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Detail Bug Mantis Wheel Cleaner
Garage Therapy Wheel Shampoo
Squid Ink Citrus
Squid Ink Alkafroth
Garage Therapy Shampoo
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Strong Wheel Cleaner: Detail Bug Mantis
This is a great value, strong wheel and tyre cleaner. It really helps to streamline the process as it works effectively on both areas so there’s no need to use separate chemicals. For filthy wheels, I use it neat but for wheels which are a bit better maintained then 1:4 works great.
Here is a link to Detail Bug Mantis
Maintenance Wheel Cleaner: Garage Therapy /ONE: Wheel Shampoo
I was a bit sceptical about wheel shampoos before I tried them, but I’ve now been using this product for years on my car and love the results. It works really well at safely cleaning well-maintained wheels when a stronger cleaner would be unnecessarily aggressive. It’s the perfect option if you frequently wash your own vehicle.
Here is a link to the Garage Therapy /ONE: Wheel Shampoo
Pre-Wash: Squid Ink Citrus
When a car is really dirty, I like to start the wash process with a citrus prewash spray. This particular one is dilutable so really cost effective, foams up very nicely when agitated on areas like the tyres or wheel arches and does a great job at pre-washing the car. I use it a 1:9 on well maintained cars with protection, or 1:4 for those very dirty vehicles which need a stronger pre-wash.
Here is a link to Squid Ink Citrus
Snow Foam: Squid Ink Alkafroth
Another great pre-wash product from Squid Ink. This snow foam is thick, has a good dwell time, economical dilution ratio and most importantly, it has excellent cleaning ability. I tend to use it at 1:20 in the foam cannon when the car isn’t super dirty, and then 1:10 if the car hasn’t been cleaned in a long time or doesn’t have any protection on it.
Here’s a link to Squid Ink Alkafroth Snow Foam
Shampoo: Garage Therapy /ONE: Car Shampoo
This has remained my favourite shampoo for maintenance washes for a long time now. It’s a pH neutral pure shampoo which means it doesn’t contain any waxes or gloss-enhancers which could clog up the existing protection on the car. I like to use about 15 mL in a 20 L bucket of water, or apply it directly onto the car using a foam cannon. I find this works best at a 1:9 ratio in the foam cannon. This helps to make the contact wash even safer by adding plenty of lubrication.
Here is a link to Garage Therapy /ONE: Car Shampoo