The best car wash sponges for 2022

The humble car wash sponge performs an extremely important cleaning duty. The best car wash sponges are used for transfer car wash soap suds to the paint as the sponge sweeps away the dirt and traps it, leaving behind a squeaky clean clear surface primed for wax. In other words, it is essential to preserve your vehicle virgin
and there are many mushrooms there.

Fear not, because we’ve tested quite a bit and rounded up the best car wash sponges after washing a fair share of vehicles that come through CNET Cars garage. Read on for our cleaning sponge picks and don’t forget to check out some car washing tips below too.

Amazon

AmazonBasics sells a lot of products, and the microfiber glove is a great thing. It’s super affordable, comes in a pack of two, and feels well constructed. This synthetic wash mitt holds up well after multiple paint cleans and rounds in the washing machine when it’s time to clean the dirt off of it. For the money, it’s a super solid choice, even if we do splurge and get the Adam microfiber glove first.

Mothers

No nonsense, good price. If you’re looking for a decent chenille car wash mitt sponge, Mother’s wash mitt does a great job. We’ve found it doesn’t hold up as well over time with use and trips to the car wash to clean it off, but for under $10, this synthetic glove is a solid tool for your car wash arsenal.

Angrowy

Sometimes you need a little help when washing your car, especially if it’s not a car. Maybe it’s a big SUV or a van. This is where car wash sponges like Anngrowy’s kit come into play. The microfiber sponge set comes with a 62-inch extendable handle that can help scrub hard-to-reach areas. Breaking out the roof washing step is not necessary with a super useful and long handle. Plus, the sponge detaches from the handle to use as you like on other parts of the car.

Sudz Budz

If you like foam car wash sponges, Sudz Budz has the segment covered with its funky Grid Sponge. The design is supposed to trap dirt below the surface, so you don’t have to worry about pushing contaminants around the car’s paint. It definitely picks up dirt with ease. We also like that it has grab handles that make it much easier to hold. And it packs foam, big time.

Some useful tips for car washing

• Use the two-bucket method: One bucket is for car cleaning solution (ie soap) and water mixed together. The second bucket is only for rinsing the sponge or wash pad after washing part of your car. This cleaning method helps reduce dirt particles and grit that mix with your clean water and soap.
• Wash your car wash sponge every now and then: Most of our products are safe to put in the washing machine, but check the specific sponge you are using. You don’t want the tool you use to clean your car to get dirty on its own. After all, it’s time to completely replace the car cleaning sponge as well.
• Swipe from top to bottom: You may have a favorite place to start washing a vehicle, but the best way to minimize the risk of scratches and paint swirl marks is to wash from the roof down to the rockers. The roof is often the cleanest part of the car’s surface because it doesn’t cut through the air like the front bumper and collect dirt and grime from the road like the side panels do.
• Rinse often: You don’t want to let the car wash shampoo cake on the car. Make sure you take a portion of the car at a time and rinse often.
• And it dries quickly: If you wash in warmer weather, you’ll probably have to deal with water stains. This happens when you use regular tap water to rinse a car and when the minerals in the water dry on the paint in the sun. Avoid them with some quick-dry tools like our top picks here.

Apply foam with the best mushrooms

Each of these car wash sponges will give you a great cleaning experience while washing your car. It all comes down to price and personal preference at the end of the day, but you can’t go wrong with either. Enjoy your clean car with these CNET Cars-approved products.

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