5 Best Car Wash Shampoo-Buyers Guide-Autodetailinglab


The sun is out and its time to give your car a good wash before you hit the freeway.

Or are you looking at how to wax your car and want to prepare it properly? 

Either way you need the best shampoo, otherwise you could be wasting your time.

Using a poor quality shampoo can make the washing process take longer. Fail to prepare the surface for polishing and make you feel you have wasted hours.

What is it that makes the best car wash shampoo?

In this blog post we have taken a deeper look into the reasons why some of the Best Car Wash Shampoo performs much better than others..

Delving into the ingredients we have come up with what believe are the major contributing factors that make the difference.

The difference that takes minutes off the time you spend washing off bugs and grime. 


Wash bucket showing car shampoo bubbles with wash mitt in the middle ready to start washing car

We know choosing is difficult. So, have cut through the marketing noise, narrowing it down to only the best car wash shampoo we think will give you the best result.

These will give you:

  • The best prepared surface for polishing
  • Reduced damage paintwork
  • Quick  gloss shine for maintenance washes
  • Time saving and valued adding factors

Read on to find out the secret polish sauce!

Citrus the secret sauce of shampoo!

Have you ever wondered why many dish-washing liquids contain "Citrus"?

Well its not just to make it smell nice!

This was one of the first major factors we uncovered in our research, citrus has some remarkable properties! 

Firstly its citric acid properties promote the breakdown of alkaline deposits on the body work. Secondly when combined with surfactants (Surface-active) they create a super cleaning agent that literally suspends and lifts dirt and grime off the surface.

Making Citrus based cleaners the best option if your car is heavily soiled.With the added bonus of smelling wonderful!

Car wash shampoo can enhance your paint!

If your cars bodywork is on the better side then you could be best looking for the best car wash shampoo to enhance the paint. In this case you are best opting for a shampoo with enhanced paint conditioners.

Some of these paint conditioners additives are derived from coconut extract and ensure the shampoo produces the maximum foaming qualities,

Isopropyl Alcohol Shampoo

Some of the best car wash shampoo contains Isopropyl alcohol. This is an alcohol based cleaning agent that removes oil and residue from painted surfaces.

Shampoos with this ingredient are useful when you are planning to re-wax the car as this can help to loosed or remove the old wax layer. Although the whole process may take a number of washes to complete.

Isopropyl Alcohol is also an excellent agent to remove tar spots and dried sap off trees. So, again look the best car wash shampoo containing this ingredient if you have tar or sap deposits on your car.


Here are what we think are the 5 Best Car Wash Shampoos

5 Best Car Wash Shampoo's

5.0
Tub of Chemical Guys Citrus Wash and Gloss

Chemical Guys Citrus Wash & Gloss

Top quality Car Wash Shampoo from the Chemical Guys which maximises use of Citrus as a surfactant to lift off dirt and road grime. 

Whilst still being gentle enough to not affect any wax coat.

Add in a Gloss enhancer to give the best Citrus formula out for cleaning and shining your car, and in our opinion you.


  • Best Cirus Based Car Shampoo    
  • Gentle enough to not affect wax   
  • Available in 3 sizes, 4,16 or 64 ounce
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
One Gallon Container of Meguiars Gold CLass Car Wash Shampoo

Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash

Meguiar's top of the range car wash shampoo that provides a luxurious foam to condition even the harshest grime. Its Bio Degradable are safe and effortlessly replenish the bodywork.

  • Premium Formula Car Wash
  • Rich Foaming Properties
  • Paint Conditioners to give that deep gloss finish
5.0
One Gallon Container of Mothers Car Wash. Yellow in color

Mothers California Gold Car Shampoo

Top quality PH balanced car wash shampoo from the reputable Mothers company. Gives a great finish and good value for the amount of washes you get out of a container


  • PH balanced Car Shampoo    
  • Good concentrate, one container lasts well   
  • Available in 3 sizes
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
4.3
A container of Griots Rinseless Car Was Shampoo

Griots Garage Rinseless Shampoo

This ultra concentrated car wash shampoo is a unique blend of hydrophobic polymers and Carnauba wax. There is no need for rinsing so ideal if you live in an apartment of limited water supply area.

  • Unique blend of Polymers and Carnauba
  • No rinsing needed!
  • Reduces risk of rinsing water staying crevices

5 Best Car Wash Shampoo's

5.0
1 gallon container of Adams Ulra foam car wash shampoo. The liquid is purple in color

Adams Ultra Foam Shampoo

This ph neutral foam is boasted as being one of the "Foamiset" foams on the market. If its maximum heavy foam  you require then this is your product!

Its specially designed formula prevents water spots even when used in direct sunlight. The high concentration means you get bucket after bucket out of one container.

Rinses clean without any streaks.

  • PH neutral foamiset foam!
  • Can be used in direct sunlight  
  • Use in bucket or foam cannon.
4.3
4.3

Best Car Wash Shampoo FAQ'S


Q. How often should you wash your car?

A. For total protection from the elements, road debris and pollutants you should wash your car every week. At longest gap every 2 weeks

Q. What is car wash shampoo?

A. Car Wash Shampoo is specifically designed for washing car paint work. It is unlike normal household detergent, which can actually damaged paintwork. Best Car Wash Shampoo is blended to clean and protect your car.

Q. What do I need to wash my car?

A. The simplest way to wash your car is to use the Two Bucket Method.

Take two buckets fill them both with water. Add your car wash shampoo to one bucket and leave the other with just water in it.

Next take your wash mitt and soak it in the soap bucket and wash a section of the car. Then rinse it in the clean water bucket to before particles before dipping back into the soapy bucket and repeating the process.

Alternatively use a pressure washer with a foam cannon fitted.

Q. How much soap do I need to use?

A. Follow the guidelines on the soap container is the best plan as each one will vary. You can be assured that if this is done accurately it will be the best result.

Conclusion

We hope our blog post has helped you make a more informed decision on which car wash shampoo to choose?

Any of the above shampoos will do an excellent job of removing grime and pollution from your cars bodywork. 

Take the process slowly and ensure you treat each part of the car to a thorough wash. Time spent on the washing phase of a full detail is probably the best time of the whole process for the best result.

If any particle of grit remains on the surface during the polishing phase then the damage will only take longer to rectify and defeat the whole objective. Spending time on washing is time well spent for sure.

We hope you enjoy getting your pride and joy looking great by using the best car wash shampoo.