Cleaning supplies - no water needed!
Only a few products to keep all of your car clean
Summary
I’ve found a set of pretty straightforward and easy to use products to keep all the parts of your car clean. Best part about this is that you don’t need a water source, hose, buckets of water, etc. to keep your car clean. Perfect for cleaning your car in your house garage or at your apartment, or even on the street!
Granted this will never be as fast or effortless as a car wash business, but if you’re somewhere between always paying for a wash and always spending 2-3 hours of putting in your own elbow grease, this is a great middle ground for excellent results.
Overall, with some experience, this takes me about 30 min to do a basic clean, and up to an hour if I’m really taking my time to make everything super nice.
Paint/Wheels: Meguair's Ultimate Waterless Wash and Wax
Why this product?
One of the things that always led me to the drive through washes with my old car was that I felt so bad about wasting so much water at home, plus the rigmarole of having a clean water bucket, a dirty water bucket, then trying to dry the car before the water left spots….was so much work that was so prone to not great results (plus the ding to the water bill, which is especially bad during drought conditions in desert states!).
I also use this product to clean my rims as well - definitely brings out a nice shine in the wheels.
Why this brand?
Meguair’s is one of the premier car care brands and are known for high quality products used by professionals.
Any tips?
You can read the instructions, but your best bet will be to have a bunch of microfiber towels on hand since you’ll be alternating between one towel that cleans off the dirt, and one towel that polishes the wax. Another tip if you don’t have super dry hands - use nitrile gloves so that the oil from your hands doesn’t make its way onto the towels and back onto your car. This step definitely made a huge difference in some of the streakiness I was seeing (and definitely says a thing or two about my sweaty hands).
Windshield/Windows: Invisible Glass Glass Cleaner
Why this product?
Keeping you glass clean is not only key to keeping yourself and others safe, but clean glass makes your car feel clean even if the paint is filthy! Not too much to say about the product itself, since cleaning glass is pretty much the same whether its the windows of your car or the windows of your house/apt.
Why this brand?
Invisible Glass is another top rated brand for auto glass - I’ve personally found the best results with this brand vs. others, but interestingly, effectiveness seems to vary between reviewers, and is probably a function of different cleaning methods/wipes.
Any tips?
Similar to the waterless wash above, you’ll also want to do the alternating towel method, using one towel to take off the surface level of dirt, and the other towel to provide a polish to the glass. Also very important here to use nitrile gloves to prevent oil transfer from your hands. If you’re going to be cleaning the inside of your windshield, I highly recommend getting this kit (Invisible Glass Combo Kit) that comes with a tool to help you reach and clean the distant crevices where the glass meets the dashboard.
Interior: Tub o' Towels Surface Cleaner
Why this product?
These wipes are super versatile for cleaning just about every surface inside your car (except glass). They have a moderately strong citrus scent when applies, but this smell dissipates fairly quickly as the solution vaporizes.
Why this brand?
I actually had no idea this brand existed, but when I first picked up my car, the Tesla tech doing finishing touches recommended it to me, and it’s been a great experience so far!
Any tips?
Some of the wipes come out fairly damp, so be sure to spread the solution around as much as possible so you’re not leaving a ton of solution just sitting on a surface.
Tires: Chemical Guys Tire Kicker Tire Shine
Why this product?
This is one of those final touches that really puts the icing on the cake, so to speak. Once the rest of your car is super shiny, it’s important to add a bit of shine to the sidewalls of your tires to complete the picture. Plus, it’s a real quick application for great looking results.
The other thing this product works well on is the ‘harder’ plastics inside the car (like the outside of the the door storage pockets) to give them a very nice shine. I would not put this on your dashboard, as that’s going to make too much shine/glare, which is dangerous for driving.
Why this brand?
Chemical Guys is another well known brand for car care products, so hard to go wrong here.
Any tips?
This is a super straightforward application - however, I do use a sponge to apply the product which seems to work better than towels (which absorb too much of the product IMO).
Cleaning Accessories
Microfiber Towels : I use about 4-6 of these each wash - swapping out used towels when they get too dirty or have too much cleaner in them (causes streaking).
Tire Dressing Applicator: This is a great applicator for the tire shine (and maybe get a second one for interior hard plastic surfaces).
Nitrile Gloves: This keeps chemicals off your hands and prevents your hand oils from transferring to your car.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases - when you buy from the links above, I may earn a commission.
