The best car wash kits to get your ride squeaky clean, tried and tested

CNN

02-07-2025

The best car wash kits we tested
Best car wash kit: Adam's Polishes Basic Essentials Detail Kit
Best budget car wash kit: Griot's Garage Wash and Detail Sampler Kit The best car wash kits are equally effective at wiping away layers of pollen as they are at freeing tires from caked-on dirt. They create a protective layer against the perils of the outdoors and can even minimize the appearance of imperfections in your car's paint job. Forget about streaky windows or water spots. And aside from being a must-have for car cleaning, a well-stocked kit is a downright blast to use because you get to take control of the sudsy, soaked car wash at home.
What belongs in a car wash kit, though? If you've never washed your car yourself, are there techniques you have to know about? I posed these questions to an expert detailer, then took his advice and applied it to my car (and my friends' and family's cars, much to their delight) by testing five different car wash kits and a selection of other detailing products.
I've already dug into the best car vacuums to spruce up my interior, but the results of this testing turned me into a detailing hobbyist who gives a hoot about how my car looks on the outside. These two winning kits might do the same for you.
Adam's Polishes Basic Essentials Detail Kit
You won't need to purchase anything more than this all-encompassing kit unless you become a detailing savant. With effective cleaning solutions, a useful foam gun and several high-quality brushes and towels, it's a one-stop shop for cleaning your car.
Griot's Garage Wash and Detail Sampler Kit
This sampling of essential cleaners and basic supplies makes a great intro to washing your own car. If you like it, you can invest in useful add-ons — like a foam gun and beefier microfiber towels — down the road. Anyone venturing into the world of cleaning their car will get the results they want from the Adam's Polishes Basic Essentials Detail Kit. It includes effective cleansing agents for each step in the process and nearly every tool you need to get the most out of them.
Working through a wash routine step by step is the best way to illustrate the fullness of this Adam's Polishes kit. The wheels, often the dirtiest part, came first. This kit included two brushes: a tougher one for the tires and another with longer, softer bristles for the wheels. The latter was the best wheel brush I tested, getting into cracks and crevices with ease. Spraying on and scrubbing in the wheel and tire cleaner created a frothy mixture that wiped out dirt and brake dust that hadn't been taken care of in who knows how long.
Cleaning the body of the car followed, and the Basic Essentials Detail Kit has an effective system that totally refreshed my ride after it hadn't been properly cleaned in months. The pH-neutral, concentrated car shampoo was the driving force behind the job. First, I mixed it into a foam gun to loosen up dirt on the surface of my vehicle. Next, I combined it with water in the included bucket, equipped with a grit guard to create a sudsy solution that I could wipe across the entire exterior with a microfiber wash sponge.
Once the whole car was mopped down, I moved to drying with the other microfiber towels included in the kit, all while misting on a detail spray to create a shiny top coat. The result was stunning, a finishing touch that took the look of my car to a new level and will help it stay that way until I wash it again in a few weeks. Raindrops have beautifully beaded on the paint ever since.
The rest of the kit's chemical cleansers have smaller roles but still play a part in making the Basic Essentials Detail Kit a winner. In between washes, the CS3 spray can handle lighter cleaning tasks to maintain freshness. To make my tires really pop, I put on the vinyl, rubber, trim and tire dressing with the foam block applicator. Then the blueberry-scented interior cleaner cleared my windows and dusted my dashboard. It's rare that an all-in-one solution like that works well on different surfaces, but this one was gentle enough to pull it off.
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This kit occupies a middle tier among Adam's Polishes' introductory offerings. Ditching the bucket and the foam gun for the Starter kit will save you about $40 (I wouldn't recommend it unless you already have the essential tools it requires). On the other end, throwing in a second bucket, a stronger foam cannon, a wash mitt and additional towels will bump you up $30 with the Complete kit. They're worthy upgrades if you can afford it. And if you just need refills, that's an option too.
