Our list of the top 5 wheel cleaning brushes to use on your next detailing job.
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As the saying goes, your shoes can make or break the outfit. You wouldn't want to wear rain boots with your tuxedo on your wedding day (or maybe you do, we won't judge!)
The same fashion sentiment carries over to your car or truck. The stock wheels from the factory could be your best choice if the car or truck is one you rely on for daily commuting. Wire wheels might be the right look if you're driving a vintage Jaguar, or cruising a lowrider Impala. What if you've got a pick-up truck or Jeep that sees lots of off-roading duty? A strong alloy or steel wheel would be the best bet for that type of task.
And while you choose the right type of wheel for the driving you intend to do, you also want to choose the right wheel cleaning brush when it comes time to freshen up the shoes on your ride. Below is a quick list of brushes we use on a daily basis to care for the cars & trucks at the garage. We've narrowed it down to five brushes that serve a unique purpose and get used on almost every detail job we work on.
1. A sturdy, reliable scrub brush
At times you're going to be faced with stubborn dirt & grime that ends up stuck in places like a tire's side wall or tread. In times like this we look for something that we can really put some elbow grease behind, and agitate the heck out of whatever is stuck to the cleaning surface.
For the best agitation you'll want a quality scrub brush that has stiff, course bristles. This will allow you to get to the bottom of the dirt & grime in quick fashion.
You'll want to be careful though. A brush like this isn't intended to be used on sensitive surfaces that are prone to scratching (paint & wheels). This type of brush should be reserved for use on rubber tires, plastic trim and inner fender wells.
2. A soft, flexible, bottle-bristled brush
This type of brush might be the MVP in our detailing tool arsenal. The bottle-bristles wound around a thin, flexible core makes this EZ detail brush the ideal candidate for getting into those hard to reach places. Plus it can be bent to wrap or fit in just about any crevice.
We find ourselves using this brush the most when we need to clean the inner barrels of a wheel. And because the bristles are made from a soft nylon material, we're able to clean with confidence and not worry that it's going to hurt or scratch the finish.
3. A soft-bristled, short-handled brush
The value of a general-use, utility brush cannot be understated. When considering a brush that will suit this need we're looking for something in the 9-10' territory. It should have a solid grip for comfortable, slip-proof use.
We tend to use this brush in areas like wheel faces and rocker panels. That's why we prefer the soft bristle. We want to be able to agitate things like brake dust & road grime, but we don't want to leave behind scratches or swirl marks. These Griptek wheel & body brushes are nice because they heavy-duty rubber bumpers on the corners. This softens the inevitable 'love taps' your brush head will have with body panels and wheel rims.
4. A stiff-bristled, long-handled brush
The need for a brush like this will vary based on the type of vehicle you're cleaning. If you want to get into the fender or wheel wells of a truck/SUV, then this type of brush is an absolute necessity. Especially if you want to save your back & knees.
The long handle and stiff bristles of this brush make cleaning deep into the wheel well a quick & easy task. The 20" Griptek scrub brush is a great option if you're looking for a long handled scrub brush.
5. A boars-hair detailing brush
This brush isn't an absolute necessity, but we still toss it in the bucket every time we're cleaning a set of wheels & tires. It's compact size makes it great for getting into tight spots like the lug nut cavities. Plus the boar's hair bristle is stiff enough to agitate stubborn brake dust, but still be gentle on sensitive surfaces.
Check out the boar's hair detailing brush here if you think this is a brush you want to add to your arsenal.
That rounds out our list of 5 Essential Wheel Cleaning brushes. We hope this list was useful for you. If you'd like to see us cover other detailing topics, drop us a line at .
Previously, we gave our recommendations for the best wheel cleaners, and in that article we mentioned needing to use a wheel brush. So naturally, we decided to give our recommendations for the best wheel brushes! There honestly isn't too much that goes into designing and manufacturing a wheel brush, but there are some products that work better than others. More importantly, you do want to purchase a brush that won't accidentally scratch your wheels, which means sticking to quality brands with a good reputation.
Most wheel brushes are relatively inexpensive, and yes, you can use a toothbrush (with soft bristles) if you really want, but that might take you a while. Some meticulous car detailers actually do use a toothbrush to get into the hard-to-reach areas of a wheel, especially if they have a mesh design. But for most car owners, any of our recommendations for a wheel brush will make cleaning your wheels a lot easier when paired with a wheel cleaner.
Since there isn't much to explain about wheel brushes, we'll jump straight into our recommendations. But there is some additional information about wheel brushes below if you'd like to learn more about them.
