Darkwriter77 officially endorses the following cleaning products:
Car wash soap: Turtle Wax ICE
Wheels/black sidewall tires: Merguier's All-Wheel Cleaner
Tire shine: Merguier's Hot Shine non-aerosol
Standard waxing: Turtle Wax F21 (formerly called Formula 2001)
Quickie waxing: Turtle Wax ICE liquid
Quickie paint detailing: Black Magic Spray Detailer
Carpet stains, goop, and general de-crap-ification of interior stuffs: Castrol Super Clean or Purple Power/Greased Lightning (all pretty much the same) PLUS one of those 99-cent red plastic-handled brushes from Autozone AND/OR an old toothbrush
General carpet cleaning/deodorizing: Tuff Stuff aerosol
Glossing up interior plastic/vinyl: Black Magic Protectant
OEM style low-gloss interior finishing/light cleaning: Turtle Wax F21 Protectant
General window/glass cleaning: Stoner's Invisible Glass aerosol
Windshield protectant: Rain-X Windshield Wax
Metal polish: Turtle Wax Chrome Polish/Rust Remover
Interior smelly-good stuff: Medo New Car Smell spray
Paper towels for all above items: Blue Shop Towels
Helpful tips:
1. Glass should be the absolute very, very last thing you clean when you detail your car. Trust me, you will ALWAYS get smears and splatters and whatnot from other things all the time if you do them first. I always clean in this order: VACUUM, WASH, INTERIOR CLEAN/GLOSS, WAX (optional), ENGINE BAY, EXTERIOR DETAIL, and finally GLASS.
2. When cleaning windows with Invisible Glass, don't over-saturate. Spray thinly and quickly all across the window (make sure you're out of direct sunlight and the glass isn't hot), and do your initial wiping - STRAIGHT UP/DOWN, LEFT-RIGHT MOTIONS. Use a second towel, perfectly dry and clean, after your initial wiping to buff the remaining smears and such from the glass - CIRCULAR BUFFING MOTION. In both cases, do the outside bordering edge of the surface last to wipe away resting marks.
3. When using a non-aerosol tire shine, spray the tire evenly and in a circular motion, even with a pump-style sprayer. DO NOT oversaturate. Immediately wipe away any overspray from the rim. Allow this to sit for at least 30 minutes. With a clean rag or towel, wipe away the remaining excess. This will help prevent (or at least greatly reduce) any fling-off of the tire shine onto your fenders.
4. Going over your whole car with a California Car Duster after waxing will help get rid of that annoying white dust residue and actually lightly buff away some smudges.
5. That annoying cheese that builds up from sweat and skin contact on steering wheels, arm rests, etc. can be removed with a spray cleaner (Castrol Super Clean, Purple Power, etc.), a toothbrush, and a clean rag/paper towel. Holding the brush OUTSIDE of the car, spray the cleaner into the bristles of the brush. DO NOT directly spray the cleaner onto the surface, as this may sometimes result in bleaching or discoloration of vinyl. Work the cleaner into the grooves/texture of the surface to be cleaned, using the rag to shield the surrounding area from cleaner fling-off spray (which can result in bleached or discolored spots on nearby surfaces/materials). Use a circular motion with the toothbrush to extract filth from textured surfaces. IMMEDIATELY wipe away residue with rag, which will pick up loosened dirt and excess cleaner fluid; if you allow it to dry, it will either bleach/discolor, or you will have to re-clean that spot again.
6. Always spray protectant (regardless of brand) onto the cloth/rag/towel that you are using, NEVER directly onto the surface. If you can't reach a tiny spot due to shape or texture, spray some protectant into the bristles of a toothbrush and work it in there with that. DO NOT use the same toothbrush for applying protectant that has been used previously with a cleaner detergent.
7. When drying your car after a wash, chamois the windows FIRST, and then any horizontal panels (hood, trunk, roof, etc.) before drying the rest of the vehicle. This is especially important if you live in an arid climate where water dries very quickly and/or you have water with a lot of mineral content, as the water spots that may result are SUCH a pain to remove.