Shopping

The 5 Best Hose Attachments For Washing Cars

We only recommend products we love and that we think you will, too. We may receive a portion of sales from products purchased from this article, which was written by our Commerce team.

by Maria Cassano
Best Hose Attachments For Washing Cars
Amazon

When it comes to keeping your car clean, you have two options: You can go to an establishment to get it washed, or you can do it yourself. This is where the best hose attachments for washing cars come in handy to save you some cash. While Amazon has plenty of options, the clear winners are thoughtfully designed and highly rated by reviewers.

What To Look For In The Best Hose Attachments For Washing Cars

There are two primary types of hose attachments that are ideal for washing your car: foam cannons and flow-through brushes. Foam cannons have a container between the handle and the nozzle; the water from the hose is directed through a cleaning solution along with some air, which causes it to foam up before it hits your car. (While you can lightly scrub your car with a mitt or a towel, the foam should do most of the work.) Then, simply rinse it away for a quick, easy wash.

A flow-through brush, on the other hand, directs the water through the elongated handle and between the bristles, so you can scrub and rinse at the same time — including the top of the car. Most of these brushes don’t automatically apply the cleaning solution, so you’ll need to do that yourself, but they’re great for thoroughly cleaning hard-to-reach spots on large vehicles and for removing stubborn spots of things like sap and dirt.

Whichever attachment type you opt for, be sure to keep compatibility in mind. All of these attachments (except for the last one, which is for a power washer) will fit a standard garden hose, but some may require special adapters in order to work properly.

Shop The Best Car Wash Hose Attachments

In a hurry? Here are the top picks for washing your car.

1. The Best Car Wash Bundle

Pros:

  • Comes with everything you need except the hose to wash your car
  • Easy to connect/disconnect
  • Thousands of rave reviews

Cons:

  • It goes through soap quickly

The Foam King car wash sprayer bundle includes a foam gun, a waterproof wash mitt with three distinct surfaces, and a microfiber towel. All of these items are especially useful for getting your car sparkling clean, but the foam gun is the primary selling point; it attaches to your hose with one click, and it disconnects just as easily so you can use the included sprayer attachment for rinsing. What’s more, you can adjust the output of foam depending on your needs. So far, this bundle has earned an overall 4.3-star rating from almost 3,000 reviewers. (You can also buy the foam cannon attachment by itself for $39.)

One reviewer wrote: “Great product if you do not have a pressure washer. Makes car washing easier as it soaps the entire car before running the wash mitt. much quicker and easier to wash my cars now. Would recommend to anyone.”

Includes: foam cannon and spray gun attachment, three-in-one wash mitt, detailing towel| Additional Requirements: cleaning solution

2. The Best Foam Cannon On A Budget

Pros:

  • Costs about $20
  • Has five spray settings
  • Is a best-seller on Amazon

Cons:

  • According to reviewers, it’s not the most durable option

For those who are looking for an affordable attachment that gets the job done, there’s the Ontel car wash cannon. Even though it costs roughly half that of the competition, it’s a best-seller with over 4,500 reviews because it’s easy to use, effective, and affordable. Simply fill the reservoir with a cleaning solution, attach it to your hose, and choose one of the five spray settings; it’ll then create a layer of thick foam that covers your car to remove dirt, salt, and watermarks.

One reviewer wrote: “This is hands down the best value for money you can get if you only have a regular hose and no pressure washer. I imagine all the other foam guns are pretty much the same but double the price. Used this with Carpro Reset and got plenty of foam and suds. It's not shaving cream style but still fantastic.”

Includes: foam cannon and spray gun attachment | Additional Requirements: cleaning solution

3. The Best Flow-Through Car Wash Brush

Pros:

  • Extendable
  • Scratch-resistant
  • Comes with an adapter to fit most hoses

Cons:

  • Not ideal for high water pressure

The soft but effective bristles on this car wash brush are specifically designed to remove dirt and sap without scratching your car, while the aluminum alloy rod is lightweight, yet extendable up to 51 inches so it works well with cars big and small. Just attach a hose to the end of the handle and water will flow through the pole and the bristles, giving you extra power when scrubbing stubborn stains. There’s even an included adapter and a switch that allows you to turn the water off and on.

