No detailing process is complete without proper alloy wheel cleaning. We’re going to show you how to clean alloy wheels step-by-step in this guide, to the point that you’ll see yourself back in the reflection! Even if your car’s rims are past their prime, these tips will help breathe fresh life into them.
But brake dust, road grime, and tar can be very tricky to get off alloy. You need the right product AND the right technique. As the #1 choice for car cleaning products in the UK, you can count on Jennychem for specialised car wheel cleaner, too.
Set yourself up for success, and learn how to clean car wheels below!
Key Takeaways
- Cleaning car wheels comes first in the detailing regimen because they’re typically the dirtiest.
- The best thing to clean alloy wheels with is a non-acid wheel cleaner that eradicates brake dust and iron deposits.
- Never apply any wheel cleaner to hot alloys. Work in the shade or after the car has been parked for a while.
- Always work one wheel at a time. Spraying all four and then going around can cause chemical staining.
- Jennychem is your one-stop shop for everything you need to detail your car like the pros.
What You Need For Cleaning Car Wheels
Figuring out how to clean alloy wheels begins with sourcing all the essential cleaning agents so you can work diligently through the process without having to stop to hunt anything down:
- Jennychem’s Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner
- A wheel brush with soft bristles to reach behind spokes
- A smaller detailing brush for tight gaps
- A pressure washer or garden hose
- A traffic film remover for heavily contaminated wheels
- A microfibre drying towel
- Tyre dressing for the finishing touches
The reason we recommend Jennychem’s Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner is that it’s the perfect middle ground - it swiftly removes dirt and brake dust without damaging finishes or using harsh acids. It’s not a good fit for Durabrite or any aluminum wheels, but works well on most alloys.
How to Clean Alloy Wheels: Step-by-Step Guide
Actually getting started with alloy wheel cleaning is pretty straightforward - the tricky part is gathering all the right supplies. Then, it’s simply a matter of following the instructions on the product you’ve chosen to clean your alloys with. Here’s a quick guide on how to clean alloy wheels:
Step 1) Thoroughly Rinse the Wheel
Use a pressure washer or strong garden hose. You want to blast off any loose dirt, mud, and brake dust you can so that the cleaning agent can reach as much surface as possible. This will also help prevent scratching when you begin scrubbing the wheels.
Take care to get behind the spokes and into the barrel. You may need a traffic film remover (TFR) if your wheels are heavily caked in grime from the motorway.
Step 2) Apply Your Wheel Cleaner
Always follow the specific instructions for how to clean car wheels on YOUR chosen product. You’ll load Jennychem’s concentrate into a spray bottle or foam lance and coat the entire wheel face, spokes, inner barrel, and lip.
Our cleaner turns red/purple where iron deposits and brake dust are heaviest so you know it’s working. You want to give it 3-5 minutes to dwell and work its magic.
Step 3) Agitate With a Brush
Work into the spokes, behind the face, and along the rim lip with a wheel brush. You can get into the nooks and crannies between spokes using a smaller detailing brush if necessary. This step in alloy wheel cleaning is really important for actually breaking free the contamination that the chemical has already loosened.
Step 4) Completely Rinse
Blast all the cleaner away with a pressure washer or garden hose. Any product left on the surface can stain or discolour the finish. Rinse from top to bottom so dirty runoff doesn’t sit on areas you’ve already cleaned.
Step 5) Dry and Dress
Now all that’s left to do is dry each wheel using a clean microfibre towel. You don’t want to ruin all your hard work by letting water dry on the alloy and then having to deal with water spots. Apply a tyre shine to the rubber sidewalls to bring out that beautiful black finish.
What NOT to Do With Alloy Wheel Cleaning
There you have it, how to clean alloy wheels! There are just a few parting tips we want to share before we wrap up our guide to alloy wheel cleaning - mainly mistakes we see DIY detailers make:
- Don’t use acid cleaners on EVERY wheel type: Even our wheel cleaning products aren’t the right fit for every type of rim. Acid-based wheel cleaners in particular are unsafe on Diamond Cut, polished, or bare aluminium alloys. Do your research.
