The 10 Best Car Cleaning Products to Keep Your Vehicle Fresh

Best Kit: Chemical Guys 16-Piece Arsenal Building Car Kit

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Our favorite car cleaning kit is the Chemical Guys 16-Piece Arsenal Building Car Kit because it takes all the guesswork out of cleaning your car. Instead of spending time researching and buying a bunch of products individually, opt for this comprehensive kit from Chemical Guys if you really want your car to shine. It has all the essentials for removing stains from your interior and sprucing up your car, including a detailing bucket, a foam cannon, a flagged trip wheel, a rim brush, a cyclone dirt trap, an easy-grip applicator pad, an anti-scratch wash mitt, a glass-cleaning cloth, and three multi-use microfiber towels.

This kit works amazingly well on plastic, leather, dashboards, glass, and navigation screens, so the interior of your car will be ready to show off in no time. As for actual cleaning solutions, you'll get a medley of products. This bundle comes with the brand's signature Butter Wet Wax, Silk Shine Dressing, Diablo Wheel Cleaner, and Speed Wipe—to name just a few. This is great for someone who wants to order the best kit and move on, but it might not work well for someone who has a few of these products already, because then you're double-buying.

Best Vacuum: BLACK+DECKER Flex Auto Compact Bagless Handheld Vacuum

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If you're looking to banish crumbs, dirt, and even sand from your interior car mats, you need a powerful vacuum with the right attachments. The best car vacuum for the job is the Black+Decker BDH1200FVAV Flex Auto Vacuum. Measuring only a foot across and weighing just over three pounds, it's conveniently compact and lightweight, and it's powerful suction will surprise you.

The 16-foot power cord and 4-foot flexible hose make it easy to reach all around the inside of your car. And thanks to the handy crevice tool, you can access every nook and cranny, such as between seats, inside cup holders, and in the door compartments. There's also a flip-up brush that's great for the dash and upholstery.

Best Soap: Chemical Guys Mr. Pink Super Suds Shampoo Superior Surface Cleaner

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What's the best car-washing soap? Chemical Guys Mr. Pink Super Suds Shampoo is our top pick. It's a pH-balanced foaming shampoo formulated to offer a deep clean on car exteriors without stripping the wax or sealant. It's also safe to use on vinyl, glass, rubber, and other trim pieces.

This car soap does an excellent job of getting rid of dirt, dust, grime, residues, and stuck-on particles while restoring your vehicle's shine. It's a concentrated formula, so add one to three ounces to a 5-gallon bucket and you'll be looking at a clean car in no time. We like that it can be used with a foam cannon, a pressure gun, or just an old-fashioned bucket of water. This cleaner is so sudsy that it could leave a slight residue behind, so make sure to thoroughly rinse when cleaning.

Best Brush: Carrand Flow-Thru 10" Quad Wash Brush

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You'll also need a quality brush when washing your car. It's important that this brush is long enough to reach the entire roof of the car but gentle enough as to not scratch it. We're big fans of the Carrand 93072 Flow-Thru 10-foot Quad Wash Brush because it fits the bill, and it has a telescoping handle and all-sided head that locks into place.

The handle extends up to 71 inches, allowing you to reach all the way over the roof of your car. This car-washing brush also has a variable-slide water control valve that you can hook your hose to if you'd rather not use a bucket. Depending on the water pressure, this feature can make it harder to control.

Best Wax: Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax

4.5

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Meguiar's has been making trusted auto-detailing products for over a century, and you can pretty much always count on quality. The brand's Ultimate Liquid Wax is our top pick for the best car wax because you can apply it in one step and the results on your car's exterior are stunning.

Not only does this synthetic polymer formula have a one-step easy application, but it also boasts a short dry time, superior protection from weather elements, and an affordable price tag. Whether you apply it by hand or use an electric polishing device, your car's paint will look restored with a mirror-like finish.

Best Rags: The Rag Company All-Purpose Microfiber Terry Cleaning Towels

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If you're cleaning your car often, it's wise to have some designated car-cleaning cloths on hand. Made of 80 percent polyester and 20 percent polyamide, The Rag Company's All-Purpose Terry Towels are exceptionally soft, absorbent, and durable enough to last through hundreds of washes.

They're 16 x 16 inches each and come in a range of colors from black to pink. We like that the microfiber material is designed to prevent scratches and streaks. While these rags might shed some lint before the first wash, you'll appreciate that they get softer over time, and are gentle enough to use on your car with confidence.

Best for Interior Surfaces: Chemical Guys Total Interior Cleaner & Protectant

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Looking for an all-purpose solution for the interior of your car? The Total Interior Cleaner is an excellent option. This spray is suitable for use on matte and shiny surfaces, including plastic, vinyl, glass, wood, metal, various fabric upholstery materials, and even leather.

The gentle yet effective formula tackles dirt, dust, debris, grime, grease, fingerprints, oily residues—you name it. In addition to cleaning pretty much anything, it also protects against fading and UV rays. While it may not be ideal for stubborn stains, you can rest assured it won't ruin the finish or texture of your interior surfaces.

Best for Disinfecting: Chemical Guys HyperBan Complete Vehicle Antibacterial Disinfectant Cleaner

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If you're worried about germs and looking for a car disinfectant, we love Chemical Guys HyperBan Complete Vehicle Antibacterial Disinfectant, which promises to kill 99.9 percent of germs, including viruses and odor-causing bacteria. Zani points out that this step comes after properly cleaning you car. "You can not properly disinfect a dirty surface, so you have to clean the surface first and then disinfect it," he says. So after your car's interior is clean, get to work with HyperBan.

Though this disinfecting solution shouldn't be used on real leather, it's suitable for a range of other materials, including plastic, vinyl, metal, and other nonporous surfaces. We also appreciate that it doesn't contain any harsh chemicals like VOCs (volatile organic compounds), and it doesn't have a fumey smell.

Best for Leather: Leather Honey Leather Cleaner

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Cleaning leather car seats? Reach for Leather Honey. This cleaning solution flaunts a non-toxic formula that works on any color of leather upholstery, whether in your car or on the leather furniture in your home. To apply, you'll need a microfiber cloth, which is sold separately.

Always test a small area before using a leather cleaner. Once you've tested a spot and are happy with the result, then it's time to put in the elbow grease. Leather Honey's concentrate is premixed, so you can apply it directly to your seats using a clean, damp cloth. Work in circles until you've cleaned it to your liking. While it might be tricky to spread in colder environments, you can always mix the concentrate with a little water to create a thinner consistency.