How To Clean Up Brake Dust

Brake dust can really bring down the appearance of your wheels. When your brake pads produce excessive dust, the dust sticks to many parts, including:

• Wheels
• Brake wear sensors
• Rotors
• Etc.

The good news is brake dust is pretty easy to clean off. We’ll show you how.

Why Do Some Brake Pads Produce So Much Dust?

Your vehicle’s brake rotors are compatible with one type of brake pad. If you have a different type of pad installed, or if you have a cheap version of the correct pad installed, you’ll see excessive dust. There are other reasons behind excessive brake dust, even if you have the right kind of pads on your car

• Heavy brake use
• Sticking caliper piston
• Sticking guide pins
• Scored rotor

Sometimes the type of brake pads you use will determine how much dust you’ll end up with. Organic brake pads create the most dust, while ceramic brake pads create the least dust.

You can read more about brake dust (and noise) here.

How To Clean Brake Dust Off Your Wheels

Removing brake dust from your wheels will really clean up your vehicle’s appearance. It’s an easy job you can do at home. It takes about 15 minutes per wheel.

Before we start, we want to mention the importance of using the right wheel cleaner for your wheels. Make sure you get wheel cleaner that’s specific to your type of wheel (alloy, steel, etc.). The wrong wheel cleaner can damage your wheels.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Make sure your wheels are cool to the touch. Park your vehicle in a place where the wheels are out of direct sunlight.
2. With a hose and water, rinse your wheels. This will:
   1. Remove dirt and debris
   2. Prevent the dirt from scratching the wheel when you scrub the wheel’s surface
3. Spray wheel cleaner on one wheel and then let it soak for the length of time mentioned on the label. Don’t spray the other wheels yet.
4. Gently scrub the wheel’s surface. You can do this with a soft bristle brush and/or a washing glove mitt. You can get a variety of brush sizes so smaller areas will be more accessible.
5. Rinse the wheel with water. If you see any remaining brake dust on the wheel, repeat steps 3 and 4.
6. With a clean rag, dry the wheel.
7. Add a layer of wax to the wheel’s surface. It will help prevent brake dust build up.
8. Repeat steps 3-7 with the rest of the wheels on your vehicle.

An Easy Way To Prevent Excessive Dust In The Future

It’s not fun having to clean brake dust off your wheels every now and then. If you have the right brake pads installed:

• You won’t be dealing with excessive brake dust
• You’ll enjoy optimal braking performance

To make sure that you have the most compatible brake pads on your vehicle:

• Find out which type of brake pad your brake system is designed for
  • Ceramic
  • Organic
  • Semi-metallic
• Upgrade to a brake pad and rotor kit that’s designed for your driving style
  • For example, if you tow often, upgrade to a brake kit that’s designed for towing and hauling.

At BuyBrakes.com, we carry brake pads, rotors, and other brake parts from only the highest quality brands. Check out our inventory today! Please contact us if you need help finding the right brake part(s) for your vehicle.