The 9 Best Car Wash Brushes

For RV owners and anyone washing a tall van or truck, the Camco 43633 puts the hose in the handle. Water runs through the pole to the head, and a button at the base turns it on and off, so you rinse while you scrub. The handle stretches to about six feet, rubber corners guard the trim, and a squeegee edge clears glass. Like any bristle brush, it can leave fine swirls on dark paint.

If the paint is your main worry, the Amazon Basics Chenille Mop Kit swaps bristles for soft microfiber loops that hold suds and carry grit away from the clear coat. Four aluminum sections join to the length you need, and the head swivels to follow a curved hood or roof. It has no water feed, and the cover wears thin with use, which is why a spare comes in the box.

Brake dust and road grime cling to wheels and fender liners, and the Mothers Wheel and Fender Brush is shaped for that job. Its dense bristles are split at the tips three times, so they hold suds without feeling harsh, and a rubber edge keeps the head from scratching rims. The short handle has a rubber grip that stays put when wet. The soft tips wear down over time, and the wide head can't reach deep inside a rim.

Already own a threaded broom or extension pole? The Carcarez Quad Head screws onto the common size and has bristles on all four sides, so the edges and ends clean as well as the face. It can pass water through its hub from a flow-through pole, or you can dunk it in a bucket between panels. No handle comes with it, so check that your pole's thread matches before you order.

The Hi-Tech TB-10 is a low-cost head with two heights of bristle: short ones in the middle for scrubbing and longer ones around the edge that wrap over curves and trim. The green nylon is crimped and split at the tips to stay soft and hold soap. It threads onto a standard handle, which you buy separately. The plastic back has no rubber edge, so go slowly around mirrors and badges.

Spoked and deep-dish wheels hide grime behind the spokes, where a flat brush can't go. The Viking V+ Barrel Brush is a long, round tuft of bristle and soft fiber that slides through the gaps to the inner rim. A capped tip keeps the metal stem off the finish, and a guard over the grip protects your knuckles. It cleans wheels and nothing else, and it has only a short track record so far.

With a rubber squeegee on one edge and bristles on the other, the Navapal Brush and Squeegee handles windshields, sunroofs and solar panels as well as body panels. The head sits at a fixed angle, so it lies flat on glass while you stand back, and the stainless steel pole comes in three pieces you can add or leave off. The bristles are PVC rather than nylon, and there's no water feed.

Detailers prize real hog's hair brushes because the fibers are so soft. The Hi-Tech NogHair TB-14 copies that feel with a synthetic fiber, so it skips the soak real hair needs before a wash. A curved head lined with long, tapered bristles holds plenty of suds and wraps around rounded panels. The handle is sold separately, and owner feedback on it is mixed.

The Sisupassie Telescopic Brush is for the RV roof, the box truck or the top of a boat's cabin. Its aluminum pole stretches well past the roofline of most RVs, with foam grips and clips that lock each section. The head screws on with a common thread, so other heads fit too. It's a young brand with little history, a long pole takes two hands at full length, and metal must never go near power lines.