Car Care

Best automotive care products to keep that new car shine

There are plenty of automotive care products on the market that can improve the appearance and longevity of your car features. Cleaning your car and protecting surfaces from harmful UV rays are just as important as regular maintenance. So wash and protect your car regularly for having it shine like new for longer.

Giving your car a weekly or monthly wash with a quality soap is a good way to start when it comes to protecting your cars paint job. But there are more automotive care products that can have your car shine like new, inside and out! Interior protectants and cleaners, car wax and quality cleaning accessories are a few products that should be added to your car’s care kit.

We have summarized the most important products for your automotive care kit here:

Cleaning accessories

Washing Mitt

To protect your car from scratches while cleaning it, don’t be tempted to use an old cloth but use a sponge or even better, invest in a washing mitt. The hand wash mitts will provide better cleaning experience as you can easily reach and clean your car with it, but it can hold a lot of soap, making the cleaning more efficient. But they will also protect and preserve the car paint and exterior as they are soft and made from microfibers.

Wheel brush

For the thought grim and dirt that will be hard to get off, you have the tire brush to help with the cleaning. It will make you reach into the tricky places and have your tires sparkling clean.

But remember to keep the tire brush for the tires only, as the bristle together with stuck dirt could scratch up the exterior or other parts on your car.

Microfiber towels

Microfiber cloths are great for using while cleaning your car, both inside and out. They have soft textures that won’t scratch up your car and it’s also perfect for drying as they are very absorbent and can very effectively remove excess water.

Car wash products

Car Wash Soaps

Car enthusiast will tell your how important it is to wash your car regularly, an it’s because of two main benefits. The first one is pretty obvious, your car will look shiny and new as you will remove the dirt and other contaminants from the surface of your car allowing the shine to come through. The other reason is that build up dirt and residue can damage the topcoat of your car and this can slowly lead to degrade and it needing a new paint job.  

The best way to wash your car is to, believe it or not, do it yourself! The automatic car washes have massive spinning brushes that cleans the car, these brushes can leave tiny swirl marks in the clear-coat of your car damaging it, little by little. You should therefore buy a good quality car soap and a good wash mitt and get to work!

It’s important to buy a special car wash soap or car wash shampoo instead of regular soap. This because car care products are specially created for use on paint finishes and clear coats, with more lubricant so it’s safer on your car’s surface and won’t damage or remove the wax or protectant from your car’s surface.

You have the wash and wax car soaps that will have your car clean but also adding a layer of protective car polish to the car. It won’t be the same as a proper layer of wax but it will add to the shine and longevity of your cars top coat.

Window cleaner

After cleaning your car, the car windows might be clean form the outside, but make sure the inside of the glass gets cleaned as well! Over time, the inside of your windows can collect all sorts of residue, leaving them cloudy and dirty. Use a window cleaner to get this residues off and why not buy one that is an anti-glare product that can provide better visibility at night.

Tire cleaner

Tires can be quite tricky to clean, depending on the design or your rims. That’s when the tire cleaner comes in handy. It will clean off the stubborn dirt from your tires easily as you can apply it after rinsing the tires, wait for a few minutes and then rinse the dirt off.

When buying a tire cleaner, make sure it’s safe to the finishes you have on your car. Some cleaners can be harsh and damage the rims and we don’t want that!

Car wax & polish

For your cars finishing touches, a car wax I commonly used and recommended. It’s recommended to polish and add paint protection with wax every 6 month to retain its glossy finish for years to come and protecting it from the dirt and debris that it will encounter.

Polishing your car can also remove smaller scratches and swirl marks caused by dirt and debris.

If you are new to waxing and polishing, follow the instructions on the packaging as it will assist you with the application.

Interior protectant & cleaner

The harmful UV rays can easily damage the exposed surfaces inside of the cabin. It’s therefore important to clean and protect the interior of your car with a protectant and depending on the car, you would need to buy a product that works for the different surfaces.

Some cleaners and protectant are best suited for vinyl, plastic, and rubber surfaces so you would need to buy a different interior cleaner or protectant if you have leather seats and details in your car.

And products finishes also differ, some leaves a shiny surface and some a matt so choose one based on your preferences.

Car air freshener

And as for the final touch, add a car air freshener to keep that fresh smell of a clean car alive for weeks!