The current version of Chemical Guys' Wheelie All Exterior Surface and Wheel Brush is slightly different than the brush in the photo above, which is the one I currently own and use. It's mainly the handle that has changed, but I've been using this brush for years and couldn't be happier ' although I should probably replace it. This is typically the only brush I need to take care of my wheel cleaning needs, but sometimes it's necessary to use my next recommendation as well. If you have the budget for two brushes, I do recommend getting both, but if you only want to purchase one, I recommend this one from Chemical Guys.
It features light and medium duty scrubbing bristles to gently remove all that brake dust and dirt off your wheels. You can also use it to clean your fenders, liners, and other trim pieces on your car so you don't get your mitt all dirty. It's just a useful brush to own if you regularly wash your car.
Although I awarded this product 'runner-up', I don't really consider it a 'second best' option. I often use it to complement my Chemical Guys brush, as this works better to get in between spokes and behind the wheels. In fact, if your Porsche has wheels with a more complicated design, I might even recommend this wheel brush to you over my top pick. It comes from Adam's Polishes and it's the company's Wheel Spoke Brush packed with soft and safe bristles. It's really soft to the feel and it works well with wheel cleaners since it is chemical resistant.
I actually found the handle length on this wheel brush to be ideal. It's short enough to make it easy to use, but long enough so you don't accidentally hit your hand on something while cleaning. Adam's does offer a few other wheel brushes, including an angled one that I have used in the past with good results.
While I personally haven't had a chance to use the Brush Hero Wheel Brush, it comes highly recommended from a few people I know. It's basically a water-powered brush that makes quick work of all that dirt on your wheels. The company does say you can also use it on the exterior surfaces of your car, although I personally would be hesitant to do that. But as a wheel cleaner, I have heard it's really effective.
Simply connect the Brush Hero to a garden hose and water pressure will take care of the rest. You'll get two different brushes with the tool, a soft black brush for sensitive surfaces and a tough white brush to work on dirtier areas of your car. There is also a Brush Hero Pro kit if you are looking for more control, equipped with a water pressure switch and some minor comfort tweaks. This option is probably ideal for those who are using a garden hose to wash their car and not a pressure washer.
I'm generally not a huge fan of kits like this, but when it comes to a product that's straightforward like a wheel brush, I think they're worth mentioning. Sometimes you need multiple tools to do the job depending on how intricate your wheels are and how meticulous you want to get with cleaning them. This kit has thousands of positive user reviews and appears to offer great value for the price. As you can tell by the photo, it's a seven-piece kit that includes a 17' long soft wheel brush, five detail brushes, and a standard short handle tire brush with soft and gentle bristles.
Another reason why I don't mind recommending this kit is that the other brushes can be used to clean various other areas of your car, including the interior. If you have a need for multiple brushes, go with this kit from LUCKLYJONE.
My final wheel brush recommendation is actually the old wheel brush that I used for a while before replacing it with the combination of my first two picks at the top of this list. It comes from Mothers and there isn't anything necessarily wrong with it, I just knew it was time to replace my wheel brush and I decided to go with something new. Overall, it's pretty similar to the Chemical Guys wheel brush I have at the top of my list, with soft bristles and a comfortable handle. This one does have rubber accents to protect from accidental bumps. Mothers also sells a version with a longer handle if that's what you prefer.
I honestly have no compelling argument to recommend one brush over the other in this case, so if you're happy with the price and the Mothers brand, feel free to order yourself one.
This isn't exactly a wheel brush, but I wanted to include it on the list as an added bonus. This is Adam's Lug Nut Brush, which can also be used to detail various trim pieces on your car or your interior. It's mainly designed to get into the deep crevices of your lug nuts and features a long rubberized handle that makes it easy to use. This product is by no means a necessity and is really a luxury item in my opinion, but it's definitely nice to have for those who really want a spotless car.
There are different ways to clean your wheels, from using your wash mitt, to wheel cleaners and wheel brushes. Whichever option you go with, you always want to use a separate bucket than what you're using to wash your car. The last thing you want to do is transfer dirt and accidentally scratch your wheels while cleaning them because you didn't want to use a separate bucket.
Typically, I start by using a pressure washer with a 25-degree angled tip to get all the loose dirt and dust off my wheels. Then I grab one of my favorite wheel cleaners and spray down the wheels. Depending on how dirty the wheels are, I'll let the solution work for a minute or two before grabbing a wheel brush to agitate and clean. Afterwards, I rinse the wheels again with the pressure washer and check if I missed any spots.
