The Best Car Wash Mitts For Keeping Your Vehicle Looking Clean

Even if you’re only a casual car enthusiast, the ritual of washing your vehicle can be an excellent way to relax on a sunny afternoon. It’s a great way to get some alone time or reconnect with your family after a long week of work and other obligations. Regularly washing your car or truck can also pay off in more pragmatic ways. Bird excrement, tree sap, and even plain old dirt and dust can permanently damage the paint finish if you don’t clean it promptly, and that can have a negative effect on your vehicle’s resale value.

But whatever your motivation for keeping your car clean, it’s a task you’ll enjoy more if you have the right tools on hand. After soap and clean water, finding the best car wash mitt is one of the most important aspects of making the job easier and leaving you more satisfied with the results. Right now, you might be asking what’s wrong with using any old sponge to wash your car. A sponge is fine for washing many things, but it’s not ideal for a vehicle’s delicate paint finish. Although it may feel soft to your touch, a sponge’s foam material can be harsh enough to create fine swirl marks in your car or truck’s bodywork.

Some of the best car wash mitts are made of a soft synthetic microfiber chenille material that is designed to draw dirt and grime up and away from the paint so that those foreign substances can’t wreck the car’s finish as you wash it. If you prefer a natural material, lambswool is just as effective. Both options are soft enough that they won’t scratch your car’s finish.

For more information on the best car wash mitts, refer to our table of contents.

Why You Should Trust AutoGuide's Product Reviews

We drive the latest new cars, trucks, and SUVs, but did you also know the team at AutoGuide.com tests tires, waxes, wiper blades, and pressure washers? Before we recommend a product as a top pick in one of our popular product lists, our editors put it to the test. We run through all its features, test the claims that the brand makes about each product, and then give an honest opinion on what we like and don’t like from our personal experience. As experts in all-things automotive, from minivans to sports cars, and from portable jump starters to ceramic coating, we want to make sure you buy the product that’s right for you.

Choose the right car wash soap

Not all soaps are equal, not even when they’re specially formulated for washing your car. The number one rule is never to use dish soap, particularly if you use wax or sealant to preserve your vehicle’s finish. Dish soap is actually very effective at removing those products and destroying their protective qualities.

Generally, a basic car wash shampoo will provide good cleaning without stripping away any waxes and sealants you’ve previously applied. You can also choose a shampoo that contains a wax that will “top up” whatever sealant is already on your vehicle.

And if you want to start from scratch—so to speak—choose a shampoo that is formulated to strip all protectants from the surface so that once the paint is dry, you can reapply your favorite wax or sealing solution. Again, although dish soap is good at that, it’s better to use a stripping shampoo product formulated for vehicle finishes.

Use the two-bucket method

When you’re collecting all the products you need for your weekend car wash ritual, buy two buckets. That way you can fill one with soapy water for washing and use the other to rinse away all the dirt and grit that a good wash mitt will pick up. By doing this, you’ll avoid scratching the paint with the very stuff you’re trying to clean off your car.

A good wash bucket will have a grid that rests an inch or two above the bottom of the bucket. This is to help separate dirt from the water you will reuse; the dirt sinks to the bottom, below the grid, where it can’t get picked up again the next time you dunk your wash mitt.

Pay attention to the wash mitt’s care instructions

Don’t throw your wash mitt in the laundry until you’ve read the care instructions on the packaging or tag. Most makers of microfiber car wash mitts recommend washing them alone, or with other microfiber products. If you put a mitt in the washing machine with other fabrics, it can pick up lint that will be difficult to remove and will end up on your vehicle the next time you wash it.

Also, don’t use fabric softener when laundering your wash mitt. Though it seems counterintuitive, these products can cause microfiber materials to become stiff to the point that they can scratch your vehicle’s paint.

Finally, you should dry your wash mitt gently. Put it in your dryer on the delicate setting, or hang it to air dry.