The auto-care industry can be gimmicky and overwhelming, which is why I prefer this startup's simple, no-fuss cleaning products for my cars

• It can be hard to decipher which car cleaning products are actually good and which ones are just marketed well — even for a product writer and car enthusiast like myself.
• I recently came across Ethos Car Care, a startup making simple car-care products that are easy to understand and to use.
• I got the chance to test some of its formulas on my own car, and I really pleased with how well the formulas worked. The products include car shampoo, tire shine, wheel cleaner, interior detailer, wax, all-purpose cleaner, and more.
• UPDATE on 3/23/20: More than a year later, Ethos Car Care still makes some of my favorite cleaning and detail products to use on my cars. I recently used it on my 1989 BMW 325i convertible and the results were undeniably great.

A few weeks ago I found myself stuck, aimlessly staring at a wall of car cleaning products in a local auto parts store for more than 30 minutes. What was supposed to be a quick trip to the store before a Saturday afternoon car wash turned into what felt like half an hour of mulling over a life-altering decision.

All I needed was tire shine and wheel cleaner. But I had to choose between wet tire shine, ultra-wet tire shine, extreme tire shine, untouchable tire shine, hot tire shine, foamy tire shine, and gel tire shine. I was stumped on which ones were actually good because they all seemed to have some kind of marketing spin promising this or that.

The same level of ambiguity and confusion exists for just about every other type of car cleaning product you might need, too. 

I ultimately settled for whatever was on sale and hoped for the best. As I was leaving the store, I thought to myself that it really shouldn't be that hard for someone like me, a product reviewer and car enthusiast, to pick out good cleaning products, never mind the average consumer. 

Unhappy with the products I ended up choosing, I started searching for alternatives that were simply good, with no misleading or confusing jargon, and I came across a promising new startup called Ethos Car Care.

Founded in 2017, Ethos Car Care was created as a simple and effective alternative in the overly-saturated, aggressively marketed car cleaning and detailing industry. Rather than putting a ton of time and effort into coming up with some catchy marketing campaign, Ethos has invested its resources where it matters the most: in the product itself. Working with chemical engineers and professional detailers, Ethos Car Care has put thousands of hours into developing, refining, and testing its USA-made products.

From premium ingredients to simple product labels, Ethos Car Care aims to eliminate the hassle of trying to decipher the difference between dozens of variations of the same product or buying watered-down garbage that has a cool label. It sounded like exactly what I had been hoping for after my struggles in the auto store, so I decided to give them a try.

Ethos Car Care sent me nearly its entire product line up and I put them to the test on my own car.

Using the car shampoo

The first product I tested was the Car Shampoo ($9.99). The soap is highly-concentrated, so you won't need loads of it to create a lot of suds, and the formula is pH balanced, which means that it won't strip away waxes, sealants, or protective coatings. I recently treated my car with 303 Touchless Sealant, a hydrophobic silicon-based spray, so I was happy to know it wouldn't be stripped away.

No matter how concentrated soaps say they are, I've always added extra (whether washing my car, laundry, or dishes), but I stuck to the recommended two ounces for a full bucket of water and it went a remarkably long way. 

If you've been using dish soap for your car washes, I'd recommend stopping immediately and switching to this. The initial results of dish soap are great, but that's because of its abrasiveness. It'll eat away at dirt, right along with the wax, and eventually the finish of the paint.

Using the non-abrasive wheel cleaner and tire shine

Next, I addressed my wheels and tires with — you guessed it — the Wheel Cleaner ($14.90) and Tire Shine ($14.90). I have to reiterate how refreshing it is to use products that are simply named. Lots of variety only makes it harder to pick a good product.

It took me so long to pick out similar products at the auto store because I've always been cautious about what I put on my car. Some wheel cleaners are highly abrasive and I'd hate for them to ruin the clear coat, polished lips, or 24-karat gold-plated pieces I have on some of my cars. As for tire shine, it's usually really hard to find one that doesn't slick up onto your bumper and quarter panels.

The Wheel Cleaner quickly broke down brake dust, making it a lot easier to get them clean, and it didn't damage my wheels. It also has a nice cherry scent, although that doesn't matter too much. Rather than being an aerosol, the Tire Shine is water-based and doesn't slick. It gave made my tires a clean shine, but it's not too shiny like I lathered them up with Vaseline. 

The bottom line

While I haven't had the chance to put all its products to test just yet (I have to wait for my car to get dirty again), it was great to see that Ethos Car Care makes a selection of ceramic products including Ceramic Car Shampoo ($15.90), Ceramic Wax ($36.99), and Ceramic Refresh ($27.90). The products use silicon dioxide, which repels water and dirt, giving your car a longer-lasting clean. If you've had your car professionally ceramic coated and you need to upkeep the finish or you just want to add a layer of protection to your car, these are great choices.

And with other products like Interior Detailer ($14.95) and Leather Conditioner ($13.97), you can make your car equally clean on the inside. The full range of products shows that they're building a brand with true car enthusiasts in mind. 

If you're looking for car cleaning products that are easy to understand and use, I strongly recommend Ethos Car Care. Whether you're a meticulous car enthusiast aiming for perfection or a responsible car owner who just appreciates a clean ride, their products will save you the trouble of scouring through the innumerable choices on the market. 

Update after more than a year of use

I've been using Ethos Car Care on my cars for about a year now and they've been wonderful. I recently sold my 1989 BMW 325i convertible and exclusively used Ethos Car Care products while preparing to make a listing. Here were the results. 

If you take a close look at the hood prior to washing and waxing it, you can see that the paint had lots of watermarks, imperfections, and lacked the luster of a good paint job.

After washing and detailing the car using Ethos products (primarily the Car Shampoo, Ceramic Wax, and Wheel Cleaner) the look of the car improved tremendously. Although it's by no means show car status, the results are undeniable. 

As you can see, the paint is vibrant and shiny. It actually looks red, rather than the chalky and dull look it had prior to washing and waxing it. I will absolutely continue to use these products on all of my cars simply because they work without gimmicks.

Shop all Ethos Handcrafted Auto Care products on Amazon now.