Best APC for Car Detailing. (Interior and Exterior)
We may earn affiliate commissions from links on this page with no additional cost to you.
1. Chemical Guys Nonsense Colorless and Odorless All Surface Cleaner Review
- Best All Purpose Cleaner for Car Interior
2. Bilt Hamber Surfex HD Review
- Highest Concentration APC
3. Meguiars APC Review
Meguiar’s D10101 Detailer All Purpose Cleaner is one of the great names in car detailing. It’s very highly rated on Amazon. Most people seem to complain about the strong smell but it’s not that bad in my opinion. Others say they love the smell. I have used it to clean both inside and outside my vehicle. It does an excellent job on tires. The foam quickly turns brown when you scrub it. Apply it a second time to get everything off. Inside the vehicle, it easily removes fingerprints and seat stains. It’s great on rubber car mats too. It can be diluted up to 10 to 1 with water to get a medium strength cleaner. It contains fabric softeners and optical brighteners and seems to be geared towards use inside the car only. But it can be used to clean wheels too. There are plenty of five-star reviews on Amazon. It’s also biodegradable because it’s a water-based product and not solvent-based.4. Car Guys Super Cleaner
Car Guys Super Cleaner can cost more than some APC but is it worth the price? Car Guys don’t say that you should dilute the product so that makes it far more expensive. Car Guys Super Cleaner has a high number of positive reviews on Amazon. However there are some reviewers who claim that it damaged their cloth seats. Here is what Car Guys say… SUPER CLEAN ANY SURFACE! – This multi-surface product works on absolutely every interior or exterior surface except glass and delicate instrument panel screens! That means this ONE PRODUCT will clean upholstery, fabric, canvas, leather, vinyl, plastic, rubber, bird poop, grease, tree sap, metals, wood trim and so much more! This is the most versatile multi-purpose cleaner on the market!5. Carpro Multi X Review
Carpro Multi X produces a nice foam when cleaning your interior or exterior. APCs are not known for their foaming ability so this is a nice bonus to me. It has a recommended ratio is 20 to 1 for most cases such as tires/wheels and wheel wells. You can go stronger if you are doing a really bad engine bay. But for interior seats and trim stick to 10 to 1. Users have not reported any staining or discoloration. It can be diluted with water at a 20:1 ratio when cleaning a car interior. If you want to rinse a whole car with this you shouldn’t do it in direct sun or let it dry on the paint because there is always a possibility of streaking or staining. Here is what Carpro say about the product… Multi X comes in a concentrated formula capable of removing all manner of filth and unwanted soiling! We recommend diluting 1:20 for general cleaning or 1:100 for high pressure cleaning applications. Please note we HIGHLY recommend that you test on an inconspicuous area before use! Use on unknown materials is only at your own risk!6. Optimum Power Clean review.
Optimum No Rinse (ONR) is an excellent product so it makes sense that a lot of their other products must also be good. Optimum Power Clean has a great reputation as a bug remover and is loved by white car owners. Some owners say if can leave behind residue on glass and dark-colored cars. But it’s excellent for general stain removal on seats and carpet and also for wheels. The good news is that it’s biodegradable and solvent-free so it’s less likely to cause staining and discoloration to fabrics and plastic. It can be diluted with water. Some Amazon reviewers have used it to successfully remove water spots.7. Super Clean Review
OK, so I haven’t used this myself but a number of professional auto detailers use it. Super Clean is a secret weapon of many the pros. It’s popular not just because it’s such good value, but because it just works. Check out reviews of Super Clean on Amazon.What does an All-Purpose Cleaner do?
