The introduction of dedicated mitts for wheel cleaning has become increasingly popular. It has been demonstrated on social media by professionals how much more efficiently effective it is to clean behind a wheel with a microfiber towel or mitt versus creatively reaching around with a brush. These mitts are somewhat smaller than your traditional mitts. There is great irony from the evolution of using wheel cleaning brushes designed for intricate areas to now using microfiber products due to the difficulty of thoroughly cleaning intricate wheel areas.
The Wheel Woolies and traditional brushes are great at agitating and releasing grime from the intricate and often extremely dirty wheels. But there is a caveat.
Traditional wheel tools (particularly brushes) are also inferior at picking up grime not rinsed off, compared to mitts. Ideally the typical brushes excel at initial agitation where microfiber is great for cleaning and a following up drying or secondary cleaning. For drying, historically I have used regular wash mitts and microfiber towels that I dedicated for wheel, tire, and undercarriage use. I have used dedicated old and (different colored) mitts that I have dedicated for wheels. The Rag Company and Autofiber (two great microfiber towel brands) recently released dedicated wheel mitts. I wanted to test and share my experience with these two products.
The Rag Company Cyclone Wheel Mitt (pictured below)
The Autofiber Wheel Fingers Mitt (pictured below)
I recommend using nitrile gloves.
I believe we should be wearing nitrile gloves for many detailing activities. The circumstances coupled with the fit of these gloves, makes this a prime example of when to use nitrile gloves underneath.
The Rag Company Cyclone Wheel Mitt I instantly loved working with. I INITIALLY was not a fan of the AutoFiber wheel mitt at all, due to the rigidity of the mitt upon first use. Although still determined to explore ways to use the Autofiber Wheel Fingers, I had really struggled to find a meaningful place for them in terms of wheel cleaning or drying. I enjoy using both Autofiber and Rag Company microfiber products. I cannot imagine going without some of the newer Autofiber products. I was shocked at how difficult the Autofiber mitt was to work with. Maneuvered and positioned to your desire, it will make for a good drying towel. I believe a part of this probably has something to do with the design coupled with being 550 GSM. The lack of flexibility makes using them a very awkward experience.
I reached an epiphany via a third wash of the wheel mitts. The microfiber was more pliable. The act of washing the Autofiber wheel mitts, breaks in the mitts. It makes it more workable, improving the user experience.
I believe this is also an important time to remind you to take my opinion as personal preference versus gospel for these mitts. For products like this, it is often going to come down to preference. If I had to pick between the two, I would choose the Rag Company Mitt. I found myself using and (eventually) appreciating having both mitts in my arsenal. For rinseless washing and drying specifically, I may give a marginal edge to the Autofiber mitt.
Whatever you are debating using to clean wheels with (Cleaners or Brushes), a huge determinant may also be your wheel cleaning chemicals.