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What Is The Best Wheel Cleaner For Brake Dust?
It’s a good idea to keep the wheels of your car clean as over time if you leave brake dust and other contaminants on them for long enough it may permanently damage your wheels. Using a wheel cleaner can help remove the build-up of brake dust and dirt from your wheels. I’ve tried a few different wheel cleaner products and below is my recommendation for the best wheel cleaners for brake dust.
It’s important to choose a wheel cleaner that is safe to use on all wheels so that you don’t damage the finish of your wheels. That way you can use that wheel cleaner on any type of wheel regardless of if it is an aluminum wheel, painted, or stainless steel.
My Wheel Cleaner Recommendations
Sonax Wheel Cleaner Full Effect – 16.9 fl. Oz.
After doing some extensive research I found that this Sonax wheel cleaner was the best wheel cleaner that you could get that was also designed to not harm the surface of your wheels.
There are some cheaper options available but if you are looking for a small container of wheel cleaner in a spray bottle this is going to be one of the better performing wheel cleaners on the market. It also changes colors from green to red as it starts doing its job to cut through brake dust, dirt, and grime on your wheels.
To check out the current prices on Amazon of the Sonax wheel cleaner pictured above click here.
CarGuys Wheel and Tire Cleaner
This CarGuys wheel cleaner is another popular option for a wheel cleaner for your car. I personally have not used this kind of wheel cleaner but I know that CarGuys is a reputable brand for car cleaning products and it has a lot of very good reviews on Amazon.
This CarGuys wheel cleaner is ph balanced, acid-free, and non-toxic so that means it is not harmful to your wheels or the environment. CarGuys says that this wheel cleaner is safe to use on aluminum, anodized, alloy, chrome, polished, painted, and clear coated rims so they should be safe for every wheel on the market.
If you have painted or chrome wheels you may want to look at going with this product or the Sonax wheel cleaner just to be safe. This would cut through brake dust and dirt with no problem. To check out the current prices on Amazon of this CarGuys wheel cleaner click here.
TriNova Wheel Cleaner Rim Cleaning Spray
TriNova says that it can be used any wheel aluminum to chrome and is safe to be used to clean whitewall tires if you have them. This is one of the cheaper options of the acid-free wheel cleaners so if you are looking for a budget wheel cleaner that is also going to be safe to use on any wheel type you may want to check out this TriNova wheel cleaner.
You would still want to use a brush with this product for maximum cleaning power to make sure that you are able to apply it to all areas of the wheel. To check out the current prices on Amazon of this TriNova wheel cleaner click here.
Adam’s Deep Wheel Cleaner 16oz
Adam’s Deep Wheel Cleaner has advanced chemical technology that is acid-free and ph balanced. It is also designed to change color to purple to let you know that is doing its job.
This wheel cleaner is safe on most wheels including powder-coated, chrome, alloy, clear coated, and painted wheels. I don’t know if that means that they are not safe for aluminum wheels or if they just left that type of wheel off of their list. Adam’s makes this product in the USA.
This product has a lot of great reviews on Amazon and most people seem to think that it performs well. To check out the current prices of this Adam’s wheel cleaner product on Amazon click here.
Best Bang For The Buck Wheel Cleaner
Mothers 05924 Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner – 24 oz
If you are really wanting to get the cheapest wheel cleaner for brake dust then you may want to look at this Mothers foaming wheel cleaner.
It is designed to be foaming and non-acidic, mothers say that it is safe for painted, clear coated, steel, or chrome wheels.
I have used this spray in the past on the set of wheels that came with my car because the wheel surface had already had some pitting from the last owner not washing the wheels frequently enough.
I didn’t really care if this hurt the surface of my wheels since the surface was already not perfect, to begin with. If you are going to decide to use this you may want to test this product in a small inconspicuous area to make sure that it is not going to damage the surface of your wheels as some people have mentioned in the comments it damaged their wheel or caliper.