It's tough to answer this question, because it boils down to the quality of your wheel brush, how often you use it, and how you care for it afterwards. But eventually you will want to replace your wheel brush because it won't be as effective once after several years of usage. As you can tell by the photo of my Chemical Guys wheel brush, it's probably about time for me to replace it.
Even in this list of recommendations, we have a few different types of wheel brushes. The best recommendation I can give is to look at your wheel design to determine if you need a longer wheel brush, an angled wheel brush, or if a conventional wheel brush will do the job. Mesh wheels and multi-spoke wheels tend to be more difficult to clean, and for those designs I would recommend Adam's Wheel Spoke Brush. If you have something that's more open with less spokes overall, my top pick or the wheel brush from Mothers should be best. Like most automotive-related products, pick the best tool for the job based on your car's setup.
The first Fundamental series were released in December , they have been discontinued for a while now but new Fundamentals series will be available starting on the 18th of July . These new series are a selection of previously released brushes paired with some new designs. The eye brushes are still in production but the face brushes are ready!
Some of these previous designs had to be discontinued because we could not get the same materials with the same quality anymore. Others were discontinued because as we launched other series, the functionality of some brushes was somehow duplicated and we were not able to justify keeping the production for all of them.
I loved the first thicker handles, they were quite a statement in terms of size and look, although I know they were not the easiest to carry around.
When these handles were designed, I was either going for a design with a black to red gradation or, the other option that I loved was to use a luxurious wood and leave the handles unlacquered. I loved both but I thought the red to black was the most intriguing option because of the lacquers used, the complexity in the coating methods and how much work those handles actually required!
Time has passed since that first release and since then, we have been working with luxurious wood materials like yakusugi, keyaki, and hinoki for the handles. We also used walnut wood for the Brush Holder, it's out of stock at the moment but currently in production and should be back in a couple of months.
Today, I recognise how much work and craftsmanship has been put in all the handles, and, while this is very important, the aesthetics and ergonomics may be the main reasons to steer us towards one or the other.
I have received a lot of messages asking me to bring the original Fundamental brushes back in stock, and this was the opportunity for me to finally use walnut wood for the handles and showcase precious Japanese craftsmanship techniques that we have incorporated in the process.
So, almost 6 years later, we are bringing back a selection of the very first Fundamentals paired with these new walnut handles. We have reduced the number of brushes in these 2 series to 6 face brushes and 8 eye brushes. Today we are ready to dive into the face set, it will launch both as a set and as individuals!
This is going to be a very long post; you can continue reading or click on a title below to jump to that section directly!
The first Fundamentals (now all discontinued) had maple wood handles and were lacquered black to red. These new handles are made from walnut and are unlacquered, you can see the grain and feel the wood.
If you are familiar with the previous handles, these new handles are thinner and lighter. Take the Fan L brush (ex-Sculpt One), the previous version was 39g, today the same brush with the walnut handle is 29g. The brush is not as heavy but still feels substantial, they have different aesthetics both in finish and shape.
The shape is a bit similar to the PRO and SKY series, but we had to redesign all the handles according to this new material we were using. This is to make sure they were durable as walnut is a more delicate wood.
Just like with the Keyaki handles (the Mini and the Traditions), we used Tonoko powder to perfect each handle.
Tonoko is a polishing powder made from finely powdered stone, it's not only a traditional process that some artisans use, but it's good to know that is has many benefits: Not only does it accentuate the grain of the walnut wood, it also mitigates the risk of shrinking and strengthens the wood.
The process is extremely long and when we see all the work behind the scenes, it helps to better understand their cost and the reasons why they take so long to make.
I was able to specifically write about this process since I have a privileged relationship with both the brush and the handle manufacturer (normally companies will only be able to talk to the brush manufacturer since handle sourcing is a 'behind the scenes', confidential process).
Contact us to discuss your requirements of FUYI Brush. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
We tried different techniques to apply the logo and labels, but engraving was not giving consistent results. We cannot risk damaging the wood on such expensive handles, so we decided to go with printing. Printing on such handles is tricky too, but it was the best option.
This new Fundamental face set comes with 6 brushes:
' 4 are re-editions brought back from the original Fundamentals, they are exactly the same brush but with a different handle.
' 1 is a re-edition from the discontinued mini Keyaki set, the Classic Face. It was renamed to Classic Cheek though. It's the same brush, but with this walnut handle instead of the keyaki mini handle.
