and clean.
So it is important to keep it clean and tidy. How you ask? Well, just use proper tire cleaning tools such as wheel brushes.
Wheel and tire brushes makes your tires and rim to look vibrant and shiny. It is always partnered with a tire cleaner soap and is often the first thing to clean when doing a car wash.
9. Detailing Brushes
If you are a type of car guy that wants a squeaky clean car, then you need to use detail brushes to get an almost perfect cleaning job.
Detail brush helps remove small dirt that are trapped in hard to reach small areas like the emblem, grills and many others.
Also, detail brushes are available in different sizes that suits your cleaning needs. There are brush that is made specific for your car’s interior and others are made for wheels, engine bay, body paint and many others.
Buy detail brushes here via Amazon.
10. Vacuum Cleaner
Do I have to say more?
Vacuum cleaner is an essential cleaning tool for your car’s interior. It helps suck all small debris that are hard to remove by hand. You may use vacuum cleaners for removing hair, animal fur, small foods, and many others.
You may opt to purchase a car vacuum cleaner or a commercial type of vacuum. I suggest you buy both as car vacuums are portable which you can carry with you where ever you go. Commercial vacuums on the other hand are more powerful which will make your cleaning job easier and faster.
Buy vacuum here via Amazon.
11. Drying Towel
What to do once you are done washing your car? You need to dry your car of course as keeping it wet will leave a mark on your paint called water marks.
One way to dry your car is to use special cloth designed to suck water – car drying towel.
Drying towel for cars are affordable and safe to use. They are soft enough making it a paint-friendly cleaning tool.
12. Car Blower
If you want an easy and fast way of removing water from your car, then you may opt to use a car blower to fasten the cleaning process.
Most car wash professionals use car blower as they are the safest way to dry the car after thorough washing. As you know, using dry towels may catch small dirt or grimes that aren’t removed from the initial wash. This will result to minor paint scratches so the best way to avoid this is to use a blower.
Other detail shops even use pressurized air to quickly dry the car after washing. Pressurized air uses a compressor to create a powerful air pressure that will help remove water from hard to reach areas of your vehicle.
Buy car blower here via Amazon.
13. Car Steamer
Want a thorough cleaning that will effectively kills 99.9 percent of bacteria and viruses? If your answer is yes, then you’ll need a car steam cleaner or steamer for short.
Steamer can be used in almost all parts of any vehicle – engine bay, tires and wheels, interior and many others.
This cleaning tool only require hot water (yes, it doesn’t require any soap or chemical) that will be heated to a particular temperature, which will produce a steam that will help kill bacteria and viruses in and outside your car.
The good thing about a steamer is that, it doesn’t just for bacteria and virus elimination, but it can also be used to remove dark stains and bad odors in your car.
14. Carpet Vacuum Cleaner
Carpet vacuum cleaner is different from a conventional vacuum cleaner for cars. They are designed specifically to clean carpets and other upholstery components in your car, like your car seats.
The beauty of having a carpet vacuum cleaner is that, it does fasten the drying process of carpet cleaning. As you know, you will need to wash your carpet first then use a carpet vacuum cleaner, and you can do this without removing both your ceiling and floor carpets.
Carpet vacuum cleaner helps provide deep cleaning of all your car’s upholstery components, so it is quite an essential cleaning tool for your car.
Buy carpet cleaner here via Amazon.
15. Clay Bar
A clay bar or clay mitt can be used before, during and after a car wash. But most gearheads use clay for detailing purposes as it helps smooth out the surface of your paint. It also helps remove grime and dirt that are left unremoved from car wash.
A bit side of note, you don’t need to use a clay bar or mitt every time you wash your car. You only need to use them once your car’s surface isn’t smooth enough or a bit rough.
Clay bars are also used for detailing window glasses as well. Buy clay bar through Amazon here.
Other Cleaning Tools that you should have at home include scrubbers, detail pads, cordless drill or polisher, scrubber sponge, microfiber towels and many others.
Summary
Alright! These are the best cleaning tools that you must have in your garage! Again, you don’t need to spend a lot of money for these tools, just buy the tools you see fit for your cleaning needs. Until next time!