- Don’t clean hot wheels: It’s normal to get home from a long road trip and want to clean your vehicle before you put it in the car park. But brake heat can speed up chemical reactions, leading to permanent etching on the surface of your alloys.
- Don’t use scouring pads or wire brushes: Abrasive tools will only cause more harm than good, scratching the lacquer coating on alloy wheels. Corrosion can take hold of your rims once that coating is compromised.
- Don’t let the cleaner dry on the surface: Work one wheel at a time. Letting the cleaning agent dry can cause permanent discolouration.
And that’s pretty much it! Now that you know how to clean car wheels, all that’s left to do is pick up the essential supplies at Jennychem and put some elbow grease into it. Happy detailing!
Frequently asked questions
What is the best thing to clean alloy rims with?
Jennychem’s non-acid cleaner is the best thing to clean alloy wheels with because it effortlessly dissolves brake dust and iron deposits but won’t react with the surface of the wheel. Acid-based cleaners can damage certain finishes, whereas washing-up liquid is too weak.
How can I clean my alloy wheels at home?
Get the right alloy wheel cleaner and other essentials (detailing brushes, microfibre drying towels, a strong garden hose/pressure washer) and follow the instructions on the product for how to clean alloy wheels. You spray the product on the wheel after rinsing, let it dwell a few moments, then agitate it with a detailing brush. Rinse it away. That’s it.
How do I make my alloy wheels look new again?
The more often you clean them, the better they’ll look. A colour-changing iron fallout remover lifts away deposits if your alloys have already become stained with embedded brake dust.
Can I use alloy wheel cleaning products on tyres, too?
Most alloy wheel cleaners are technically safe for rubber, but they’re not designed for it. You need a dedicated tyre cleaner for the sidewalls.
Related Car Care Resources
How to clean a caravan | How to clean car windows without streaks | How to wax a car
No detailing process is complete without proper alloy wheel cleaning. We’re going to show you how to clean alloy wheels step-by-step in this guide, to the point that you’ll see yourself back in the reflection! Even if your car’s rims are past their prime, these tips will help breathe fresh life into them.
But brake dust, road grime, and tar can be very tricky to get off alloy. You need the right product AND the right technique. As the #1 choice for car cleaning products in the UK, you can count on Jennychem for specialised car wheel cleaner, too.
Set yourself up for success, and learn how to clean car wheels below!
Key Takeaways
- Cleaning car wheels comes first in the detailing regimen because they’re typically the dirtiest.
- The best thing to clean alloy wheels with is a non-acid wheel cleaner that eradicates brake dust and iron deposits.
- Never apply any wheel cleaner to hot alloys. Work in the shade or after the car has been parked for a while.
- Always work one wheel at a time. Spraying all four and then going around can cause chemical staining.
- Jennychem is your one-stop shop for everything you need to detail your car like the pros.
What You Need For Cleaning Car Wheels
Figuring out how to clean alloy wheels begins with sourcing all the essential cleaning agents so you can work diligently through the process without having to stop to hunt anything down:
- Jennychem’s Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner
- A wheel brush with soft bristles to reach behind spokes
- A smaller detailing brush for tight gaps
- A pressure washer or garden hose
- A traffic film remover for heavily contaminated wheels
- A microfibre drying towel
- Tyre dressing for the finishing touches
The reason we recommend Jennychem’s Non-Acid Wheel Cleaner is that it’s the perfect middle ground - it swiftly removes dirt and brake dust without damaging finishes or using harsh acids. It’s not a good fit for Durabrite or any aluminum wheels, but works well on most alloys.