Those other kits notwithstanding, the 17-piece kit is the sweet spot. Even if it's billed as the 'basics,' it's a comprehensive, effective kit that won't have you yearning for upgrades anytime soon.
If you're hesitant about spending money on a more decked-out car wash kit, this sampling from Griot's Garage has trial-sized bottles of essential chemicals and enough equipment to get you started on your first few washes.
Mini bottles of Griot's Garage's flagship formulas come with the Sampler Kit. First up is the Brilliant Finish Car Wash, then sprayers of tire cleaner, tire dressing, interior cleaner, glass cleaner and ceramic speed shine, a great finishing touch or spot cleaner between washes. The Foaming Glass Cleaner was a top performer in my eyes.
My favorite element of the Griot's Garage Sampler Kit was the words of wisdom included on each product. This package is geared toward beginners, and considering what's at stake — you don't want to hurt yourself or your car with any chemicals — the 'tips of the trade' on each label were a big help. On the glass cleaner, for example, the guidance read, 'For optimal performance, use a two-towel method. Use one microfiber for initial cleaning, and use a second microfiber to fully dry, preventing streaks. Wipe interior and exterior glass in opposite directions to easily reveal any missed areas.' You might not know to do that if you're simply used to spraying Windex on a mirror.
The tools in this kit were not robust, but I wouldn't expect them to be at this price. It comes with a large microfiber cloth for washing and three smaller microfiber rags for drying and additional wiping. They're adequate, though buying a few extra microfiber cloths or mittens wouldn't hurt and would still keep you priced well below the other kits I tested.
I didn't expect the wheel wash mitt to hold up against the dirty wheels I scrubbed, considering most kits included a tougher handheld brush, but I was pleasantly surprised by how the mitt helped me fit into the gaps and creases in my wheels' designs.
The Griot's Garage Wash and Detail Sampler Kit knows its role and excels at it. Don't confuse it with a forever purchase that will keep you stocked for years. It's not. Rather, it's a wise value purchase and the perfect introduction for anyone on the fence about ditching the car wash to do the job yourself.
As I assembled and tested these car wash kits, the following criteria guided my selection process and evaluations.
Contents
Essential cleaners/chemicals: Before getting into the specifics of chemical products that go beyond a simple wash, I looked at kits that covered the basics. They needed to have an easy-to-use concentrated body wash, plus a tire and wheel cleaner.
Detailing basics: While I didn't award kits for simply having a long list of contents, I did appreciate those that gave a peek into the world of detailing without getting too complicated and intimidating. Waxes, sealants, dressings, correctors and interior cleaners were among the categories I explored.
Accessories and tools: If you want your car wash kit to be a one-stop shop, it needs to have the tools to make use of the chemicals. Mitts, towels, foam cannons and applicator pads were the most important items I looked for here.
Organization: Space is precious in your garage, so a car wash kit that can remain organized and accessible is key. Typically, this means all pieces can fit in a bucket that's included in the kit.
Application
Guidance: Because of some of the formulas included in car wash kits, using each product correctly is important for both the health of your car's surfaces and your own safety. I assessed the instructions and warnings included in each kit and individual product, valuing those that clearly explained how to use the product and what to avoid in the process.
Ease of use: Reading the directions won't actually clean your car, so I evaluated how each kit lent itself to usability. Are there spray bottles for products that require one? Is the wheel brush comfortable to hold? How quickly can you dry the car with the included microfiber towels?
Results: This stuff had to actually work. Because I did my research and only sought kits from reputable brands, there were no duds in this group. But I made note of which products seemed to have less of an effect compared with the others, while highlighting the solutions that made my car sparkle.
Value
Price: Sticking it in neutral and floating through a car wash can be both convenient and entertaining, but the best kits I tested made the hobby a compelling — and value-driven — alternative to outsourcing the job.
Refills: Those buckets and towels won't be any good if you don't have any more chemicals with which to clean, so I assessed how accessible and expensive it would be to restock each kit.
