For every spot on a car that a cloth cannot reach, you need a brush. Wheel brushes clean between spokes without your fingers getting stuck. Detail brushes with soft synthetic bristles work dust and grime out of vents, badges, and trim strips. For the engine bay you use firmer brushes that can handle grease and oil.

Bristle stiffness is the deciding factor: soft brushes on paintwork and interior fabrics, medium on wheels and bumpers, stiff on the engine block and undercarriage. Cheap paint or household brushes are not suitable; they shed bristles and often have metal parts that cause scratches.