How To Deep-Clean Your Alloy Wheels More Effectively

Deep-clean and decon your wheels for the best professional finish...

The majority of details start begin wheel cleaning, And, while this is performed first to limit the spread of heavy contamination to cleaner areas, many don’t realise just how important this stage is for all-round safety.

Corrosive heavy contaminants like brake dust and road salt, if neglected, can eat into surface finishes and penetrate the metal itself, eventually jeopardizing the wheel structure. So, while filthy wheels with acres of caked-on brake dust never look very appealing in terms of having a nice, clean car, there’s actually more to it than mere aesthetics.

So, let’s take a look at the best way to deep-clean and periodically decontaminate your wheels in five simple steps, and the best detailing products to use along the way…

1. Look At Your Wheel Finish

First, you’ll need to consider your wheels, or more specifically their finish and construction. The vast majority of standard and aftermarket, one piece wheels are finished in paint, powdercoat or lacquer and the following deep-cleaning and decon process is extremely safe and effective. For some multi-piece wheels and specialist finishes - such as particularly sensitive chrome plated, bare metal, gloss black painted and anodised wheels you may need to adapt the products accessories you use just to ensure you’re getting the safest possible cleaning. If in doubt, surface-safe lubricant-packed formulas like Revolution Wheel Soap, along with our Microfibre Wheel Brush, are the ideal products for deep cleaning in the safest possible way - that's exactly what they're designed for.

A full rundown for specialty wheels can be found in our full article: The Detailers Guide To Cleaning Alloy Wheels.

2. Deep-Cleaning And Decontamination

For wheels in need of the deepest clean, we'll always carry out a monthly decontamination process using Iron Out Contaminant Remover. This advanced fallout remover chemically dissolves embedded metal particles for safe removal. These tiny pieces of metal shrapnel are usually derived from brake dust and they embed themselves into surfaces, eventually causing corrosion and even structural problems. Iron Out is designed to dissolve these into its own solution, so they can be rinsed away safely. You don’t have to do this every time you clean your wheels but periodic decontamination is beneficial for keeping them in the best condition.

First give your wheels and tyres a full rinse down. This will remove the loose grime and let the Iron Out get to work on where it’s most needed.

When decontaminate paintwork, we do it after the wash on surfaces that are as clean as possible. On wheels however you can use Iron Out first as a kind of pre-cleaning and decotamination at the same time. This powerful fallout remover is not specifically designed as a wheel cleaner, but it is packed with extra degreasing and cleaning agents. This means that your Iron Out will also break down and safely remove other kinds of harmful contamination like heavy grime and road salt.

Apply your Iron Out all over the faces and barrels, making sure you target any awkward recesses. Then simply leave it to react. You’ll see the reaction take place with any metal present as the solution turns blood red. When it does you can rinse away the contaminants trapped in the solution.

3. Pre-Clean With Imperial Wheel Cleaner

If it's routine maintenance and you’re skipping decon and starting from here this stage is designed to remove the harsher, large particle grime before you agitate your cleaners into the wheel. First give the wheel a thorough rinse down. Look at this as a kind of pre-wash your wheels. The idea is to remove the most harmful grime to cut the risk of dragging gritty particles over potentially sensitive finishes. That and to make sure your cleaning agent is getting to work where it’s most needed.

Now you can pre-clean with a liberal application of Imperial Wheel Cleaner being sure to get your cleaner all over the wheel and right into the barrels. This acid free cleaning agent works by using special surfactants and water to break down and lift grime away from the surfaces. The solution then encapsulates heavy particles to allow them to be rinsed away without abrading the surface underneath. Leave your Imperial to dwell for a few minutes to get to work on the bonded grime, and then rinse your wheel down thoroughly.

4. Brushing-In with Revolution Wheel Soap

Agitation is the key to getting the best from your wheel cleaning products. We don't agitate to physically scrub surfaces, the idea is to ensure that our cleaners make contact with every part of the wheel. It also makes sure they're refreshed on the more stubborn grime when needed. After reapplying a little more Imperial Wheel Cleaner, we can brush-in the solution using a little Revolution Wheel Soap. This gives extra cleaning power and acts as a lubricant to help any sharp particles slip freely over surfaces. A couple of capfuls in a Detailing Bucket is all you need here.

We'll agitate our cleaners into every part of the wheel, all the time using appropriate wash media and accessories for the wheel finish. In this case here we start with a scratch-free Barrel Brush to agitate into the inner wheel barrels, before using a soft Detailing Brush to clean the more awkward areas, such as the wheel lips and nut recesses. Finally, we can take an Ultra Plush Wheel Mitt to finish up the faces and behind the spokes.

5. Rinse Down and Dry

Now you can rinse away the soapy residue safely. Its this which will be encapsulating all the grime. Be methodical here ensuring all the grime is removed. Once you’ve finished one wheel, you can move onto the next until all your wheels are clean. Then you can start the rest of your maintenance detail, starting of course, with a proper pre-wash.

After you’ve finished the rest of your car wash and dried your car, don’t forget to dry your wheels, too. This is crucial to prevent the watermarks you’ll get when your rinse water is allowed to dry naturally. Tap water isn’t pure, it contains all sorts of mineral impurities that will be deposited over your car if the water is left to evaporate off. With that in mind, drying your wheels is as important as any other part of your car, simply to preserve the immaculate finish.

For wheels we always recommend using a soft, super-absorbent, deep-pile microfibre towel, such as our Ultra Plush Microfibre. These are little easier to control than a large Drying Towel. As always, its vital to prevent your microfibre towels from dragging on the floor, picking up grit as they go. So a smaller towel is always a great idea here.

What's Next?

With these simple steps completed, your wheels will deep-cleaned, decontaminated and ready for the road. Why not adapt this guide to your next detail and marvel at the results?

So, what's next? Well, apart from adding a little Wheel Protection to keep them that way for longer, checking out the Guides Section Of Our Blog for even more top How-Tos of course…