How to Clean Alloy Wheels: Step-by-Step Guide
Actually getting started with alloy wheel cleaning is pretty straightforward - the tricky part is gathering all the right supplies. Then, it’s simply a matter of following the instructions on the product you’ve chosen to clean your alloys with. Here’s a quick guide on how to clean alloy wheels:
Step 1) Thoroughly Rinse the Wheel
Use a pressure washer or strong garden hose. You want to blast off any loose dirt, mud, and brake dust you can so that the cleaning agent can reach as much surface as possible. This will also help prevent scratching when you begin scrubbing the wheels.
Take care to get behind the spokes and into the barrel. You may need a traffic film remover (TFR) if your wheels are heavily caked in grime from the motorway.
Step 2) Apply Your Wheel Cleaner
Always follow the specific instructions for how to clean car wheels on YOUR chosen product. You’ll load Jennychem’s concentrate into a spray bottle or foam lance and coat the entire wheel face, spokes, inner barrel, and lip.
Our cleaner turns red/purple where iron deposits and brake dust are heaviest so you know it’s working. You want to give it 3-5 minutes to dwell and work its magic.
Step 3) Agitate With a Brush
Work into the spokes, behind the face, and along the rim lip with a wheel brush. You can get into the nooks and crannies between spokes using a smaller detailing brush if necessary. This step in alloy wheel cleaning is really important for actually breaking free the contamination that the chemical has already loosened.
Step 4) Completely Rinse
Blast all the cleaner away with a pressure washer or garden hose. Any product left on the surface can stain or discolour the finish. Rinse from top to bottom so dirty runoff doesn’t sit on areas you’ve already cleaned.
Step 5) Dry and Dress
Now all that’s left to do is dry each wheel using a clean microfibre towel. You don’t want to ruin all your hard work by letting water dry on the alloy and then having to deal with water spots. Apply a tyre shine to the rubber sidewalls to bring out that beautiful black finish.
What NOT to Do With Alloy Wheel Cleaning
There you have it, how to clean alloy wheels! There are just a few parting tips we want to share before we wrap up our guide to alloy wheel cleaning - mainly mistakes we see DIY detailers make:
- Don’t use acid cleaners on EVERY wheel type: Even our wheel cleaning products aren’t the right fit for every type of rim. Acid-based wheel cleaners in particular are unsafe on Diamond Cut, polished, or bare aluminium alloys. Do your research.
- Don’t clean hot wheels: It’s normal to get home from a long road trip and want to clean your vehicle before you put it in the car park. But brake heat can speed up chemical reactions, leading to permanent etching on the surface of your alloys.
- Don’t use scouring pads or wire brushes: Abrasive tools will only cause more harm than good, scratching the lacquer coating on alloy wheels. Corrosion can take hold of your rims once that coating is compromised.
- Don’t let the cleaner dry on the surface: Work one wheel at a time. Letting the cleaning agent dry can cause permanent discolouration.
And that’s pretty much it! Now that you know how to clean car wheels, all that’s left to do is pick up the essential supplies at Jennychem and put some elbow grease into it. Happy detailing!
Frequently asked questions
What is the best thing to clean alloy rims with?
Jennychem’s non-acid cleaner is the best thing to clean alloy wheels with because it effortlessly dissolves brake dust and iron deposits but won’t react with the surface of the wheel. Acid-based cleaners can damage certain finishes, whereas washing-up liquid is too weak.
How can I clean my alloy wheels at home?
Get the right alloy wheel cleaner and other essentials (detailing brushes, microfibre drying towels, a strong garden hose/pressure washer) and follow the instructions on the product for how to clean alloy wheels. You spray the product on the wheel after rinsing, let it dwell a few moments, then agitate it with a detailing brush. Rinse it away. That’s it.
How do I make my alloy wheels look new again?
The more often you clean them, the better they’ll look. A colour-changing iron fallout remover lifts away deposits if your alloys have already become stained with embedded brake dust.
Can I use alloy wheel cleaning products on tyres, too?
Most alloy wheel cleaners are technically safe for rubber, but they’re not designed for it. You need a dedicated tyre cleaner for the sidewalls.
Related Car Care Resources
How to clean a caravan | How to clean car windows without streaks | How to wax a car