A proper car wash kit will cover each of the high-level steps of washing your car: wash, rinse, dry and protect. Below are some additional products I tested that can supplement your car wash setup and help round out some of the less robust kits mentioned throughout this guide. These are broken down into three main categories and also include insights from Shad Stoker, former president of the International Detailing Association.
The right chemicals
A concentrated pH-neutral body wash is the MVP of any car wash kit. It's the sudsy, all-over solution you think of when car washing comes to mind. Typically, Stoker said, it will need to be diluted at a 1:128 ratio, so about 5 ounces in a 5-gallon bucket of water. (A small measuring cup will help; forgoing it during testing led to some of my solutions being too watery. Once you start using it, wipe in sections from the top of your vehicle to the bottom, rinsing after each panel.
But before going for the bucket, clean your wheels and tires. They tend to be the dirtiest parts of the car because they're closest to the ground and create a static charge while spinning. To clean, rinse each wheel first, then spray on the cleaner, which should be slightly a more aggressive formula than your body wash, somewhere between 10 and 12 pH. Then get to work with a brush.
'You want to work one wheel at a time,' Stoker said. 'The reason is, typically those tire wheel cleaners are a little bit more aggressive. So, if it's hot or you let them sit too long, they can, like anything, cause damage.'
While not mandatory, applying a sealant or protective layer after you've washed and dried your car can add longevity to its fresh look. Water will bead; the shine will stay. And while carnauba wax has traditionally been the norm in the industry, Stoker prefers SiO2 solutions that are easier to apply. You just spray 'em on, then buff off.
'Prevention is the best medicine,' Stoker said. 'When you apply a proper sealant or SiO2 ceramic spray … you're not only protecting your paint but you're creating [a] hydrophobic barrier between your paint and the elements. When you go to wash it again, those elements, because of the contact angle, don't stick to the sealants like they do your paint. So it stays cleaner longer, but it also comes cleaner a lot easier.'
Malco Ultra-Violet Premium Wash 'N Wax
This is a concentrated wash solution from one of Stoker's go-to brands. I washed my friend's SUV with this, and though we didn't think the car was that dirty beforehand, the shine this product delivered told us otherwise.
Chemical Guys Diablo Gel Wheel Cleaner
This bubblegum-scented foaming wheel cleaner really impressed me during testing. Keep in mind it is sold as a spray or a dilutable gel.
Mothers California Gold Ceramic Spray Wax
I tested this new release from a longtime presence in the industry, Mothers. It's an affordable final layer to protect your freshly cleaned car from the elements. Essential tools
Most kits arrive in a bucket that is great for storage, but that container is also the foundation of any wash. If you already have a bucket, using both a dirty bin and a clean reservoir of water is a common approach. But one small accessory, a grit guard, can upgrade a solo bin into a pseudo-filtration system. Whenever you soak your sponge or mitt in cleaning solution, the grit guard screens dirt so it doesn't transfer back onto the mitt — and your car. 'It creates a little bit of a barrier between the clean water and the dirty water,' Stoker said. 'They're super inexpensive, but they're just pertinent, in my opinion, for properly washing your vehicle without just stressing the heck out of it.'
Of course, you'll need a hose to fill that bucket. The hose will come in handy during the entire process too because spraying the car is a wise first step to cool it down and start to loosen any dirt. Then once you've washed it, you'll want to spray again to rinse. After that comes drying, a key step that prevents water stains from tarnishing all that work you just did. In my opinion, this is often where a drive-through car wash comes up short. Microfiber towels are the solution, as they're absorbent yet gentle on your car's exterior. Don't use the same towels you have in your kitchen and bathroom.
'I still drive through my neighborhood and I see people out there with their bath towel drying their car out, and it just makes me cringe because I know what they're doing to their paint,' Stoker said.
The Original Grit Guard Bucket Insert
Most of the kits I tested came with some version of this bucket insert. If you already have a bucket, it's a must for maximizing the effectiveness of your wash.
