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Driving a freshly-washed car can make you feel like royalty on the road. The paint gleams in the sun, your windshield is clean from any and all evidence of an avian airstrike, and even your tires look shiny and new. Handwashing your car offers other benefits as well. 

Automatic car washes can use harsh cleaning materials, and they don’t typically target those areas where the grime can really build up. Handwashing your vehicle allows for a more thorough clean. Automatic car washes are also expensive, costing between $10 to $30 depending on where you live and what options you select. Cleaning your car at home also usually uses much less water than an automatic car wash uses, making it a more environmentally friendly option.

To wash your car, you’ll need space to do so, such as a driveway or a quiet street, if local ordinances allow it. You also need access to a water source, such as an outdoor spigot. You can wash your car without a hose, but it will be a more difficult process. Necessary supplies include a couple of buckets, soap, microfiber towels or a washing mitt to safely clean the paint, a brush or sponge for the tires, and glass cleaner.

Do not pull out the garden hose and an old sponge, that’s not a good idea. Not all car washing supplies are created equal, and the wrong soap or towel is a surefire recipe for dull, scratched paint. Here are five car washing accessories available on Amazon that get glowing user reviews.

We’ve all been there: You’re driving into the setting sun, and suddenly the light hits your windshield, revealing smudges, dirt and a hazy film that you didn’t know was there. It not only looks unappealing, it can also hinder your ability to see at certain times of the day. Often, this dirt is on the inside of your windshield, not the outside, so a quick driveway wash won’t take care of it.

The inside of your windshield picks up a different kind of mess than the exterior. While paper towels and glass cleaner may cut it for bug splatters and tree sap, it’s less effective on the oily film that tends to form from off-gassing plastics, skin oils, and trapped moisture. This windshield cleaning tool kit from Amazon can help you effectively clean off that dirt and grime. Priced at only $14.98 at time of writing, it includes a cleaning tool with a telescoping handle, four microfiber pads, one 60 ml (2 oz) spray bottle and a storage bag. The cleaning tool is wedge-shaped to allow users to get into those tight corners, and the head rotates by 180 degrees.

The microfiber cloths easily absorb water to help prevent streaks, and they install easily onto the cleaning wand. You can use water, a cleaning solution or even rubbing alcohol to clean your windshield. With more than 26,000 ratings, this product has earned 4.4 out of five stars.

Nothing stings quite like the first scratch on a new car. It officially ruins that pristine paint job and can cost a fortune to fix. But sometimes, we only have ourselves to blame. Imagine spending an afternoon handwashing your car, only to step back and notice swirl marks or scratches in the paint. What have you done? The culprit is likely the harsh sponge you selected instead of a safer, microfiber wash mitt.

Instead of using an old sponge or worse, a scrub brush, you should invest in a car wash mitt. Often made of microfiber or chenille, these tools are made as gloves and help reduce the risk of accidentally scratching your vehicle. This two-pack of chenille microfiber mitts from Amazon has excellent reviews and is inexpensive, costing just over $12 at time of writing. The mitts, which are advertised as “safe for all automotive paint finishes and exterior surfaces,” use gentle fibers that help lift and trap dirt as you wash. Made by Chemical Guys, the mitts also have elastic cuffs to hold them snugly on your hand, and are machine washable so that you can reuse them again and again.

The gloves are made from thick material that holds plenty of suds for an easy, effective wash. They should fit most adult hands and make it easier for users to wash those hard-to-reach spaces. This two-pack allows you to wash more than one car at a time, or to always have one glove at the ready when one requires a clean.

There’s a dizzying array of car wash soaps on the market, and many of them work very well. Meguiar’s Gold Class Car Wash Premium Foaming Car Wash Soap is just one of several highly-rated car wash shampoos available on Amazon, but we selected it for its excellent customer reviews paired with its reasonable price of just over $14 for a large, one-gallon bottle.

This biodegradable soap is formulated to give even faded paint an extra shine, and it breaks down safely for less environmental impact. It combines cleaning and conditioning into one step and is gentle enough to preserve existing wax protection. You can use it with a traditional bucket wash or in a foam cannon.

Meguiar’s has been in business for over 125 years and is a trusted brand. For a bucket wash, you only need to use one capful per gallon of water, so this one-gallon container should last for many washes. For use in a foam cannon, the company recommends a five-to-one mixture of water and soap. The soap easily mixes into a sudsy foam and has a gentle scent.

If you’ve had a bad experience with micro-scratches, or you simply want to minimize the risk of damaging your car when you wash it, you may want to invest in a foam cannon. The name may sound like a children’s toy, and you’ll probably enjoy using it, but this little piece of tech helps minimize the risk of scratches while ensuring a deep, thorough wash.

Most foam cannons work with a pressure washer. They mix soap, water and air to create a thick mixture with plenty of foam. The cannon helps you distribute this foam as you wash your car. If you don’t have a pressure washer, you can look for a foam gun instead, which is designed to work with a regular garden hose.

The Tool Daily Foam Cannon on Amazon, currently $18.99, comes with a one-liter container and five nozzle tips for different angled washes. The nozzles are also adjustable for thicker or thinner mixtures depending on your use and preference. You will have to provide your own soap. The bottle is made of plastic, while the included nozzle tips are made of either brass or stainless steel. This product has a maximum operating pressure of 3,000 pounds per square inch.

The name may remind you of late-night, “Only seen on TV!” deals, but you can’t deny the more than 12,000 five-star ratings for this Chemical Guys Microfiber Drying Towel. Some experts recommend drying your vehicle after a wash with a microfiber towel to help protect the clear coat and avoid water spots. You should avoid using a regular bath towel or other cotton material because, as soft as it may feel to you, they are abrasive and can leave tiny scratches. Microfiber is also lint-free and won’t leave any fuzz behind.

This absorbent towel’s large size of 36 inches by 25 inches allows you to drive your car quickly without having to use multiple towels. Instead of wiping, pat dry your wet vehicle to avoid streaks. The yellow color will easily show when the towel is dirty so you can flip to the other side before throwing it in the washer. 

The manufacturer also recommends that you use the high-pile side to pick up liquids and the short-pile side for the final dry. You can also use the towel to clean your vehicle’s interior surfaces. At time of writing, the Chemical Guys drying towel is priced at $11.99. Amazon offers a 30-day return guarantee on most products.