All Purpose Cleaners

An all purpose cleaner (APC) is a strong, dilutable cleaner for the jobs shampoo is too gentle for: wheel arches, tyres, engine bays, door shuts and, mixed weaker, interior plastics. Our range covers APCs such as the AutoBead All Purpose Cleaner and CarPro Multi X, engine bay degreasers, interior APCs and bike cleaners.

How to choose

• Dilution: concentrates such as CarPro Multi X are mixed strong for arches and engines and weak for interiors, so one bottle covers several jobs. The label gives the ratios.
• Inside or out: cleaners made for interiors, fabric included, are in Interior APCs.
• Grease and oil: for engine bays use a degreaser such as Dodo Juice Release the Grease, or Infinity Wax Super De-Greaser, a gel that clings while it works.

Good to know

• Never let a strong mix dry on paint, trim or bare aluminium, as it can mark: agitate with a brush and rinse or wipe it off while wet.
• Test on a hidden spot before using it on interior plastics, leather or fabric.

What is an all purpose cleaner used for on a car?

An all purpose cleaner tackles the dirt a shampoo leaves behind: wheel arches, tyres, engine bays, door shuts and badges, and, mixed weaker, interior plastics. Dilute it for the job, spray it on, agitate with a brush and rinse or wipe it off before it dries. Our car interior cleaner guide covers the inside jobs.

Related: Wash & Pre-Wash, Citrus Pre-Wash, Interior APCs, Detailing Brushes. Popular brands here: Autobead, CarPro, Sonax, Dodo Juice.