Wheel Cleaning Estimated reading: 5 minutes 4095 views Summary: A dive into wheel cleaning, explaining both technique and products Dirty wheels can ruin the look of any car. Wheel Cleaning is best done regularly, otherwise it needs strong chemicals and time. This guide lists the most common wheel cleaning chemicals and one to always avoid, both in increasing order of aggressiveness and in regressing order of material safety (generally speaking, there are some individual exceptions that are beyond what we can include in this guide). Hydroflouric acid containing Products should be avoided at all costs. If you are new to detailing we recommend you go with the least aggressive method first (it is okay to skip directly to APC if you think they are very dirty) and increase from there. Acid should be used as sparingly as possible. Types of Wheel Cleaners Shampoo and Agitation This is the mild maintenance version, you basically use the same shampoo you use for your car and a good brush and give the wheel a quick scrub. If you do that regularly, that will be all you ever need. It’s mild and it cleans plentiful on well maintained cars. Alkaline This is where most wheel and tire (combined) and most all-purpose cleaners come in. Alkaline cleaners provide way more cleaning power but still very often need agitation to break down the dirt and grime. Bonus point: All of these double as tyre cleaners, making that step way easier. Colour Changing Cleaners Beware the stink! These color-changing cleaners put off very strong fumes that can linger on skin and fabric. Read the Safety Data Sheet and follow its recommendations on Personal Safety Gear. Rinse thoroughly. These are mostly either pH neutral or lightly acidic (often “pH skin neutral”). They clean very well, even without agitation. But these can also be rather problematic if left on for too long or not properly removed. They are quite aggressive chemicals, so the best point to use them is on a wheels-off detail to make sure you can properly remove them. Go for well-reviewed products and if in doubt remove the wheel. If you regularly clean with APC or Soap, it can be a good practice to do a round of this once every half a year, at best when the wheels are off the car. Acidic Cleaners These come in multiple classes of aggressiveness, from okay to handle to really strong. These are not for any kind of maintenance clean, but for absolute extreme cases where you can’t get the wheel clean any other way. Wear proper PPE (check the safety data sheet prior to use and use the specified PPE!) and stick to the manufacturer instructions at all times. These are good to have around for when your other methods fail. Also best done with the wheel off the vehicle to avoid contact with paint. Hydrofluoric Acid Should not be used by anyone. Avoid using hydrofluoric acid cleaners and check your wheel cleaner of choice to make sure it does not contain HF. Exposure to skin or eyes requires immediate intense medical treatment. This can seriously injure, disfigure, or kill you. Do not use it. Tar Remover If you still have black spots or brown spots that can’t be removed that’s very likely tar and will need a tar remover. It’s recommended to remove the wheel for this so you can reach everything behind the spokes and in the barrel. Extreme Wheel cleaning can take time and multiple rounds. Plan your time for it. At the extremest end of contamination it is strongly advisable to switch between acid and color changing wheel cleaner per each round. Only Colour Changing and acidic wheels cleaners chemically react with the Iron particles allowing even the most burned in and ingrained to be removed over multiple rounds. APC and Shampoo only remove easy to remove dirt so there is little reason to go multiple rounds with them. Process Prewash Spray your chosen prewashing product on the car and rims, allowing it to work. Rinse off the product. If you have hard water, use a rinseless wash to prevent hard water spots and get polymer spots instead, which are easily removable. Fresh water spots can usually be removed in the following contact wash. Thoroughly rinse the wheels. A pressure washer will give better results here, but a hose will do just fine. Contact Wash Read and follow the manufacturer instructions on the cleaner you’re using as the process may vary. Some products such as acid cleaners may not require contact cleaning at all – they’re sprayed on and rinsed off. Do not let wheel cleaner dry on the wheels as etching or damage may occur. Always clean wheels when COLD. Not immediately after driving. If you have very intricate wheels with lots of hard to reach areas it can be beneficial to do a double clean, meaning you clean them as good as you can, then drive the car for about half a wheel rotation and then clean again. Spray the rims with the cleaner and let it work. For alkaline (non-acidic) products, clean the tires too, otherwise, let the cleaner soak on the rims. Use a suitable brush or mitt to agitate the cleaner on the rims. Rinse the wheels thoroughly. Optional Tire Cleaning: If you didn’t use an alkaline product, clean the tires if you plan to apply a fresh dressing. This step may require multiple repetitions. Finish with a final rinse. Final Steps If you rinsed with deionized water (DI), you may be finished. Consider applying a spray-on, rinse-off sealant. If you didn’t use DI, dry or blow-dry the wheels to avoid water spots. Drying tires may stain your towel, so use a not-as-new towel to dry them. Using a rinseless wash as a drying aid for hard water can be beneficial.