The Best Car Wash Mitts For Keeping Your Vehicle Looking Clean

Our editor’s pick for the best car wash mitt also happens to be one of the best deals on our list, and surprisingly, it also comes from one of the industry’s most trusted names in car care products. Like most of the products we’ve included here, Meguiar’s car wash mitt is made from microfiber that promises to be super-absorbent and soft enough that it won’t damage your car’s shine.

Meguiar’s says its mitt’s fine-weave fabric will lift and trap the dirt it picks up and hold it away from your vehicle’s paintwork to prevent the fine swirl marks that can ruin your car’s finish. For best results, the company recommends you use the two-bucket method to wash your car (which we describe in more detail at the end of this article) and employ a grit guard to help you pull more dirt out of the mitt before soaping it up again.

This mitt measures eight inches by 10 inches for efficient washing, and has a snug cuff to help you maintain a good grip. It’s also machine-washable, but only with other microfiber items to avoid collecting lint in the mitt.

When we compile these best-of lists, we’re always on the lookout for high-quality products we can recommend to you at an attractive price point. This time, SCRUBIT is our best value pick for this 2-pack of microfiber wash mitts. Colored bright orange, these mitts look like a pile of cheese-flavored snacks attached to a glove. However, we can assure you they are much softer (and less crunchy) than that. The deep-pile noodles promise to absorb lots of soapy water and pull dirt and grit up and away from your vehicle’s finish for a scratch-free wash.

The one claim SCRUBIT makes that we don’t buy is that these mitts are made to accommodate hands of all sizes, as multiple buyers said SCRUBIT’s mitts were tight on their hands. But look at it this way: if you’re concerned you might find some mitts too large, then SCRUBIT's smaller product might be a better fit for you.

Like most of the other mitts on our list, these are machine washable, as long as you wash and dry them on the gentle cycle and don’t use fabric softener.

If you prefer all-natural fibers, we recommend you look at this mitt, which is made of 100-percent pure lambswool. Many professional car detailers will tell you that lambswool is the best material for washing your vehicle, and this Mary Moppins product lives up to that hype. While it’s more expensive than many synthetic wash mitts, this well-made all-natural mitt should give you years of service in keeping your vehicle clean.

This is a large mitt, so you may find it a bit cumbersome if you have small hands, especially as it gets quite heavy when loaded with water. The one downside to using a pure lambswool mitt is that you have to be more careful about how you clean it after washing your car. You’ll get the best results if you use a wool-specific cleaner and let the mitt air dry.

While the product we’re discussing here is Mary Moppins’ wash mitt, the company also makes lambswool mops you can attach to a long-reach handle for washing tall vehicles like RVs, or the roof of an SUV.

Chemical Guys takes a slightly different approach to much of its competition with the Bear Claw wash mitt. It’s made of synthetic wool fur instead of the microfiber chenille material you’ll find in most of the other products on this list. The company says this mitt’s synthetic material is ultra plush to protect your car’s finish as it lifts and traps dirt. It also promises to hold more than five times its weight in water so that you can make fewer trips to your wash bucket.

Now, you may be wondering why we recommend this mitt as the best pick for washing wheels. That is because after washing, you may notice fine lint left behind on your vehicle’s windows and bodywork, and the wool can get caught on the edges of badges and other trim pieces. Therefore, we suggest you buy this mitt as a dedicated tool for cleaning your car’s wheels, where lint will be less noticeable and there are no sharp corners for the mitt to get caught on.

Here’s another high-value product to make washing your vehicle more enjoyable: a two-pack of Relentless Drive’s Cyclone car wash mitt. While this kit is not quite as affordable as some of our other budget recommendations, it’s an appealing alternative for its thoughtful design.

Relentless Drive uses thousands of fine microfiber strands, so you can expect this mitt to hold seven times its weight in soapy water for efficient washing. And because this mitt claims to also be effective at dusting dry surfaces, you could reserve one mitt for removing dust from your vehicle interior’s hard surfaces. This wash mitt measures 11-inches long by eight-inches wide. A wrist cuff works with an interior grip strap to help you keep a hold of this mitt when it’s loaded with water.

