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Car Wash Supplies Checklist
The supplies for a home car wash and interior clean, sorted by job.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
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If you wash your own car at home and want one tidy shopping list, this is for you. Esoteric sorts its washing range by job: shampoo and foam, insect and tar removal, water spots, wheels and tires. Sorting yours the same way helps you not forget the small stuff. Detailing.com's Mr. Nozzle crevice tool is 16 inches long, and its horsehair brush suits delicate interiors. The list leaves out polishers, pads and ceramic coatings. Two items, the car dryer and the air blow-out tool, add cost or need an air compressor, so weigh them for a basic wash.
Why these items are on the list
- Car wash shampoo. Shop it under Washing & Drying, with the other wash-day products, and you can grab them all in one go.
- Wash mitt or sponge. Esoteric sells car wash sponges in bulk packs, so a spare is easy to grab.
- Two-bucket wash system. Detail King lists bucket wash systems and a Grit Guard double bucket dolly separately, so check what you're buying.
- Wheel and tire cleaner. Wheel care and tire care sit together under Washing & Drying, so pick up a tire product while you're there.
- Insect and tar remover. It's sold separately from shampoo, so add it to the cart on purpose.
- Water spot remover. Water spots get a remover of their own, so add it if your water leaves marks.
- Large drying towel. Size matters here: The Rag Company's Gauntlet is 30 by 36 inches and costs $38 at Detail King.
- Car dryer or air blower. MetroVac's Air Force Master Blaster car dryer costs $650 at Detailing.com, so a big towel is the cheaper route.
- Microfiber towels. Towels come in glass, interior, drying and general purpose types, so pick by job rather than grabbing one pack.
- Glass cleaning towel. Keep one just for glass, since it's a separate type from the general purpose and drying towels.
- Microfiber detergent. Towels get washed too, and there's a detergent made for microfiber, plus a towel and pad cleaner.
- Wax or spray wax. Pick carnauba, hybrid or spray wax, and don't forget an applicator and towels to go with it.
- Clay bar and lubricant. Don't forget the lubricant; Detail King's Wonder Lube comes in pint, quart, gallon and 5-gallon sizes, so start small.
- Tire and rubber sealant. Rubber gets its own sealant; CARPRO-US lists DarkSide at $19.99.
- Vacuum with crevice tool. Detailing.com's 16-inch Mr. Nozzle tool reaches corners, edges and door tracks, not just open floor.
- Claw vacuum nozzle. It's the durable plastic nozzle commercial car washes use, and it works on carpet and upholstery.
- Soft horsehair brush. Natural horsehair bristles are soft, so they work on delicate interiors and tight spaces.
- Interior scrubbing sponge. Detail King's Scrub Ninja measures 5 by 3.5 inches and is sold in 3 or 6 packs.
- Pet hair remover. Skip it if pets don't ride along; Detail King lists pet hair removal as its own category.
- Leather care product. Esoteric lists leather care and protection as its own category; skip it if nothing's leather.
- Air blow-out tool. It needs an air compressor to blow debris and moisture from tight spots, so skip it without one.
It's easy to tick through on your phone at the shop or while you're comparing products online, and you can share it with whoever's washing with you.
When to use it
Useful before the first wash of the season, or when you're stocking a kit for a new car.