Your car is never really clean if its wheels are not properly washed. It's like going out in a very clean suit but dirty shoes.
Soapy water won't really clean your rims properly, so you need a wheel cleaner. Basically, this product is for rubber and for rims, by removing dirt, dust, and stains, it leaves your wheels "fresh" and looking like new.
However, there are many varieties of these cleaners on the market, and many people have the question, which is the best wheel cleaner? To make it easier for you to choose the best product, we've compiled a ranking of auto disc cleaners.
Below we have compiled the top 5 products that you can buy in 2022.
TOP-5 wheel cleaners to buy right now
Turtle Wax T-18 All Wheel and Tire Cleaner (under $5)
It stands out as the best quality auto wheel cleaner because it gets rid of harsh road salts that can damage the protective coatings on the rim and create rust. In addition, the cleaner also gets rid of winter dirt, leaving your wheels and tires clean.
Check PriceAdam's Wheel & Tire Cleaner (under $15)
A powerful cleaner designed to remove brake dust, dirt, grease, and road tar in a few simple steps: apply and wipe. These steps give your wheel a shiny finish and also remove scuffs on the sides of your tire, leaving it in its original deep black color.
Check PriceCarfidant Wheel Cleaner Spray Premium Rim & Tire Cleaner (under $20)
The cleaning solution has an acid-free formula that is safe to use on all types of wheels, which cleans rims from chrome to aluminum and even white tires.
On all of these types, the cleaner is very stain-resistant and its concentrated formula penetrates deeply into road salt, snow mud, brake dust, oil residue and other types of stains, restoring your wheel's shine to its original appeal.
Other features include packaging, which is very easy to use thanks to the sprayer. However, an applicator or microfiber towel is not included.
Check PriceTriNova Wheel Cleaner Rim Cleaning Spray (under $20)
Although it may cause skin and eye irritation, this wheel cleaner is actually acid-free and has a neutral pH composition, making it safe for use on aluminum, anodized, clear coated, painted, and other wheels. The product is also safe for use on motorcycle wheels as well as custom wheels and it is VOC compliant, making it environmentally friendly.
Check PriceMeguiar's G180132 Ultimate (under $25)
The composition of the product is also acid and pH-free, making it safe for factory coatings, chrome, alloy, and other wheels.
In addition to cleaning brake dust, the cleaner gets rid of stubborn metal contaminants, as well as salt and waterborne dirt.
The product has a special texture that adheres to the wheel for more effective cleaning, and a screw-on atomizer that has a long tube. However, the cleaner can cause skin irritation, so it should be handled with care.
Check PriceWhat kind of disc cleaners are there?
Before you buy this product, the first thing to check is the type, which can be one of the following.
- Color Changing
Some cleaners are designed to change color because they react with stains, and while this may not affect the performance or washing ability of the product, it does give a visual signal to show if the solution is working.
This is very useful and gives such a product an advantage over its non-color-changing counterparts.
- pH Neutral
This property is usually indicated on the labeling. Basically, if its pH is neutral, it will be safe to use on all types of rims and tires because its chemical composition does not cause corrosion.
A non-neutral cleaner, however, is usually acidic and can cause severe corrosion of chrome, aluminum, steel, and polished metal surfaces, sometimes even rubber.
On the other hand, this corrosiveness helps clean the wheels, this type of wheel cleaner is ideal for wheels with clear coatings or paint, because the acid will not come into direct contact with the metal, but will remove all the dirt using its acidic power.