Get Your Ride Shining Like New with These Car Cleaning Kits

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Between the bursts of rain and pollen dumps brought on every spring, you car may very well be covered in dust, debris, and water stains that don’t just rinse off with a spray of the garden hose. Car cleaning kits are not just the path to a shinier hood—with the right tools and solutions, you can keep it clean for longer with less maintenance.

Modern car cleaning kits come with a lot more than just a basic soap and towel. Most car cleaning kits now have specific sprays and tools built to specialize different areas of your car, like the tires or the leather seats, for more comprehensive coverage of both your exterior and interior.

Whether you’re a gear head hoping to reach a new level of perfect on your paint jobs, or just a car owner that fears someone scrawling “wash me” into your rear window, we tried several car cleaning kits so we could recommend only the best.

Best Car Cleaning Kits

What to Consider

Before committing to your car cleaning kit, make sure to keep in mind what items the kit has, which area the kits specializes in, and how much you need.

Items and Options

The first thing to consider is the number of items your kit has and what they cover. Car cleaning kits can be as comprehensive or basic as you want them to be, so choosing what fits your own needs should be relatively easy. Most kits come with a car wash soap, a protective wax or ceramic coating, and a wheel or tire cleaner.

For kits that focus on tools and cleaning items instead of soaps and spray, you can expect a microfiber towel, a sponge, and maybe a squeegee or wheel brush.

Interior and Exterior Cleaning

Many car cleaning kits focus exclusively on the interior or exterior of your vehicle. Interior kits usually come with detailing brushes, cleaners, and coatings designed for leather, vinyl, or fabric.

Exterior kits have items such as car wash soap, wax, and wheel cleaners. The tools are usually designed to wash your car’s body, such as car wash mitts, large towels, or traditional sponges.

Several kits, including our top pick, the Relentless Drive Car Wash Kit, are designed to cover both the interior and exterior of your car.

Price and Size

The biggest personal choice to make is what your budget is and how many items you need in your kit. Car cleaning kits range from as few as two to well over 20 items, and the price generally matches that spectrum, with comprehensive kits going for upwards of $100.

How We Selected

We selected these car cleaning kits to fill a wide range of price points, number of total items, and variety of items featured. We researched the most popular models recommended by publications like our Hearst colleagues, Car and Driver, and CNET. I personally tested out three of these kits, and have more than enough spilled soap on my clothes to prove it. We also scoured through hundreds of reviews from verified customers to see how these work on different vehicles and materials.

Car Washing Kit (20-Piece)

The first thing to notice about the Relentless Drive Ultimate Car Wash Kit is the totality of it. The kit has 20 pieces, and unlike some options that inflate this number with repeat products or small add-ons, each item in this car cleaning kit is well worth counting.

It has a number of standout features including the waterproof fold-down bucket and bristled tire brush, but the most notable items during our trials were the Ultimate Glass Cleaner and the microfiber towel.

The glass cleaner is incredibly effective after just a few moments, with dirt and built-up grime washing off after just one wipe. More impressive was the complete lack of streaks or water left on the window after I wiped it down with the microfiber towel.

The Relentless microfiber tower is notably thicker and softer than many other options that I have used or tested out in the past.

Classic Wash & Wax Kit with Supreme Shine Microfiber Towels

The Meguiar’s Classic Wash & Wax Kit simply does its job and does it well. Of the car cleaning kits I tested out myself, the Meguiar’s option is perhaps the most straightforward with solid, reliable spray cleaners and detailers to match, along with traditional car soap and liquid wax.

The kit also comes with a classic sponge which I surprisingly found to be a more useful washing companion than many of the mitts that have gained popularity as of late.

Another notable small feature from the car cleaning kit is the small, circular sponge built specifically for rubbing wax on more evenly. The add-on of the microfiber towels is small but notable.

Each of the towels are relatively large and serve as an easy way to clean up any water droplets or stains as you go along with your work.

9-Piece Auto Car Detailing Brush Set

If you want an affordable way to restore your interior back to near-new levels, this HMPLL detailing brush set is well worth considering.

The car cleaning kit focuses exclusively on interior cleaning, so don’t expect any worthwhile ceramic waxes or absorbent drying towels, but what the kit does well, it does better than nearly anything else at the price.

The kit comes with multiple brush sizes and vent dusters, but the most unique items are the three wire brushes with bristles made of three different materials. These brushes work well on hard surfaces including grime in your engine and undercarriage.

Ultimate Car Detailing Kit

The Ultimate Car Detailing Kit from Armor All does everything you could ask of it with ease. The first thing to notice with this relatively smaller kit is how easy and effective each item is.

This stood out to me the most when cleaning wheels with the Extreme Shield ceramic wheel cleaner. The foaming formula immediately covered the wheel and after one application, I could easily scrub off stuck-on grime.

Unsurprisingly, Armor All also excelled in interior cleaning with the Extreme Shield protectant being one of the most effective items I tested. The spray left a noticeable sheen without that greasy or slippery feeling when I touched it.

The long-term protection against UV damage also can’t be ignored, especially when heading into the hot summer months.

16-Piece Arsenal Builder Car Cleaning Kit with Foam Cannon

If you have a few extra dollars in the budget, the Chemical Guys Arsenal Builder car cleaning kit goes above and beyond what you need.

The 16-piece set comes with many classic items like glass cleaner and a wash mitt, but also offers more exciting pieces like a foam cannon. The cannon provides a quick and easy way to coat your entire car in soap in just seconds instead of meticulously wiping it down.

The car cleaning set also has effective solutions such as the wheel cleaning gel which has drawn the praise of many Amazon reviewers.

Starter Car Care Kit

The Starter Car Care Kit from Griot’s Garage is built to serve as the basic building block for anyone who doesn’t own any cleaning products at all. With just six items, the car cleaning kit sticks to the bare essentials, but each as a high quality level.

While most serve as solid options you can reliably count on for years to come, they’re pretty standard cleaners—except the synthetic clay bar. The bar is an easy tool to remove not just dirt and grime, but also old layers of wax before reapplication.

Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wash and Wax

Not quite a traditional car cleaning kit, the Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Wash and Wax does the job of one in as few steps as possible. The product is designed to replace the tedious multistep process of cleaning and protecting the exterior of your car with just one cleaner.

This wash-and-wax formula is built for you to simply apply and wipe down the outside of your car, dry it off, and once clean and dry, create a durable wax exterior that protects from scratches or water damage. For the lazier car owners among us, the Turtle Wax cleaner is worth keeping an eye on.

Adam’s Arsenal Builder Car Cleaning Kit (16-Piece)

For a truly comprehensive car cleaning kit, look no further than the Adam’s Arsenal Builder Car Cleaning Kit. With cleaners and solutions designed for both the exterior and interior, the only decision you have to make is how thorough you want to be.

Similar to the Chemical Guys kit, the Adam’s option comes with its own foam cannon for easy application. The dual-sided brush allows for deep scrubs on your wheel including the hard-to-reach crevices on the front of the rim.

25-Piece Microfiber Car Wash Cleaning Tools Set

If you are looking for car washing tools, the AutoDeco car cleaning kit is your best option. With multiple dusters, scrubbers, sponges, towels, and wax applicators, the kit stands alone in terms of total tool availability.

The kit even comes with some rarer options such as a stone hooks to remove small pebbles from the treading on your tires and a plastic carrying case to store everything. Each kit also comes with foaming tablets that dissolve into a window cleaning formula.

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