Easily the dirtiest part of our car is the wheels. Kicking up all kinds of debris and contaminants from the road, keeping them clean and protected can be a real chore. That’s why we have these seven tips, tricks and hacks to help you remove brake dust, road grime and tar spots when cleaning your wheels.
1. Use a feather tip brush to clean wheel nuts
In general, wheels are easy to clean. They’re large, hard surfaces with a dedicated cleaner and not too many minor details. However, tight spaces like the bolt recesses can be tough to get into.
While you can remove your wheels from the car to thoroughly clean the bolts and the sockets, it’s time-consuming and requires specialist equipment.
That’s why to get into these smaller gaps a delicate brush like our feather tip brush is ideal! Their long, delicate bristles can reach into the socket and agitate the dirt from the hole, as well as being gentle on painted bolt heads.
Another great way to use a small brush is for the crease between your tyre and wheel. This small gap can stand out after cleaning the rest of your wheel and can be an easy spot to miss. Just run your brush along the crease to rid the crevice of dirt and rinse off.
2. Pre-Wash the Wheels
With your wheels getting so dirty, it can be hard to get through to ALL the dirt. To make this a little easier, we recommend a quick pre-wash before getting stuck in.
Just give each of your wheels a quick spray with wheel cleaner and leave to soak for 2 minutes. Rinse off to remove the surface dirt, then continue to clean your wheels as normal. Whilst it might seem insignificant, this quick spray can help get rid of the surface dirt, allowing you to get to the deeper engrained dirt beneath during your deeper wheel wash. On top of that, a quick pre-wash will reduce the potential of adding scratches and marks to the wheel during the contact wash.
3. Use a Microfibre Wash Mitt
Whilst we have a great range of wheel brushes, our favourite way to clean wheels is with one of our wash mitts. The microfibre surface is super soft, helping avoid scratches, particularly on coated or painted alloys.
The pliable material also means you can reach around details in rims, as well as clean the face of the wheel. Be careful though! Don’t use the same wash mitt as you would on your bodywork, as this will spread dirt and grit from your wheels onto the paintwork, causing scratches and swirls.
4. Use Pre-Wash and a Tyre Scrubber for Clean Tyres
Your tyres are probably the dirtiest part of your car. They deal with the road grime, mud, dirty puddles & fallout from your brakes. Our Almighty Power Pre-Wash is a great all-around cleaner. It works to dissolve all kinds of dirt and can be safely used on a variety of surfaces.
As your tyres are a bit hardier than most other areas of your car, you can afford to be a bit rougher scrubbing the dirt off too. That’s why we recommend using a dedicated tyre scrubber! The firmer bristles will agitate the caked-on dirt and clean the grooves and crevices of your tyres.
5. Get a Quick Shine
If you’re only performing a quick wash, or don’t have time for a full wheel wax or sealant you can still get a great shine on your wheels! Our Speed Shine Detailer is safe to use on all wheel types, including painted or coated alloys and will provide a great, finishing shine. The best thing about speed shine detailer is it can’t be over-applied and doesn’t need any buffing to gloss. Just wipe away any excess with a microfibre cloth.
A quick detailer can also be a great option between washes for a speedy shine and lift the look of your wheels.
6. An Extra Wheel Cleaning Boost
If the wheel cleaner isn’t quite enough to rid your wheels of dirt, try a fallout remover! Fallout eliminator will work to dissolve iron fallout and is a more concentrated formula than the iron remover in wheel cleaner. Just spray on as usual and add a little extra agitation for wheel cleaning perfection.
7. Use Tyre Serum
Using a tyre serum will bring shine and UV protection to your tyres. One coat provides a semi-matte finish, and two coats will bring a high-gloss finish. This can make a huge difference to the look of your car! There’s a reason dealerships gloss tyres with oil to make cars on the forecourt look more appealing!
Tyre serum with added black pigment is a quick way of bringing up the look of your car and provides the perfect finishing touch to any thorough detail. The best way of applying our tyre serum is with a dedicated applicator. The curved surface allows for thorough coverage across the tyre and helps avoid spills onto the main wheel surface. Moreover, the sponged surface helps with even application and avoids big blotches being left behind.
Whilst our tyre applicators are great at applying tyre serum to most wheels, sporty, low-profile tyres can be difficult to work with. To help solve this, rotate the applicator on its side, and apply the serum using the long edge. This will help stop you from spilling tyre serum onto the rim itself, as well as providing a thorough even finish.
Plus, for those wanting quicker, easier results, we have a tyre glaze. 10 seconds a tyre for perfect glossy results that last until your next wash! Simply spray and leave.
If you want to test these hacks for yourself, you can shop our full, wheel cleaning range here.