When you’re done washing your vehicle, you can toss this mitt in your laundry to get it ready for the next wash. Relentless Drive recommends tumble drying the mitt on low heat to keep the microfiber strands soft and absorbent.

Here’s a wash mitt from another of the most recognizable names in the car care products industry. Mothers makes its mitt with microfiber chenille woven into large caterpillar-like bunches that you can count on to absorb plenty of suds. Those large strands are designed to loosen dirt and lift it away from your vehicle’s surface and trap it until you rinse the mitt. That’s key, as it helps ensure you don’t drag dust particles across the paint and scratch it.

While this mitt—like the others on this list—is designed primarily for you to safely clean your vehicle’s painted surfaces, another benefit of its soft chenille fibers is you can also use it to wash the vinyl windows often used in convertible tops without fear of scratching them.

This mitt comes in a single size, with a knitted elastic cuff designed to help you keep it on your hand when it’s loaded with water. However, you may find this large mitt unwieldy if you have smaller-than-average hands. Mothers says its wash mitt is machine washable for easy cleanup.

With a unique 5-finger gloved design, you’ll be able to scrub every nook and cranny of your vehicle with Adam’s updated wash mitt. Plus, deep microfiber piling ensures the mitt effectively traps dirt and keeps it away from your paint. Like many other glove-type mitts, the fitment is universal, so you can use it whether you’re left or right-handed. There’s also an elastic cuff to keep the mitt secure, so those with smaller hands can clean worry-free.

Here’s a design we’re surprised is not more common: a car wash mitt that’s actually shaped like a glove. Though it’s made of a microfiber material similar to that of the other products on our list, this one promises to make it easier for you to access hard-to-reach bits of your vehicle’s bodywork. If you drive a modern vehicle with complex styling, we think this could be one of your best choices for a wash mitt.

Where we see you getting the most use out of this mitt is in washing aluminum wheels, especially if they sport an intricate design with small crevices where brake dust and road salt can accumulate. If you already have an exterior wash mitt you swear by, then consider this one for dusting your vehicle’s interior. Its individual fingers will make it easier to clean the slats of your car or truck’s air vents or around dashboard buttons and knobs.

Don’t worry about being right- or left-handed: this glove is ambidextrous, so you can easily move it from one hand to the other as your cleaning needs require.

The Rag Company’s pair of mitts are a great budget alternative to some of the choices presented here. They're competitively priced for two mitts that can be used for years to come. Plus, thanks to the color coding, you’ll never mix up your wheel mitt and paint mitt again. Rag Company also uses plenty of deep, long fibers to trap dust, just like all the best mitts do.

Chemical Guys’ Big Mofo mitt is exactly what it sounds like: a nice, big mitt you can wash your whole car with. If you’ve got a big car, this should be all the mitt you need. Thanks to its massive size (1ft x 1ft) the mitt holds tons of water, dirt, and grime. It’ll also keep that grime away from your paint, largely because of the large, thick piles that measure 4” in length.

What do you need to know before washing your car?

Photo credit: GT Stock / Shutterstock.com

So you've bought yourself a new car wash mitt and taken the first step to properly caring for and washing your car. Below, we'll go over some tips and tricks we've learned over the years while taking care of our own cars.

Choose the Right Car Wash Soap

Use the Two-Bucket Method

Pay Attention to the Wash Mitt’s Care Instructions

Should I use the same mitt for my paint and wheels?

No! Always make sure to separately clean your paint and wheels, starting with the latter.

How often should I rinse my mitt?

We rinse often -- depending on how dirty your car is, you may be rinsing as often as you clean a panel. To be on the safe side, this is a good place to start, but you can check for excess dirt on the mitt’s fibers using your other hand. If you feel anything but soap and microfiber, it’s time.

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