The checklist
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| Item | Why you need it | What to check | Options to compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure washer | Pre-rinse, wheels, foam cannon | Electric is quiet and light but needs power; check GPM, not just PSI | Sun Joe SPX3000 electric pressure washer; Simpson MegaShot MSH3125 gas pressure washer |
| Foam cannon | Pre-soak loosens dirt before contact wash | Fitting must match your washer (often 1/4” quick connect) | MTM Hydro PF22.2 foam cannon; Chemical Guys TORQ foam cannon |
| Buckets with grit guards | Two-bucket wash keeps grit off the paint | Grit guard fits a standard 5-gallon bucket | Grit Guard inserts + 5-gallon buckets |
| Microfiber towels | Drying, buffing, interiors | Separate colors for paint, glass, wheels and interior; wash them separately | The Rag Company Eagle Edge microfiber towels; The Rag Company drying towel (large) |
| Carpet/upholstery extractor | Shampoo seats and carpets, sells interior add-ons | Heated vs unheated, hose length, weight to carry | Mytee Lite 8070 heated extractor; Bissell Little Green portable spot cleaner (lighter-duty) |
| Polisher | Paint enhancement and correction packages | Dual-action is more forgiving for beginners than rotary | Griot’s Garage G9 random orbital polisher; Porter-Cable 7424XP polisher |
| Water tank | Work where customers have no outdoor spigot | Weight: water is about 8.3 lb per gallon, so check your vehicle’s payload | 100-gallon water tanks (search) |
| Generator | Power at apartments and parking lots | Inverter type for quieter running; enough watts for washer + vacuum at once | Honda EU2200i inverter generator; other 2,000–2,500 W inverter generators (search) |
| Hose reel | Fast setup/teardown, no tangles | Length you need and whether it mounts in your vehicle | 100 ft hose reel carts (search) |
We don’t list prices because they change often; check the current price on Amazon. We haven’t tested every item listed; these are widely used, well-known options to compare.
Also on most starter lists
- Shop vacuum with crevice tools
- Detailing brushes (wheels, vents, upholstery)
- Spray bottles with labeled dilutions: graduated 32 oz spray bottles (search)
- Gloves and eye protection: chemical-resistant gloves and safety glasses (search)
- Insurance and a business registration (not gear, but required before your first paid job in most places)
Turn your gear into prices
Want every pricing, invoicing and job costing tool in one download? The Mobile Detailing Business Kit bundles them.
Kit: Mobile Detailing Business Kit
Five tools in one download: the Job Pricing & Profit Calculator, Invoice + Payment Tracker, Job Costing + Monthly Profit Tracker, Chemical Cost Per Car Calculator and the Car Wash & Detailing AI Prompt Pack (61 prompts), plus a 1-page Start Here guide.
Excel + Google Sheets + PDF. $29 for the kit ($59 if bought separately); check the listing for current price. Prompts written with AI assistance and reviewed by a person.
Code RINSE20: 20% off at Payhip checkout through Nov 23, 2026.
Get the kit on PayhipAdd up what you spent, spread it over its useful life, and include it in your overhead. Then work out cost per job with the cost-based pricing method and your chemical cost with the cost-per-car guide.
Template: Mobile Detailing Job Pricing & Profit Calculator
Enter your labor rate, chemical cost, travel cost per mile and overhead once. See true cost, profit, margin, profit per hour and a suggested price for each package, plus a one-job quote tab with vehicle-size multipliers and add-ons.
Excel + Google Sheets. Regular price $14; check the listing for current price. Example data is labeled; replace it with your own numbers.
Code RINSE20: 20% off at Payhip checkout through Nov 23, 2026.
Get the template on Payhip Or on Gumroad
Template: Chemical Cost Per Car & Per Job Calculator
List each product with jug price, jug size and dilution ratio. Build a recipe for each service in mixed ounces. See chemical cost per car or job, chemical % of price, and monthly and yearly chemical spend, with a waste buffer built in.
Excel + Google Sheets. Regular price $9; check the listing for current price. Example data is labeled; replace it with your own numbers.
Code RINSE20: 20% off at Payhip checkout through Nov 23, 2026.
Get the template on Payhip Or on GumroadPlan stops so you’re not driving a full water tank across town: route planning guide.
Template: Mobile Detailing Route & Daily Schedule Planner
Plan a week of stops in driving order. Enter service, price, job hours and miles from the last stop; the planner chains arrival and finish times, adds your buffer, and shows drive cost and profit per stop, plus profit per day, profit per hour and the share of the day spent driving.
Excel + Google Sheets. Regular price $12; check the listing for current price. Example data is labeled; replace it with your own numbers.
Code RINSE20: 20% off at Payhip checkout through Nov 23, 2026.
Get the template on Payhip Or on GumroadWriting quotes and reminder texts for your new customers? See the best AI tools for detailers.