Best tools for detailing cars in 2023

More and more people, after being disappointed with carwash services, decide to detail on their own. I found this form of spending time and meditation for more than 5 years, so I decided to share with everyone the best tools for detailing cars that will improve your detailing process and results. As well, you can find my post about the best car care products you should use!

1. High-quality drying towel

Good microfiber towels are actually a game changer when you are detailing a car, and it doesn’t matter if it’s interior or exterior cleaning. One thing that will make a big difference in washing and detailing your car is a high-quality, big-size drying towel. When I first used a big-size drying towel after I washed my car, it reduced my drying time from 10 minutes to 2 minutes. It brought me much more pleasure compared to using cheap microfiber from the nearest shop. Instead of swiping water from one side to another, high-quality towels are soaking water with just one swipe.

Check our list of best drying towels to get the right towel for yourself.

2. Set of detailing brushes – valuable tools for detailing cars

In the beginning, don’t buy the most expensive brush set for detailing that you will find on the market. Consider what car you have when you choose brushes. High-quality brushes are great but these types of brushes are very soft and made for expensive interiors with leather and wood. If you are driving a budget car with tons of plastic, it’s not necessary to have 50$ brush set. First time I ordered a 5-brush set from AliExpress and used the biggest one to clean wheels, one for exterior trim, and the rest for the interior. They will make a huge difference in your cleaning results and will help your car care products to remove all the dirt!

3. Proper wet and dry vacuum cleaner

Owning a good vacuum cleaner built for working in aggressive conditions will save you a lot of time and replace many detailing tools. For personal usage, Kaercher WD2 or WD3 is a great budget option that I have been using for a long time. For example, it can help you to clean car carpet without spending money on professional detailing services.

Powerful enough to vacuum all sand, dirt, leaves, and small stones from the car interior.
You can perform wet cleaning. Spray car care products by hand and vacuum them with a special nozzle for WD2 and WD3 vacuum cleaners.
You can dry your car with a blower function.

4. Pet hair removal brush

Even if you don’t have pets, you will be surprised how much hair and synthetic debris are on your floor mats, seats, and car carpets. It is a crucial part of your car interior detailing process. You will never pick up all this debris just by vacuuming the car interior. Use it one time and you add a pet hair removal brush to your every day detailing arsenal.

When I tried a pet hair removal brush for the first time, I did not expect to see any results. The reason is that I don’t carry pets in my car, and my car’s upholstery looks clean. After brushing the car carpet, I saw a ball of wool in my hand and realized that the upholstery was not as clean as I thought. My example proves that pet hair brush is not only for people who carry pets in cars. Hard to tell how much pet hair and other debris fall to your upholstery from your clothes. Imagine how much hair collects on car upholstery from the street.

Conclusion

I was trying to pick the best tools for DIY car detailing that suit everyone. Moreover, you can use every option on this list every time you detail your vehicle. If you are just a beginner, don’t buy the most expensive versions of these tools. Try first something cheap. Expensive tools have different variations and small details which you will not value and recognize if you have never tried them before. After working with entry-level tools, you will look at expensive tools and will know what you need and what you are overpaying for.

I hope that my article helps you to pick the right tools and that your upcoming detailing will be on the next level!