Car wash products can be worth every penny, while others are good for selling in your next garage sale. We all know how it goes – sometimes when you are browsing in the auto department, you see a few must have car washing products that look great. Then you get home and try out your new toy, only to find out it is about as worthless as a $3 bill – right? Been there done that!

To help save you the money and embarrassment of getting another product that doesn’t do what it promises, we have a few suggestions that not only get the job done, but make cleaning your car fun again. Here are a few good car wash products:

California Car Duster – this little number has earned its reputation the hard way – by doing what it promises! You simply use the lightweight duster to clean off dirt and grime from your car. The duster head won’t scratch your paint job and it seems like the more you use it, the better it works. It does a great job of trapping dirt and not just pushing it.

Mothers Wheel Brush – this is a great brush for cleaning your wheels. If they are really dirty, then this isn’t the tool for the job, but it is great for maintenance cleanings. It has a nice ergonomic handle that protects your hands from the dirt that kicks up as you are cleaning. It also has protective rubber so you won’t scratch your rims. Great little tool!

HomeRight Auto Wash Stick – here is a great tool for washing the hard to reach places on your car, such as the roof and the door panels (if you are lazy like me and hate bending over). The wash stick can be extended to 4 feet and it holds the soap inside so you don’t have to keep dipping in the dirty buckets.

Washing your car can be a pain in the rear end, especially if you wash your car once a week like I do in the warmer months. Which is why any tool you can find that makes the job a little bit easier and it actually works, is worth it’s weight in gold.

Car wash soap is an often overlooked, but essential tool for giving your car that hot “out of the show room” look. There are many generic and brand name products that are on the market, but not all of them are created equally. Some car washing soap don’t do what they are suppose to, and other brands actually leave a sticky film that dulls the finish. Either result isn’t very desirable.

We have come across several brands that we always seem to keep going back to because they are both reliable and the price is always reasonable as well. If you want the best bang for your buck that will keep your car looking sharp, here are our top picks:

Mothers California Gold Car Wash – this is a staple in our family. Mothers soap cleans your car extremely well and never dulls the paint or harms any prior wax jobs. The more you use this on your car, the better it seems to work, from our experience. A definite thumbs up!

3M Car Wash Soap – this has been a staple in detailer shops for years and with good reason – it does a fantastic job on almost any finish. It easily removes most dirt without much elbow grease, and like all good car soap, it doesn’t harm the paint. Easily one of our all time favorites.

Poorboys Car Wash Soap – if you are concerned about using natural products on your car, then Poorboys is for you. Their products are non-toxic and also biodegradable so they are safe for your car, you and the environment. This soap offers up a great shine and is only marginally more expensive than most brands.

You really can’t go wrong, no matter which of the three soaps you choose from above. All will give your car a sleek shine that will make your neighbors glare with envy at your hot ride!

Car shampoo is an often overlooked way to really give your vehicle that extra long gleam that you can be proud of. Far too many people just buy any old product and wonder why their car has water spots and ugly residue left over. Well, cheap products create cheap looking finishes.

When you are picking out a car shampoo product, you want to be sure that it not only does what it is suppose to, but that it also doesn’t stain or discolour your vehicle’s paint as well. Many cheap car shampoos have been known to do this, and in some cases, expensive ones as well. I have used a number of products, but here are a few of my favourite brands:

Meguiar’s G7101 Gold Class – this car shampoo always gets five star reviews from anyone who uses it. It is made of rich conditioning oils that rejuvenate the paint of your vehicle and helps to bring out it’s natural glow. Your vehicle will look just like the day you drove it off the lot (minus all the dents!).

P21S Bodywork Conditioning Shampoo – this is a great environmentally friendly car shampoo that contains ingredients such as wheat germ and sugar extracts. It is one of the few products that doesn’t leave any water marks (I suspect because of the ingredients). One bottle can last a really long time!

Einszett Perls Premium Car Wash Shampoo  – this is another phosphate free product that you can feel good about using. It will gently clean your car and leave it with a glossy shine for at least 3-4 weeks. A really great product.

Even though these are high quality products, I still suggest doing spot testing before you wash your car. Sometimes a good product just may not agree with your paint!

Car carpet cleaner is supposed to clean your mats and floors, but in some cases the product can cause discoloration and do an all around poor job. I recently had a friend who used a car’s carpet cleaner and it turned his mats yellow! Suffice it to say, he wasn’t very impressed.

There are a number of quality products on the market that do a great job on your car’s carpets and mats, and we have rounded up a few of our top selections here. Most of these products have been around for a number of years and have earned a reputation of excellence and trust.

Mothers Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner – all mothers products get nothing but positive reviews from most car enthusiasts because they exceed your expectations every time. This cleaner is environmentally friendly and it won’t stain your car’s carpet or upholstery. It is safe on vinyl, cloth, carpeting etc.

Turtle Wax T-244A Car Carpet Cleaner – this is their heavy duty carpet cleaner that will knock out almost any stain. From pet stains to food stains, it can handle almost anything you can throw at it. It has a bristle top to help scrub out stains, but I suggest using a regular brush.

Mothers Upholstery and Car Carpet Brush – speaking of brushes, this is one of the best you will find for getting your carpets and mats cleaned. It is lightweight and very effective at brushing out those tough stains.

If you are looking for the best car carpeting cleaning products, you simply can’t go wrong with our suggestions above.

Colored car wax is something we get a good amount of emails about on a regular basis. Many readers want to know how I feel about it, and if it is worth buying or not. To be perfectly honest, I feel that any good wax will do the same job as a color car wax. However, others disagree with this opinion, which is their right.

My best suggestion is to buy a colored car wax and a regular wax of the same brand and see if it makes a difference for your vehicle. As I always say, go with your eyes – they will tell you all you need to know.

Now it doesn’t matter if the wax is colored or not, you still need to follow a few basic tips:

If you want a quick shine, then a spray on car wax will get the job done quickly, but it won’t last very long. I have found that a liquid/paste wax is harder to put on and take off (generally about an hour), but it is much more effective and will last for a very long time.

Now when you are comparing liquid wax vs. paste wax, many people will tell you that it is easier to apply and take off a liquid wax. However, with the new technology manufacturers are using, I have found that most of the new paste waxes are in fact easier to apply and take off, than the liquid. So don’t believe everything that you hear and test for yourself.

So how do you choose a car wax? If you have a newer car (2-3 years old), then a spray wax will do the job. Most waxes won’t really make a new car shine better, it is much more important to simply keep your car washed and cleaned to protect the paint job. Simply said, wax isn’t a must have for newer cars.

If you own an older car, then you will want to buy car wax that is designed to renew the finish on cars that have begun to oxidize. You will also want to use less abrasive car waxes if you own a darker colored vehicle, as some waxes can leave small scratches that will show up more easily on dark colors.

Finally, always test any new wax on a small area of your car, preferably in an area that isn’t very noticeable. This way you will give you a good feel for how it works before using it on the entire finish of your car.