Why is this snotty-looking goo one of the bestselling cleaning products for cars?

Detailing putty, or cleaning gel as it’s sometimes referred to, definitely isn’t new, but it has gained a lot of popularity recently. The fact is, you don’t have to be a professional detailer to benefit from having a tool like this in your cleaning arsenal. It’s becoming so popular because it’s highly effective and dead simple to use. Basically, you just push the putty into any corners you’re looking to grab dust out of, and when you peel it away the dust should come with it. Oh, and there’s one more benefit to this multi-purpose cleaning tool: Most brands are super affordable. 

TICARVE’s take on the cleaning gel has been sitting in Amazon’s top 5 list of bestselling automotive products for a least a few months now, and it’s easy to see why. According to the manufacturer the gel is “great to get into the vents and little crevices on the car air vents, steering wheels, console panel, storage bins, cup holder, door handles, [and] dashboards to pick up the dirt.” It’s also made from a “biodegradeable gel material” and has a nice lavender scent. 

Amazon reviewer Brando C. offers praise, some advice, and a bit of criticism about the product in a 5-star review:

“I never really thought anything of these gels. They just looked like overpriced kids’ slime but it really makes it easy to clean out all the little edges and crevices in your car. I first vacuumed like I usually do, did a once over with a wet cloth and even used another car detailing brush to clean out the big stuff and the main dirt. But there’s always those little crumbs at the bottom of the cup holders and in the little phone tray that I can never get perfectly cleaned. With this, I can say that I finally got my car cleaned exactly how I wanted it. Not a single crumb or speck of dirt left anywhere on my dash, vents, center console, cup holders, door handles, control panel or steering wheel console! I love how this actually picks up and absorbs the dirt and not just ‘dusts’ it around. It’s like using a wet cloth that has sticking powers to it. One small thing it didn’t quite get was in a small gap near my gear shift. The gel somehow just got stuck instead of picking up and cleaning it out. For that spot, I used a stiff small detailing brush. Other than that, I would say that this does serve an actual function for car detailing that no other tool, cloth or brush can do. I think the price is a little high but oh well. I’d probably only have to use it once a month so if it lasts me a year then that would probably make it worth it for me.”

Autoblog production manager Eddie Sabatini also picked up a glob of the gel to clean a specific, hard-to-reach spot in his vehicle. According to him, “It did get crumbs out of a space that i couldn’t fit my small vacuum,” however, it “didn’t get ALL the crumbs, but I think that’s because of the space.” He also warns, “Don’t try to dry it with a paper towel because it just sticks to it.”

If you’re interested, you can check out the TICARVE cleaning gel right here, available now for $8.99.

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change.