' 1 is a new design that was never released, the Worker L.
The brushes in this Fundamental set offer a good balance in terms of fun and functionality: they are able to take care of essential tasks in a make-up application, effortlessly and quickly, but they are also capable of taking into account extra needs we may need to cover ' like handling difficult products or achieving a particular placement. If you are a brush lover and collector, I hope that some of these have the potential to fill a gap in your collection!
This table will give you an idea on how these brushes compare to each other in terms of airiness, softness, firmness, and density. For example, the Fan A is denser and firmer in comparison to the Fan M, Fan L is more airy in comparison to Fan M or A.
This table is just to give you an example of the tasks they can achieve but the result depends on the product used, the precision and the opacity that you are aiming for. I will talk in detail about the functionality of each brush further down in this post.
When we started working on these walnut handles, I was going to pick only a very small selection for the brushes. However, during the past two years, I have received so many messages about the Sculpt One, the Sculpt Two and the Sculpt Four, that it really made sense to bring these 3 fans back.
It has been a while since the first release of the Fundamentals in , with time we mastered new Fude techniques, obtained new materials and we created new collections. It's normal that some brushes evolve with time or get discontinued, but these three fans are still very much loved today, just the way they are.
They are brought back with the same specs, just with a different ferrule and handle.
A short summary:
I love fan brushes, specially since I discovered Japanese handmade fan brushes. They really stand out thanks to the amazing quality of the bristles and the consistency of the bundling, they can be considered reliable and powerful tools.
There are 3 fan brushes in these Fundamentals, they are very soft and very dense. Instead of working like wispy fans and applying a product lightly, they work with determination and have lots of strength to diffuse and buff a product. I will share more details about each one of them further down below but I wanted to show you some pics side by side to give you a better idea of their shape and size.
The FAN L is a very large face brush but since it's curved, if we use it perpendicularly, we can adjust the pressure to increase or reduce the surface that is in contact with the skin.
I use this brush mostly for bronzer because it navigates easily around the face and delivers very natural diffused results.
With blush it may seem too large for the task, but it depends on how you want the product to be diffused. If you are aiming for a horizontal technique, using this brush at a 90° angle will deliver a natural elongated application.
I use it regularly for sculpting, sculpting does a lot for me and I always include this step in my makeup routine one way or the other! If I work with powder products, this Fan L helps me to achieve an application quick and easy!
I occasionally use it with highlighter but paired with products that are on the matte side or with a subtle radiant finish (not sparkly or metallic finishes as it would be quite a wide area being covered). I would not recommend this Fan L if you are looking for a precise application.
The brush is versatile but it depends how precise you want the application to be.
The FAN L has been bundled with hakutotsuho goat bristles, these are thicker bristles in comparison to the saikoho bristles used for the Fan A or for the Soft Buffer, but the thicker bristles were a necessity for the functionality of this FAN L brush. If we make this large fan with finer saikoho goat bristles 1) the brush won't fluff out as nicely and 2) it will lack strength for the intended purpose, we would be tempted to use more pressure while excessive pressure on long bristles is not a good thing for the durability of the brush.
The surface at the top is +/- 4.5cm long x 1.6 cm wide, however, using light pressure, the contact surface is reduced to +/- 3.4cm x 1.2cm.
The products that triggered the design of this fan brush were blushes and powders that I discovered and loved, but they were quite sheer or not very saturated. Their application was time consuming and I really wanted to be able to use them regularly. At the time I remember having this same discussion with my friends and followers, we were using similar products (RMK, SUQQU, THREE, ADDICTION, IPSA, etc) and sometimes we struggled with the application. I thought that there was a definite need for a brush that could fit on those small rectangular pans and that could effectively pick up the product and work it.
Today there are still many blushes, contours, highlighters that are challenging to apply but they are gorgeous, they just need a tool that can handle them.
Although this was the main reason why this fan brush was initially designed, many enjoyed using it for the application of powders, for polishing and buffing. It can do a very effective buffing in a linear / straight manner, it offers a different experience and more control in comparison to a round or a paddle type of brush.
Since the density is quite high, it was super important that it was as soft as possible, even if you have sensitive skin, this really feels like a cosy cloud.
The FAN M is not the ideal tool for bronzing all over because it's very dense and quite firm, however, since that brush was launched in the first Fundamentals, so many of you contacted me to tell me how much they loved it for a sculpted bronzer application! Many bronzers are silky and gorgeous but difficult to pick and using this brush helps a lot with the process.
