Touchless Car Care — Shopping List
Have a hose? See the 'Have a hose?' section at the bottom of the Shop page for the hose-end foam gun and pressure-washer additions.
Companion to the Quick Start and Pre-Wash guides. Bold = the pick. Alternatives are listed in order of preference. Prices are rough US street prices; check Amazon, Detailed Image, The Rag Company, Autogeek, Walmart/AutoZone/Advance for local pickup.
Core kit (buy these first)
| Item | Pick | Alternatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rinseless wash (one product does it all) | Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax (green), 32 oz — ~$20 | 1) Optimum No Rinse Wash & Shine (blue) + a spray sealant · 2) DIY Detail / Iconic Rinseless (16 oz, top-tier, no wax) · 3) P&S Absolute Rinseless · 4) Meguiar's Rinse Free Express Wash & Wax · 5) McKee's 37 N-914 · 6) Detail Co. Nemesis V2 (boutique, slickest, no wax) | Bucket 1:256, sprayer/pre-spray 1:128, drying aid 1:64. Blue ONR + sealant if you'd rather keep protection a separate step. |
| Pump foamer / pre-spray sprayer | IK Foam Pro 2+ (Schrader valve), ~$50 | 1) IK Foam Pro 2 (no valve, hand pump only) · 2) IK Multi Pro 2 (straight sprayer, no foam) · 3) Marolex Axel 2000 (needs DIY valve) | Orange insert for ONR, grey/green for pre-wash. Skip Multi Pro 12 (10 L tank) and HC XTREM (solvent sprayer). |
| Inflator (for the Schrader valve + tires) | Xiaomi Portable Electric Air Compressor 2, ~$45–60 | 1) Xiaomi 1S (older, slower) · 2) any Schrader-chuck cordless inflator with a manual PSI target | Set 40 psi manual. Optional — hand pumping works. |
| Bucket + grit guard | Chemical Guys Easy Grab Detailing Bucket Bundle (4.25 gal, lid, Cyclone Dirt Trap), ~$28 | 1) Any 3.5–5 gal Home Depot/Lowe's bucket + Cyclone Dirt Trap · 2) bucket + original Grit Guard (taller, needs +1 gal) | Low-profile Dirt Trap matters — only ~2 gal of solution needs to cover it. |
| Wash media | The Rag Company Ultra Black Sponge, ~$12 | 1) 6–8 plush 350+ gsm microfiber towels (e.g. TRC Eagle Edgeless 350/500) · 2) chenille wash mitt | Sponge = simplest one-bucket wash. Towels if you prefer. |
| Drying towels | 2–3 large twist-loop or waffle-weave drying towels (TRC Dry Me A River / Gauntlet, Griot's PFM), ~$15–25 ea | Any 900+ gsm twist-loop or 20×30 waffle weave | Separate from wash towels. |
| Glass towel | 1–2 low-nap waffle-weave glass towels (TRC Diamond Glass, Griot's), ~$8 | Any short-pile 300 gsm microfiber marked for glass | Only used on glass. |
| Glass cleaner | Stoner Invisible Glass, ~$6 | 1) Sprayway · 2) Meguiar's Perfect Clarity · 3) Griot's Glass Cleaner | Windshield/rear glass finish + interior glass. |
| Trigger bottle (drying aid) | Kwazar Mercury Pro+ 1000 ml, ~$13 (on sale) | 1) IK Multi TR 1 360 (1 L) · 2) any chemical-resistant 16–32 oz bottle with a fine-mist head | ONR W&W at 1:64. Label it. |
| Bug/tar remover | Griot's Bug & Smudge Remover or Stoner Tarminator, ~$10 | 1) Meguiar's Bug & Tar · 2) plain ONR at 1:64 + dwell for bugs only | For the stuff that etches. |
Pre-wash kit (bay days)