Since this is a foaming wheel cleaner you would want to make sure that you are using it in combination with a wheel scrub brush as the foam will not easily cover the full surface of your wheel like a spray-on wheel cleaner.
To check out the current prices for this Mothers wheel cleaner on Amazon click here.
Bulk Wheel Cleaner Purchase
Chemical Guys Premium Blue Wheel and Rim Cleaner and Degreaser (1 Gal)
You would want to mix 1 part product in 7 parts water in a water bottle and then you have a really cheap wheel cleaner. Because it is one gallon or 128 ounces you will get a lot of use out of this purchase.
If you do any sort of automotive cleaning professionally you would definitely want to look at getting this product as it would definitely save you some money over buying individually bottled wheel cleaners.
This would also apply to the do-it-yourselfer that likes to clean their own cars if you want to not have to buy wheel cleaner again in a long time and are fine with mixing your own wheel cleaner in a water bottle you this would probably be the best option for you.
To check out the current prices on Amazon for this Chemical Guys wheel cleaner click here.
Why Should You Use A Wheel Cleaner
Buying a good quality wheel cleaner makes cleaning your wheels easier as you don’t have to do as much scrubbing to remove the brake dust, dirt, and grime. Selecting a good wheel cleaner that will work for your wheels can be daunting with the amount of wheel cleaner products on the market so I’ve created this wheel cleaner buying guide to help you choose the best wheel cleaner for your car.
Most of the buildup that you will see on your wheels will be brake dust from your brake pads. That’s why it’s important to choose a good wheel cleaner that is effective at cutting through the brake dust to remove it from your car’s wheels.
Wheel cleaners will typically all be sprayed onto your vehicle and designed to sit on the wheel for a few minutes and then washed off with minimal effort. I usually take my car to the car wash and then spray wheel cleaner on my wheels as I pull into the car wash bay. That way it gives the cleaner a couple of minutes to be able to sit on the wheels before I start washing down my vehicle.
If you are using a wheel cleaner in combination with a pressure washer this should remove most of the brake dust, grease, and grime from your wheels without you having to really touch them much. I then pull my car out of the car wash bay and park it to finish cleaning my wheels and dry off my car before I take off. If you finish cleaning your wheels with an old rag then you should be able to get them fully clean before you leave the car wash.
Types of Wheel Cleaners
PH Neutral
If you have purchased different wheels for your car that have a painted or chrome surface you would want to make sure that the wheel cleaner that you are using will not damage the finish of your wheels. Some wheel cleaners on the market will be PH Neutral or balanced to make sure that they won’t damage the surface of your wheels.
Acid-Free
Along the same lines as the PH Neutral section using acid-free wheel cleaners will ensure that the surface of your wheels will remain unfazed. Most stock car wheels will be able to handle whatever wheel cleaner that you throw at them but if you have aftermarket painted wheels you would want to make sure that you use an acid-free wheel cleaner to keep from damaging them. The less chance to have to mess with the finish of your wheels the better.
Color Changing
Some wheel cleaners on the market such as this Sonax Wheel cleaner will turn colors as it is doing its job to remove the brake dust and grime from your wheels. The Sonax Wheel cleaner will spray on as a green color and then slowly turn red as it starts to loosen the brake dust from your wheels. This lets you know that the product is working.
I like to spray it on and then use a scrub brush to work it into the crevices of the wheels to make sure that it hits every spot of the wheel. Once it’s fully turned red you can then use a hose to wash off the wheel cleaner and then use a rag or towel to dry off the wheel.
Scrub Free
There are some wheel cleaners on the market that are advertised as being scrub free wheel cleaners. These types of cleaners can be sprayed onto your wheels, after a few minutes you can then wash away the wheel cleaner with a hose to remove the brake dust and grime from the wheels.