The Fan A is a medium sized Fan brush, with a shorter firmer edge and a longer more supple edge. It's called Fan A, where the A is meant for angled. This angled shape allows a bit more precision in comparison to the Fan M. It is going to be easier to navigate near the eyes for example, or around the nose or we can also place the product on the shorter edge for more precision, glide the brush and blend with the longer bristles.
Just like with the Fan M, it is going to shine with harder products that need to be paired with a firmer tool. I would not use the Fan A for blush, however, if the blush is like a gelee and difficult to work with, the Fan A is going to do a great job applying and working the product.
The surface at the top is +/- 4cm long x 1.4 cm wide, however, using light pressure the contact surface is +/- 2.7cm x 1.3cm.
The other 3 brushes in the New Fundamentals face are:
This is the most classic type of cheek brush, with the highest versatility in terms of size, airiness and density. For example, if you don't know what brush to start with, or to gift to someone special, this is the one that has the highest potential to be used the most frequently.
The surface at the top is +/- 2.6cmx2 cm, it's a fluffy brush, there is airiness but it's not floppy at all. Since it's between a paddle and a round brush, it can be used in any direction easily and without risks for the structure of the brush.
This Classic Cheek and the Worker L have slightly longer handles (in comparison to the other face brushes in the same set). The handles for these two brushes are thinner, so making them longer gives a more substantial weight to the handle, a better balance.
It's exactly the same brush as the Classic Face previously released in the Mini Keyaki Set in . I know many of you wished that this brush was released again, so this was the perfect opportunity and it teams really well with the other brushes in the set.
The Soft Buffer is exactly the same brush as the Face Two released in .
At the time I was aiming for a blush brush with generous density but with movement and flexibility, a bit domed at the top so that when buffing, we could more easily target a smaller area. It also had to be extremely soft and the saikoho goat bristles were wonderful.
We are happy that many years later we are still able to reach the same softness.
This brush still remains very relevant today, specially if you have very sensitive skin and don't usually enjoy buffing, this Soft Buffer is going to work like a gentle breeze. This was the reason that triggered this design in , I was aiming for a blush brush that could also serve as a soft buffer and that we could use even if we have extremely sensitive skin.
As a blush brush, since the surface is domed, you will have nice control with the placement. As a buffer, with a buffing type of pressure, the surface of the brush that is in contact with the skin will reach approx 2.5 cm diameter.
I use this brush the most with blushes that aren't very pigmented, with finishing powders, and quite regularly for sculpting with contours or bronzers that are a bit difficult to pick up.
There are quite a few buffers across the series! The Sheer Buffer is a stippling brush designed mainly for liquids and creams, it delivers a very soft and diffused application, the other 3 buffers are for powder products:
If you are going for a very fast buffing all over the face, the Buffer Pro is the way to go.
If you are looking for an effective buffing tool but for example only on the cheek area, or to smooth out the contour, the Smooth Buffer is more appropriate for a powerful buffing with more control in comparison to the Buffer Pro.
The Soft Buffer will deliver a softer buffing but with more precision in comparison to the other two.
This Worker L is a new design, it was inspired by a paintbrush and adapted for the face. The idea behind it is to work on details, to perfect, to add accents, or do anything you want on a small perimeter.
The Worker L is part of the 'Workers' family, they are called workers because they can tackle different tasks that aren't always directly related. For example, we could use this little brush for contour, but also to powder smaller areas (around the nose, the eyes, the lips), for highlighter application, to buff and polish tiny areas or to add blush topper or colour accents.
I would not use the Worker L for blush, however, if the blush is the size of an eyeshadow pan and you want to work with an eyeshadow on the cheeks -as a blush or a topper- that's a fantastic brush to use, just keep in mind that it's dense. It does have flexibility though and the bristles flow so smoothly that it feels almost therapeutic.
It's similar to the Detail Pro in the Pro series. The Detail Pro has a smaller ferrule (1mm difference in diameter), a slightly smaller surface and it's airier in comparison to the Worker L.
The brushes are not Limited Edition, but they may evolve in the future, this depends on the feedback and on the future collections. As we move on and work on our new projects and restocks, we adapt to the availability of the materials and the new techniques that become available.
The 6 brushes of this set will be available on Beautylish starting on the 18th of July at 10am PT. They will be available as a set and as individuals.
If you wish you can add your name to the Beautylish launch list to be notified when they are available.
Thank you for your kind continuous support, I hope that you will love these brushes and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to meet me in the comments below!
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