| Item | Pick | Alternatives | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Touchless pre-wash | Bilt-Hamber Touch-Less, 1 L ~$20 (Detailed Image, Obsessed Garage, Car Supplies Warehouse) | 1) Bilt-Hamber Auto-Foam (gentler, LSP-safe) · 2) CarPro Lift (strong, coating-safe) · 3) Gyeon Foam (pH-neutral) · 4) Koch Chemie GSF (pH-neutral) · 5) Chemical Guys Hands Off (easy to find) · 6) Meguiar's Ultimate Snow Foam Xtreme Cling (widely stocked) | 1–2% per fill normally, up to 4% for winter crust. Alkaline ones clean harder; pH-neutral ones preserve the wax layer. |
| Second trigger bottle (optional) | Kwazar Mercury Pro+ 500 ml | any 16 oz chemical-resistant bottle | For glass cleaner so nothing gets mixed up. |
| Measuring | Small kitchen measuring spoons / 30 mL medicine cup | graduated ONR cap | 10 mL ONR per 1.25 L fill (1:128); 12–25 mL Touch-Less per fill (1–2%). |
Optional / upgrade path
| Item | Pick | Alternatives | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spray sealant (longer beading than W&W alone) | Turtle Wax Seal N Shine (~$8) | 1) Meguiar's Hybrid Ceramic Wax · 2) Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating (longer-lasting) · 3) Griot's Ceramic 3-in-1 | If you want the "rain rinses it" effect stronger. Apply after a wash, every 1–2 months. |
| Wheel / all-purpose cleaner (bay days) | DIY Detail All Clean (RTU 16 oz, or gallon concentrate ~15:1) | 1) P&S Brake Buster · 2) Meguiar's Ultimate All Wheel Cleaner · 3) just use Touch-Less at 4% on wheels | Foam with the green insert, dwell, wand rinse. Optional — Touch-Less alone works for routine dust. |
| Iron remover (Step 0 / twice a year) | CarPro Iron X or Gyeon Iron | 1) DIY Detail Iron Remover · 2) Griot's Iron & Fallout Remover | Only for the reset — spray on clean wet paint, watch it bleed purple, rinse. Not a routine product. |
| Clay mitt (one-time reset) | Griot's or Nanoskin fine-grade clay mitt | clay bar + ONR 1:64 as lube | Only for the Step 0 reset / twice a year. |
| Cordless bucket-fed pressure washer | Ryobi 18V EZClean or Worx Hydroshot | Sun Joe cordless | If you want a real rinse without a bay. |
| Gamma Seal lid | Home Depot / Amazon | — | If you get a plain bucket and want to store mixed solution. |
| Leaf blower for drying | any cordless | — | Touchless drying, fewer towels. |
Skip these
- IK Multi Pro 12 / 12+ (10 L tank — too big), IK HC XTREM (solvent sprayer)
- Generic/tall grit guards (loose fit or need extra water)
- Foam brush at the bay, ever
- Distilled water (NYC tap is soft — not needed)
- Traditional car shampoo (defeats the rinseless method)
- Real ceramic coatings (needs polish prep and polish removal — not the goal here)
Where to buy
- Amazon: ONR, IK, Xiaomi, Chemical Guys bucket bundle, Invisible Glass, Turtle Wax
- Detailed Image / The Rag Company / Autogeek / Obsessed Garage: Kwazar, Touch-Less, Ultra Black Sponge, drying and glass towels, Bilt-Hamber
- Walmart / AutoZone / Advance / O'Reilly (local, same-day): ONR (often), Meguiar's, Chemical Guys, Stoner Invisible Glass, Turtle Wax, generic buckets, Rain-X
- Home Depot / Lowe's: buckets, Gamma lids, leaf blower
First-order checklist (minimum to start)
- [ ] ONR Wash & Wax 32 oz
- [ ] IK Foam Pro 2+
- [ ] Chemical Guys bucket bundle (or bucket + Dirt Trap)
- [ ] Ultra Black Sponge (or towel stack)
- [ ] 2–3 drying towels
- [ ] 1 glass towel + Invisible Glass
- [ ] Kwazar Mercury Pro+ 1 L
- [ ] Bug/tar remover
- [ ] Xiaomi Compressor 2 (optional)
- [ ] Touch-Less 1 L (whenever the first bay day comes up)