Flexzilla 50-Foot Garden Hose
If you don't already have a hose, or if the one you bought in the previous millennium has seen better days, this popular option will do the trick. Shelling out extra for a pressure washer isn't worth it for beginners.
Mothers Professional-Grade Premium Microfiber Towels, 12-Pack
This batch of microfiber towels came in clutch during testing because I always seemed to need one or two more towels than what was included in the kits. Difference-making extras
Here's where things get fun. Pre-rinsing your car before a wash works fine, but if you really want to get down and dirty, dressing your whole ride in soap works wonders. Because you can't lift your car into a 5-gallon bucket (even you, Mini Cooper drivers), a foam gun or cannon should be your weapon of choice. It's like real-life Splatoon. Blasting an initial layer helps break down the dirt, just as you'd soak a greasy pan into a soapy water before scraping off the gunk.
'When you're just taking a sponge or washing it from the bucket directly to the paint, even if you pre-rinse it, that body wash does not have time to emulsify and break that dirt up,' Stoker said. 'What you're doing is just basically scratching it off the surface. So by retreating with a foam cannon — you can get foam cannons that hook right up to your garden hose — you allow that cleaner to do what it's designed to do, and that's emulsify and encapsulate the dirt, so when you actually hit it with your wash mitt, all you're doing is removing it instead of breaking it free. You cause a lot less damage and you get a [much] cleaner vehicle.'
Just as microfiber towels are the safest drying mechanism, microfiber mittens are the best washing mechanism. Most of the kits I tested included one, but if your kit has a thicker sponge or several cloths instead, swapping for a mitt is a decision rooted in convenience and precision.
Adam's Polishes Foam Gun
A huge part of what put my favorite kit over the top, this foam gun lathers suds all over your car and easily attaches to a standard garden hose.
The Rag Company Cyclone Ultra Wash Mitts, 2-Pack
Using a wash mitt is the most efficient and thorough way to wipe down your car during a wash. This set is an upgrade option if you want to wash with a friend. The Rag Company has a more affordable pair too.
Chemical Guys HOL126 14-Piece Arsenal Builder Car Wash Kit
The strongest runner-up for one of my top spots, Chemical Guys' Arsenal Builder, is only missing a few items you might already have sitting around anyway. It delivered impressive results for a great price. Chemical Guys sells a wide range of washing and detailing supplies that are easily accessible at major retailers like Walmart and Amazon. I got great results washing with this kit, even if it didn't emerge as my top pick.
The contents here cover a lot. You have an easy-to-use foam gun, a grit guard and a microfiber wash mitt — all key to putting a car wash kit over the top. The cleaning solvents (concentrated wash, wheel cleaning gel, wet wax, glass cleaner and plastic/vinyl cleaner) give new users what they need without getting too complicated, and the price is appropriate, coming in just below the cost of my top pick costs with refills available under the same listing.
My gripes with this kit were minor. It didn't include a spray bottle, even though the wheel cleaner needed to be diluted in one, so luckily, I already had one I could use. An additional wash mitt would have been a nice touch too, though only the pricier Griot's Garage Weekend Therapy Kit included more than one.
Griot's Garage Weekend Therapy Kit
If you opt for my budget pick from Griot's Garage, this monster of a kit is the logical next step should you get hooked on detailing. A few obvious exclusions kept it out of the winner's circle for beginners. Weekend Therapy is a fitting name for this kit that doesn't skimp on chemicals or applicators to bring your car to a mesmerizing shine. You could spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon digging into the contents here, as it has more than any other kit I tested. Unfortunately, it lacks a few pieces I came to value during this process — namely, a bucket and a foam gun.
That said, anyone who dips their toes into the detailing waters by starting with my budget pick from this same brand should circle back to the Weekend Therapy kit if they find success. Traditionalists will be happy with the included paste wax, and the tools, such as the tire-scrubbing brush and extra-large drying towel, worked very well. Pair that with the built-in refill you'd be getting from the larger chemical bottles, and it's a sensible upgrade once you're committed and already have the tools.