One reviewer wrote: “What a great decision. I have a big Ram pickup and an Suv and it would wear me out to do both the same day. This cuts the time in half. [...] Get it good and soapy before you start, and there are no scratches in the paint or clearcoat, believe me, I checked. Now, I can do 4 cars in one day and it's so easy.”

Includes: flow-through brush, adapter | Additional Requirements: soap

4. The Best RV Wash Brush

Pros:

  • Allows for a 12-foot reach
  • Sturdy and well-designed
  • Includes adapters and silicone rings for a tight fit

Cons:

  • Expensive

If you have an RV, bus, large truck, or even a boat, this car wash brush is the way to go. It’s pricy, but it reaches up to 12 feet to clean the sides and top of your vehicle. Like its shorter counterpart above, it also has a flow-through handle and soft bristles, but the head is 12 inches long and rounded to reach into tight spaces. It also includes an adapter and silicone rings so you can find the best fit for your hose.

One reviewer wrote: “I use this to wash cars and my big Rv. It reaches the top of my Rv at 11 feet no problem. The brush is soft and doesn’t scratch the paint on my cars. I love that the head is fully surrounded by bristles as to not have any plastic surface scratch the cars. Heavy duty pole that can also be used to paint or put a push broom head on. Good buy.”

Includes: flow-through brush, adapter, silicone rings | Additional Requirements: soap

5. The Best Full Car Detailing Kit

Pros:

  • Includes everything you need for detailing, inside and out
  • Quality foam blaster gun and solution
  • Best-selling set with almost 20,000 reviews

Cons:

  • Expensive

Yes, the Chemical Guys 14-piece arsenal car wash kit costs $100 — but reviewers write that it’s “worth every penny” if you want your car to look “brand spanking new.” It’s a best-seller in cleaning kits and has nearly 20,000 reviews, because it comes with everything you need for a thorough detailing, inside and out. You’ll receive both scrubbing tools and cleaning sprays, but the Torq foam blaster gun is especially notable; it connects to your hose to create a thick, self-cleaning foam (solution included) without the need for a pressure washer.

One reviewer wrote: “I went into buying this with low expectations for how well the garden hose foam cannon would work, but honestly I’m beyond impressed with it and will be continuing to use this over the pressure washer. Easy to use, very effective and user friendly.The chemical agents that are included all smell amazing and the quality of the other tools and accessories are well weighted and feel very high quality. If you’re on the fence about this product, take my word for it…it’s definitely worth it!”

Includes: Butter Wet Wax, Honeydew Snow Foam, Diablo Wheel Gel, Silk Shine Dressing, Signature Glass Cleaner, Detailing Bucket, Cyclone Dirt Trap, Torq Foam Blaster Foam Gun , Microfiber Wash Mitt, Short Handle Brush, 3 Microfiber Towels, dressing applicator | Additional Requirements: none

Also Great: The Best Car Washing Attachment For Pressure Washers

Pros:

  • Creates ample foam for scrub-free car washing
  • Five nozzles create all different water patterns
  • Best-selling option on Amazon

Cons:

  • Only works for a pressure washer (not a garden hose)

Finally, if you came here looking for a pressure washer attachment (rather than a hose attachment), this foam cannon is one of the most well-rated on Amazon. It includes the water gun body, adjustable foam lance, and five pressure washer nozzle tips, all for less than $30. What’s more, it’s powerful and gets the job done without much elbow grease at all. No wonder it has an overall 4.3-star rating from more than 4,400 reviewers.

One reviewer wrote: “I read many reviews of several different foam cannons before landing on the DUSICHIN DUS-018 Foam Cannon. [...] I cannot put into words the level of foam that completely covered the car in a thick shaving cream like foam. The application was very simple and saved a lot of time in the process. I let the foam do the work, and then rinsed off the car.”

Includes: adjustable foam lance, water gun body, five pressure washer nozzle tips | Additional Requirements: pressure washer