14 Best Car Cleaning Products for Washing Your Vehicle Like a Pro

With nearly 14,000 five-star reviews on Amazon, this all-purpose cleaner from the Car Guys promises to tackle nearly every spot and stain in your car. Reviewers rave about how the bestseller transformed their car interiors, erasing years of stains and restoring the color to their seats.

The best way to tackle messy cars? Prevent it from happening in the first place! Keep a lidded trash can, like this one from High Road, in your vehicle to contain all the wrappers, cups and other trash that accumulates in the car.

GH cleaning pros like the unique design that means you don’t have to open the lid to throw things away, which will keep stinky smells in. Not to mention, since the inside is vinyl, you can easily rinse it clean.

A inexpensive Amazon favorite with almost 11,000 5-star reviews, this handheld vacuum is a bargain to say the least. It plugs into your car’s 12-volt outlet with an almost 15-foot cord and features a headlight to nab every last speck under and between the seats. There’s also a washable stainless steel filter, a hose, brush, crevice tool and even a storage bag to pack it up neatly into the trunk so it’s handy at home or on the road.

Forget pricey trips to the car wash and add-on car waxes, Simple Green’s auto cleaner cuts through dirt, grime and grease (even bugs!) to leave your car with a polished, streak-free shine. Use it on everything from SUVs and trucks to motorhomes and ATVs. And according to auto experts, washing your ride with dish soap or dishwashing detergent can actually damage the finish. Stick with a product formulated specifically to wash cars instead.

Nothing's worse than parking your freshly washed car under a tree and having berries — or worse bird poop —land on it. Rather than heading back to the car wash or pulling out the garden hose, reach for Meguiar's Quick Detailer instead. The trigger spray bottle makes it easy to target small messes before they damage your car's finish. Simply apply the fine mist and wipe clean. It's neutral formula won't remove any wax that's already there.

Don’t let its name fool you: Bissell’s Pet Stain Eraser is great for way more than just pet messes. The Good Housekeeping Seal star vacuums up wet spills and removes stains. We like that it comes with a cleaning formula that stores on-board to remove not only your pet’s messes, but food and drink spills and set-in stains as well. It works on carpet and upholstery, and includes a bristle brush in case your mess needs extra scrubbing. Not to mention it has an 18-minute runtime so you can clean front and back seats with no trouble.

Use Weiman’s leather wipes to condition and clean your car’s interior — they’re even formulated with sunscreen to guard against damaging UV rays. Keep some in your trunk or glove box for quick access. In our Cleaning Lab’s tests, the Good Housekeeping Seal star wipes left leather looking richer and easily removed dirt and grime. Before giving your seats a cleansing, be sure to test in a hidden area.

The constant traffic of kids and pets can leave windows covered in grimy prints. Opt for a spray like this one from Invisible Glass that dispenses a fine mist instead of one in a trigger bottle to give glass a so-clean-it’s-invisible look in minutes. A fine mist stays where you spray it, so you won’t deal with messy drips or extra wiping. Starting at the top, wipe the glass vertically on one side and horizontally on the other. This way if you see a streak, you’ll know what side it’s on. This is our Cleaning Lab experts’ favorite window cleaner because it doesn’t drip!

There’s no easier way to rid your car of cold and flu germs from ill family members than with Lysol wipes. These aren’t for leather surfaces, but use them on anything plastic like the shifter, window buttons, door handles, floor mats, and other places that get touched often. Simply wipe the spot down, and then let air dry. You can also use these as a steering wheel cleaner if you don’t have a leather-wrapped one, if you do, go with the Weiman wipes instead.

Sunlight exposure, dry air, and everyday wear can leave leather interiors looking faded and dull, and cleaning alone can’t restore them. Good Housekeeping Seal star Furniture Clinic Leather Re-Coloring Balm is an easy-to-use pigmented paste that brings the color and shine back to worn items with just one or two applications.

After applying it to a leather recliner in Lab tests, we saw an instant improvement and after five minutes, we couldn’t tell the faded areas from the rest. Before using the balm, make sure the leather is absorbent (if a water drop soaks in, it is OK to use) and clean the leather to remove loose dirt and dust.

Just like microfiber shines up mirrors, surfaces and windows inside your home, this cloth mitt will work wonders on your car, too. Our GH Cleaning Lab has tested many of e-cloth's towels with impressive results which is why we're excited about this microfiber mitt made especially for the car. It's a super absorbent cloth that will leave your windows shiny and streak-free. Plus, it's machine washable.

Zap odors from stinky pets or snacks with a Febreze clip-on air freshener. Attach the Good Housekeeping Seal star your car’s vent, and air from the AC or heater disperses its scent with zero effort from you. This works for sensitive noses too, since you can easily adjust the top dial to release more or less fragrance.

Have fabric seats and can’t seem to get rid of stinky smells no matter how much you clean? They could be clinging to fabrics, but since you can’t toss your seats in the wash, try Good Housekeeping Seal star Febreze ONE, whose formula traps and deactivates odor molecules. We love that it works on fabrics and the air so you can zap smells in your car air with a few sprays.

Your infotainment system (whether you have a touchscreen, buttons or both) is a dust and germ magnet. To clean the screen, use soft microfiber cloths like these from Toddy’s, which are specially-designed for electronics. Then go over buttons and any other spots with crevices where dust can settle with your vacuum’s soft brush.