Personally, I think that these types of products are helpful in cleaning your wheels but no wheel cleaner is truly going to be “scrub free”. It’s always going to be a good idea to use a scrub brush or an old towel or rag to get in the nooks and crannies of your wheels to remove all of the grime and brake dust. Otherwise, you are likely to miss spots that you may not see if you just spray on a wheel cleaner product and rinse it off.
Other Wheel Care Products
Wheel Scrub Brush
When you are using a wheel cleaning product it’s also a good idea to use a wheel scrub brush in combination with a wheel cleaner to make sure that you are getting the wheel cleaner product all over the surface of the wheel.
This also allows the wheel cleaner product to do its job easier as you are lightly moving the product all over the surface of your wheels. Using a wheel scrub brush also makes it easier to clean the surface of your wheels to remove built-up dirt and brake dust.
Wheel Sealant
Once you have fully cleaned off your wheels and you are sure that they are free from dirt and brake dust you can use a wheel sealant on them to help keep them clean between car washes.
Sonax sells a product called wheel rim shield that is designed to protect your wheels from brake dust buildup and dirt so that your wheels are able to stay clean longer and you don’t have to put in as much work to clean them off again down the line.
The Sonax product that I’m referencing says that it is safe for all wheels and that it will protect the surface of your wheels for up to six weeks. If you are interested in buying Sonax rim shield off of Amazon I’ve included a link here: Sonax Wheel Rim Shield, 13.5 fl. oz.
Tire Shine
If you are going through the effort of making sure that your wheels are clean you might as well make sure that your tires are clean and shiny. Ensuring that your tires are shiny don’t really help out anything on your car or wheels but it does make your wheels and car overall look better if your tires are shiny.
There are different types of tire shines that you can apply to your vehicle either a tire shine spray or tire shine gel. There are also different variations of tire shine products that you can buy as far as how much shine will be on your tires from a dull shine all the way to extra shine products.
I’ve included a link to a water based tire shine article that I wrote up that includes all of the best water based tire shine products on the market and the tire shine that I recommend the most.
Best Water based tire shine article
Automotive Nitrile Gloves
When you are cleaning the wheels of your car it would probably be a good idea to wear automotive disposable nitrile gloves so that you don’t touch the brake dust with your hands while you’re are cleaning the wheels of your car. Brake dust is toxic and can cause health issues down the line so it’s a good idea to use latex gloves to protect your hands when you go to clean your wheels by hand.
Automotive disposable nitrile gloves can also come in handy when you are doing your own oil changes or working on your vehicle as you can wear them to keep your hands clean. Once you are done changing your oil you can then just toss them in the trash and not have to worry about cleaning the oil from underneath your fingernails.
Related Questions
What’s the best wheel cleaner? The best wheel cleaner that I have found that is also safe to use on all wheels is Sonax. It provides great cleaning power while also turning colors to let you know that it is working. You can find other wheel cleaners to use on your wheels if you are not too worried about damaging them.
However, if you have aftermarket wheels or you are worried about damaging the surface of your wheels you would want to use a pH-balanced wheel cleaner like Sonax. I alternate between using Sonax and the mothers foaming wheel cleaner depending on which wheels I currently have on my car.
If I have my aftermarket wheels on during the summer months I will use Sonax just to make sure I am not damaging my aftermarket rims. When I switch back to the original wheels that came on the car I use Mothers foaming wheel cleaner as those wheels are older and already have some imperfections in them.
One reason for doing this is that Sonax is somewhat expensive for what you are getting. This way I can save a few dollars during the winter months by going with another less expensive wheel cleaner product.
How do you remove brake dust from rims? The best way to remove brake dust from rims is to use a wheel cleaner in combination with a wheel cleaner brush. When I take my car to the car wash I will spray Sonax wheel cleaner on my rims before entering the car wash to allow the wheel cleaner to do its thing.
One thing to note is that you don’t want to leave any wheel cleaner product on your wheels for a long time as the wheel cleaner may start to eat into the surface of your wheels. Most wheel cleaner products specify that the product should not be given enough time to dry onto the surface of the wheel.
