New to Detailing Product Guide – Standard Details Edition

by Ian Martinez

If you are just getting into detailing it can be overwhelming the amount of products and tools that are available to you. So where do you start? This quick guide can help you jump into the world of quality detail products so you can ditch the dish soap and bath towels. This guide is for standard details only, so wash, dry, clay, protection, etc. Be on the lookout for our paint polishing guide as well as our ceramic coating guide.

Chemicals	Standard Washing	Waterless Washing
Car Shampoo Chemical Guys Maxi Suds II Thick, lasting suds, extremely slick with great cleaning ability.	✔
Waterless Wash Optimum No Rinse Dilutes 16:1, Great slickness and cleaning and cleaning ability. Leaves no streaks.		✔
Iron Remover Gtechniq W6 Iron and General Fallout Remover Use after washing, before claying to help remove stubborn iron deposits, doesn’t smell AS bad as some others.	✔	✔
All Purpose Cleaner Meguiar’s All Purpose Cleaner D101 Dilutes 10:1, great for cleaning tires, engine bay, exhaust, etc.	✔	✔
Detail Spray Nextzett Perfect Shine Use as a drying aid after washing, no streaking	✔	✔
Wheel Cleaner Sonax Full Effect Use as a drying aid after washing, no streaking	✔	✔
Tire/Trim Dressing Chemical Guys VRP Creme consistency for easy, accurate application. Matte, OEM finish. Easy to remove excess from wheels, windows, etc. Can be used on tires as well as plastic and rubber trim.	✔	✔
Glass Cleaner Meguiar’s Glass Cleaner Concentrate D120 Dilutes 10:1, makes 11 gallons! No streaking, low cost, just the best.	✔	✔
Protection (Good) CarPro HydrO2 Lite Super easy to use, can use on multiple surfaces easily. just spray on an hose off. Only last about 3 months.	✔	✔
Protection (Better) Sonax Polymer Net Shield Aerosol application, optically clean so can use on matte finishes as well. Lasts about 4-6 months	✔	✔
Protection (Best) Gtechniq C2 v3 Liquid Crystal Standard spray application, almost as easy to use as a detail spray. Can be difficult to use in cold weather applications. Amazing slickness and lasts up to 8 months.	✔	✔
Tools	Standard Washing	Waterless Washing
Wash Mitt The Rag Company Cyclone Small profile for great maneuverability. Hols soap well. Can be washed with the rest of your microfibers.	✔
Wash Microfiber The Rag Company Minx Extremely soft, foam like feel, holds a ton of product, edgeless.	✔	✔
Pump Sprayer Nextzett Atomizer Pump Sprayer Easily large enough to do a whole car. Sprays fine mist that is adjustable. Well built to last a long time.		✔
Foam Cannon (optional) DI Foam Lance Easily large enough to do a whole car. Sprays fine mist that is adjustable. Well built to last a long time.	✔
Foam Gun (optional) Gilmour Foamaster II If you just have a hose this is a great option as well. The foam isn’t as thick but still very helpful.	✔
Grit Guard (x2) Grit Guard Insert Keep contamination at the bottom of the bucket during a two bucket wash. Helps prevent it form coming back into the wash mitt.	✔
5 Gallon Bucket (x2) DI Bucket 5 Gallon Fits grit guards well. Color coded option available.	✔
Wheel Brushes DI Boars Hair, Wheel Woolies Essential when cleaning wheels. The boar’s hair is perfect for lug nuts/bolts and wheel crevices. The Wheel Woolies work excellent for the wheel wells, arches, and sides of spokes on more open designs.	✔	✔
Clay Block CarPro Poly Shave Decon Clay Block My preferred method to clay a car. Easy to hold, removes contamination extremely well, easy to rinse off. Low cost for when needs replacing.	✔	✔
Tire Brush Tuf Shine Tire Brush The best tire brush available. Hands down. Perfect combinations of bristle stiffness and density.	✔	✔
Tire Dressing Applicator DI Precision Dressing Applicator Works great to apply dressing and easily gets into tires cervices and lettering. Separated holding section to keep product off your hands.	✔	✔
Drying Microfiber The Rag Company Twist N’ Shout Dyring Towel One of my favorite drying towels. Lightweight but soaks up a ton of water.	✔	✔
Glass Microfiber DI Glass Polishing Towel The best glass towels. Short nap for the initial clean and long nap to buff off the excess. Smaller size makes it very easy to handle around windows.	✔	✔
Dirty Job Microfiber DI All Purpose Towels Engine bays, door jambs, interior, etc. Surfaces that aren’t super delicate but will get dirty, these are the towels to use. Color coded options available to separate interior/exterior.	✔	✔
Paint Safe Microfiber The Rag Company Eagle Edgeless These are the towels to use with detail spray, sealants, etc. Super soft and plush, but not too plush to be hard to use. Edgeless design ensures they will not scratch.	✔	✔