Without shiny rims and deep-black tires, your car won’t look too great… Even if it’s washed.
There are so many different methods and products available to clean your wheels and tires at home that it can be difficult to know what to use for best results.
In this guide, I’ll teach you the basic method of cleaning rims and tires, as well as the best method dependent on your type of wheels!
Basic Method for Cleaning Wheels and Tires
This basic way of cleaning your wheels and tires is meant to be quick and easy and works on all different types of wheels.
It works best when integrated with your normal car washing process, but can be done by itself too.
What You’ll Need
- Car wash soap. I use and recommend Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Soap.
- Wheel brush or microfiber towels
- 2 Buckets
- Hose
The Process
- Mix your car wash soap in a bucket with water (follow mixing directions on your soap bottle).
- Fill a second bucket with water. This will be your rinsing bucket, as your brush/towel will become dirty very quickly.
- Rinse the wheels using a hose to remove loose dirt.
- Soak your brush/towel with soapy water and scrub the wheels and tires.
- Be sure to clean between the spokes and around the wall of the tire.
- Rinse your brush/towel frequently using the rinsing bucket.
- Rinse again using a hose to remove the rest of the dirt.
- Dry the wheels and tires using another microfiber towel.
- Optional: Apply a tire shine to give the tire a long-lasting black shine. Read the section “Best Tire Shine Gel” for my recommendation.
Best Way to Clean Aluminum Rims
One of the most common types of wheels is made of aluminum.
Using this method to clean aluminium alloy rims will result in a fantastic sparkle and shine!
The secret is using an aluminium wheel cleaner for maximum results.
What You’ll Need
- Aluminum wheel cleaner
- Tire shine
- Wheel brush
- Microfiber towel
- Hose
The Process
- Rinse the wheels using a hose to remove loose dirt.
- Spray the wheels with your aluminum wheel cleaner to break up tough dirt and brake dust. Be sure to follow specific directions on the bottle!
- Scrub the wheels with your wheel brush to remove the dirt.
- Rinse again using a hose to remove the remaining dirt and dust.
- Dry the wheels with a microfiber towel to prevent water spots.
- Apply tire shine. With clean and sparkling aluminum rims, you’ll definitely want to shine the tires.
Read my tire shine recommendation in the “Best Tire Shine Gel” section below!
How to Clean Brake Dust Off Rims
Brake dust accumulates on your wheels over time. This is caused by the brake pads being worn down against the rotors on your car.
This is normal, and unfortunately there is not much you can do to prevent this from happening.
You can use a brake dust protector to make it easier to remove the dust next time.
This method can also be used on tires!
What You’ll Need
- Purple Power
- Brake Dust Repellent
- Wheel brush
- Microfiber towel
- Hose
The Process
- Rinse the wheels using a hose to remove loose dirt.
- Spray the wheels with Purple Power. Purple Power removes grease and dirt very easily and can be safely used on wheels.
- Scrub the rims with your wheel brush to remove the dirt.
- Rinse again using a hose to remove the remaining dirt and dust.
- Dry the wheels with a microfiber towel to prevent water spots.
- Protect the wheels with brake dust repellent.
How to Clean Plasti Dip Wheels
Plasti Dip is an easy way to paint your car. It is a durable, colored, rubber coating that can be used on your wheels or other surfaces.
Plasti Dip can easily be applied and removed. Therefore, it’s very popular among car enthusiasts.
Applying this product changes the texture of your wheels, making it more difficult to clean.
What is Plasti Dip?
Plasti Dip is a coating that can be applied to surfaces to easily change color. It comes in several forms, such as a spray can, which is very similar to spray paint.
It can easily be applied to your wheels by spraying a few coats of the product.
It’s not only easy to apply, but also easy to remove. If done correctly, the coating can be peeled off the surface, restoring it to it’s original condition.
Plasti Dip is a great product, but because of the rubber texture it can be difficult to clean.
What You’ll Need
- Adams All-Purpose Cleaner
- Car Wash Soap
- Wheel brush
- Microfiber towel
The Process
- Rinse the wheels using a hose to remove loose dirt.
- Spray the wheels heavily with Simple Green and let sit for 1 minute.
- Soak your brush/towel with soapy water and scrub the wheels and tires.
- Be sure to clean between the spokes and around the wall of the tire.
- Rinse your brush/towel frequently using the rinsing bucket.
- Rinse again using a hose to remove the rest of the dirt.
- Dry the wheels and tires using another microfiber towel.
- Optional: Apply a tire shine to give the tire a long-lasting black shine. Read the section “Best Tire Shine Gel” for my recommendation.
Black Magic Tire Wet Review: Best Tire Shine Gel
A clean car with faded, grey tires doesn’t look very appealing! Tire shine is the perfect finishing touch after cleaning your car.
They come in many different forms, such as spray, foam, or gel. There are many different tire shine products out there, so it’s hard to find the right one.
After personally trying several different types of brands, I’ve found Black Magic Tire Wet Gel to be the best tire shine.
Easy to Use
Black Magic Tire Wet Gel is very simple to use. The product comes with all the tools you need: the gel and product applicator. This makes it quick and easy to get started shining your tires.
It is applied by simply squeezing the product to the applicator and wiping (or dabbing for extra shine) along the wall of the tire.
NO wiping away the product afterwards OR applying several coats!
Having one coat makes it extremely simple. With other tire shines I’ve used, I’d have to wait for the product to sit for 10-15 before adding another coat or two.
Long-Lasting Shine
After 2 days and 50+ miles of driving
The biggest reason I recommend Black Magic Tire Wet Get is the long-lasting, intense shine.
I have tried several different tire shines and I have gotten the best results from this one.
I was amazed by how long the product kept my tires looking shiny!
The tires would still look wet and shined after a week of driving. I could not get these results with other products I’ve tried.
The gel consistency of the product helps it last-longer and sticks to prevents slinging onto the car. Not only is the shine long-lasting, but it also has an intense, deep shine.
Black Magic Tire Wet Gel is the best tire shine gel to give the deepest, long-lasting shine to your tires!
After trying many different products, this one surpasses them all.
Check out the list of recommended products that kept my car squeaky clean and shiny.