An APC is an extremely useful tool for the weekend warrior and a must have product of a professional detailer. Use it both inside and outside the car to dissolve dirt quickly and to minimize the need to use elbow grease which can cause scratching and marring. Of course you can use it all over your home too so it won’t be wasted. Most pro detailers say that an All-Purpose Cleaner should really be called a Multi-Purpose Cleaner. That’s because you can’t do absolutely everything with it. More on that later. Also, you don’t need to be a professional detailer to use an APC. An APC is usually concentrated (though not always) so you need to dilute it in water. Bilt Hamber Surfex HD can be diluted 200 to 1. And another thing, none of them smell great. Well there is one product that smells Okay. It’s the Chemical Guys product mentioned below. All the APCs in this list have the following characteristics- No ammonia
- No bleach.
- Non acidic.
- Alkaline.
APC Things to Remember
- You should wear gloves.
- Don’t get it in your eyes.
- Dilute with water (read the instructions).
- Rinse away with cold water.
- Don’t use an acidic APC on cars.
- Test on inconspicuous area before each use.
- Apply in the shade and when paint is cool to the touch.
- Don’t let it dry.
- Don’t use on screens inside your car.
- Don’t use on glass as they can leave a residue. Use a dedicated glass cleaner.
READ MORE :Best Detailing Kits on Amazon.
When to use an All-Purpose Cleaner on the OUTSIDE of your car.
I used to think and APC was just for the inside of my vehicle. But then I discovered all of these other uses. Only use an APC on your car when the surface is cool to the touch and try not to let it dry…- Tires. I use an APC to clean tires almost every time I wash. It seems to remove a lot of the brownness that you often find on neglected rubber. A soft scrubbing brush helps too. It quickly makes the car look good and helps any tire dressing you use to bond.
- Wheel wells. These can be tricky to reach and clean properly. Spray some diluted APC and let it dwell for a few minutes before washing it off with a pressure washer for surprisingly good results. This can save you time as you may not need to reach in and clean the area by hand.
- Alloy wheels. Some folks like to use a wheel cleaner / fallout remover spray on their alloy wheels every time they wash like the famous Carpro Iron X but I don’t think you need to. I tend to use the APC most of the time and use the wheel cleaner occasionally. Ill spray some on my wheels and wheel wells and blast it off with the pressure washer after a few minutes.
- Bug removal. Spray some APC solution on to the front of your car and most of those nasty bugs will disappear without touching. Trying to scrub off bug guts with a sponge will result in paint marring. An APC is a lot cheaper than using a specialist bug spray.
- Exhaust tips. A lot of dirt can be removed from your exhaust tips. Use some very fine steel wool and a metal polish if it’s very dirty.
- Water spot remover. An APC can remove some water spots. Although they are not always successful.
- Around badges. The raised lettering and badges in cars can be tricky to clean. Spray some APC and let it work it’s way in. Then gently agitate with a small detailers brush. And rise away.
- To remove old wax and sealant. If you are planning on applying a new wax then you might get a better bond of the old wax is removed and and APC can help in this situation. Spray all over your car and rinse after a few minutes. Then wash as normal with the two bucket method.
- Engine Bay Cleaning. An APC is the best way to clean an engine bay. It will cut through grease much better than soap.
- Clean polishing pads. I’ve used it to clean my polishing pads after compounding and polishing my car.
- Convertible roof cleaning. Soft tops can be cleaned with an APC.
- Remove sunscreen stains. Can help to dissolve grease hand prints left by sunscreen.
- Remove wax or polish from plastic bumpers. You can also use a pencil eraser for this.
When to use an APC INSIDE the car.
It’s great inside the car once you dilute it properly.- Rubber car mats. APCs are perfect for cleaning these. Take the mat out and work on it on the ground so you can rinse it with the hose.
- Interior fabric. Cleaning carpet is another obvious use for an APC. It’s the best way I know of to get the stains out of an old carpet or cloth floor matts. Use a soft brush and microfibre towels.
- Dashboard stains can be removed. Especially those nasty stains you see on a steering wheel. But note that some APCs are not recommended for use on the dashboard.
- Rubber door seals can be safely cleaned with a quick wipe with at APC.
- Plastic trim around door ledges can get stained in anyone’s car. An APC is the solution.
- Steering wheels can get filthy. Makeup can just dissolve away without much elbow grease.