When applying wheel cleaner it should be sprayed onto the wheel and agitated with a wheel cleaner brush if you have one. After that step, you should then spray or wipe off the wheel cleaner with water and an old towel.
The last step you should take is to use a dry towel or rag to dry off your wheels to make sure there won’t be any water spots that will sit on the surface of the wheel after cleaning it. This will ensure that your wheels stay looking as best as possible after cleaning them off.
What causes excessive brake dust on rims? The type of brake pads that you use has a lot to do with how much brake dust your car will produce. The best brake pads that you can use to produce a low amount of brake dust is ceramic brake pads. Ceramic brake pads will typically produce less brake dust than you would get with semi-metallic brake pads.
Another factor that will cause excessive brake dust is the condition of your brake rotors. If your brake rotors are smooth this should allow your brake pads to slide over the brake rotor smoothly producing a low amount of brake dust.
However, if your brake rotors are old and have imperfections in them this will create more friction between the brake pads and brake rotors and increase the amount of brake dust that is created. If your brake rotors are old and worn down you should replace them with new brake rotors and pads.
Replacing your brake rotors on most vehicles is not that expensive and can be done at home if you know what you are doing.
What’s best to clean alloy wheels? The best way to clean alloy wheels is to use a wheel cleaner that is safe to use on alloy wheels. The nice thing about Sonax is that it is safe to use on all wheels including alloy wheels. If you have alloy wheels I would recommend using Sonax as other wheel cleaners may not be safe to use on alloy wheels.
Once you have sprayed wheel cleaner onto your alloy wheels it’s best to use a wheel brush to agitate the dirt and wheel cleaner product to help lift the brake dust and grime off of your wheels. If you do not have a wheel cleaner brush handy the wheel cleaner product should be able to remove most of the brake dust on its own.
You may still need to use a towel or wash rag to help remove any brake dust or dirt from the wheels that the wheel cleaner may have missed. After you have removed all of the wheel cleaner products and brake dust from your wheels you would want to use a dry towel to dry off your wheels.
What’s the best wheel cleaner for black wheels? If you have painted black wheels or powder-coated black wheels you may be wondering what is the best wheel cleaner for black wheels? I would still recommend using Sonax if you are worried about damaging the finish of your black wheels.
Like I mentioned Sonax is safe to use on all types of wheels and is pH balanced and acid-free. This means that Sonax should not damage the surface of your wheels if used correctly.
If you have black wheels using a wheel cleaner like Sonax should help keep them clean. The one key thing that you want to make sure you don’t do is allow any wheel cleaner product to dry on the surface of your black wheels.
If you allow wheel cleaner products to sit on the surface of your wheels for an extended period of time this can damage the surface of your wheels.
What’s the best wheel cleaner for painted wheels? Sonax is also my choice for the best wheel cleaner for painted wheels. I have 19-inch silver-painted wheels on my car and I use Sonax to clean them.
When I first bought my aftermarket wheels for my car I did some research to find the best wheel cleaner product that would not damage my new painted wheels. That research pointed me in the direction of Sonax.
Whatever wheel cleaner product I settled on I wanted to make sure it would be safe to use on painted wheels as I did not want to strip the paint off of my brand new wheels. So far Sonax has been safe to use on my aftermarket wheels and has allowed me to clean them easily.
I will continue to use Sonax on my painted wheels to ensure that the painted surface does not become damaged over time from a wheel cleaner.
In Conclusion
With all the different wheel cleaners on the market, it makes it tough to choose a good one that is going to work the best for your wheels.
If you have older wheels that may not be in the best condition then it may not matter how easy the wheel cleaner you use on your wheels is. However, if you have new wheels that you have purchased or have a new vehicle then you would want to choose a wheel cleaner that is not going to damage your wheels.
I’ve outlined the different wheel cleaners that I think are the best on the market and detailed why I think they are the best so that you choose one that is going to work best for you.