Jay Leno's Garage Jay's Essential Detailing Bucket Kit
With the only glaring omission being a wheel brush, this kit from Jay Leno's garage — yes, that Jay Leno — is a decent option if you already have some of the tools I recommend. Former late-night host Jay Leno has turned his passion for cars into a line of car washing and detailing products. After testing this introductory kit, I can report that what you might assume to be a total gimmick is far from it. These products are legit.
I washed my sister-in-law's car, which has its fair share of bumps and bruises, with this kit. It came out looking pristine. I had to borrow a few tools from other kits to complete the job (there's confusingly no wheel or tire brush included), but I still came away impressed with the products. The Bucket Kit packs tire, wheel and glass cleaners, a concentrated wash solution, wet wax and a 'quick detailer' to deploy between full washes.
The best part of this kit, though, was the oversized drying towel. When drying cars with the microfiber towels included in the other kits I tested, I typically had to swap out for a fresh towel once or twice per vehicle. Not here. The Twist-Tech Edgeless Drying Towel was probably the best towel I tested for this guide.
The following FAQs have been answered by former president of the International Detailing Association Shad Stoker and include reporting by associate testing writer Joe Bloss.
What products should be included in a car wash kit?
What products should be included in a car wash kit?
A car wash kit should include a bucket, a pH-neutral car wash solution, a slightly more aggressive wheel-cleaning solution, a wheel brush and microfiber towels/mittens for washing and drying. The best kits include those basics but also throw in a grit guard, which keeps dirt separate from the clean water in your bucket, and a foam gun, which helps soap up your car for a more thorough clean. Surface-specific cleaners, like those for plastic and glass, are also useful for those who want more than a basic wash. Finally, those who want to wade into detailing should seek kits with a protectant or sealant such as carnauba wax or an SiO2 spray. Those will keep your car protected against the elements until your next wash.
Can I use dish soap to wash my car?
Can I use dish soap to wash my car?
No. Dish soap, such as Dawn, is not made for car paint. 'The surface of your vehicle is a lot more delicate than a dish,' Stoker said. 'So, Dawn dish soap will actually cause damage over time because it dehydrates the paint.' Stoker emphasized that using car-specific products is crucial because fixing paint can be one of the most expensive problems a vehicle owner can encounter.
What's the difference between car washing and car detailing?
What's the difference between car washing and car detailing?
'When you're car washing, you're just using what you have or you're using a [single] product to do all the things,' Stoker said. 'That's car washing. Detailing is when you're using specific applications and processes for each surface, because every surface is different.'
How often should you wash your car?
How often should you wash your car?
Conditions tend to be the greatest factor in how often you should wash your car, as a vehicle that sits in a garage won't need the same treatment as one that just explored a national park. A general rule of thumb is to try to wash your car every two weeks. But even I will admit that keeping up with that pace is not doable for everyone.
Is it cheaper to wash your car by yourself?
Is it cheaper to wash your car by yourself?
In the long run, yes. Even if you only go to a car wash once or twice a month, the cost will add up. With a car wash kit, you get the hardware for good and only need to pay for refills on chemicals. It's a larger investment up front that pays off over time.
For this article, we consulted the following expert to gain their professional insights.
Shad Stoker, former president of the International Detailing Association and tech specialist at Buddco, a detailing supplier in Salt Lake City, Utah
CNN Underscored has a team of skilled writers and editors with many years of experience testing, researching and recommending products who ensure each article is carefully edited and products are properly vetted. We talk to top experts when applicable to make certain we are testing each product accurately, recommending only the best products and considering the pros and cons of each item.
For this article, associate testing writer Joe Bloss did his family a huge favor and tested five car wash kits on their fleet of vehicles. Bloss has written many automotive product testing articles for CNN Underscored, including guides on the best emergency car kits, the best car vacuums and the best car phone holders.