Mobile detailing equipment list by service

Buy tools for one service you can perform safely and sell consistently. Before upgrades, verify payload, water, runoff, and power.

A vehicle, water tank, pump, pressure washer, extractor, polisher, chemicals, and accessories are categories, not decisions. Choose the kit by the service you sell, the job's water and power, and your vehicle's capacity.

Two working copies of the list are ready now: the printable checklist (TXT) and the spreadsheet version (CSV). Use the CSV to track owned, rented, and deferred items. Rows whose first column reads example are hypothetical load arithmetic; ignore or delete them when tracking.

For basic wash and interior purchases, use the first detailing kit guide. For the wider mobile setup picture, start at the mobile setup overview. This guide owns one job: choosing service kits and running the load, power, and water checklist.

Choose your first services

You do not need a self-contained van, a generator, a large tank, or every service on day one. Pick the service you can already perform to a standard you would show a paying customer. Buy the kit for that service. Add the next kit when demand is steady and the first kit is paid for.

Start with maintenance washing or an interior reset if those are the services you can perform safely. Extraction and paint work need more skill. If you have not sold a detail yet, read how to land your first paid detail before you spend, and use the business start guide for the non-equipment steps.

The shared mobile utilities kit

Every service uses the same support items. Buy this kit once and keep it loaded. Nothing here is claimed to be legally required. Ask your customer, site, or insurer about their requirements.

• Chemicals in original or clearly labeled containers, with the manufacturer instructions kept with the product
• Microfiber, wash media, and brushes separated by use for paint, glass, wheels, and interior
• Buckets with grit guards, or a rinseless wash setup when water is limited
• Hoses, quick connects, spare fittings, and washers
• Extension cords only when the tool manual allows them, in its stated gauge and length
• Gloves, eye protection, and a checked first aid kit
• Shade, drinking water, and work lights for interiors and door jambs
• Spill, containment, and waste supplies such as absorbent pads, a drip tray, and containers
• Load securement hardware: straps, tie downs, and anchor points rated for the load

Optional upgrades: a folding table, wheeled cart, hose reel, and labeled bins. Water need is none on its own. Power need is limited to lights. Verification: drive a short loaded route and check for sliding, tipping, or leaks.

Maintenance exterior wash kit

Essential: a water source or tank, a way to move water such as a pump or pressure washer, hose and nozzles, wash media, dedicated wheel and tire brushes, drying media, and a written runoff plan. Optional: a foam cannon, a filtered final rinse, and a blower for drying.

A pressure washer is not needed for every maintenance service. A lightly soiled car can often use a rinseless or low water method, which reduces runoff. Rinseless washing uses a product made to clean without a final hose rinse. It is not suitable for every dirty vehicle. Follow the product label. Heavy soil and first time details may need more water and pressure.

Water need is the highest of the four kits, so size it against the vehicle. Power need depends on the machine. The DEWALT DWPW2400 manual states that its plug has a built-in GFCI that must be tested before each use, that the unit must be plugged into a working grounded outlet without an adapter, and that an extension cord must not be used. It also warns against damaged cords and against defeating safety features. Other machines differ, so read your manual.

Verification step: before the first drop of water hits the ground, confirm the runoff path, test the electrical protection your manual describes, and pressure test the hose and fittings away from the customer's vehicle.

Interior reset kit

Essential: a wet/dry vacuum with a filter and accessories suited to the work, a crevice tool, interior brushes in soft and stiff grades, a low moisture interior cleaner, glass cleaner, and towels sorted by surface. Optional: a blower or compressed air for seams and vents, and a steam tool.

Treat steam as optional. This guide makes no sanitization claim for it or any interior product. Before heat, moisture, or cleaner, check the surface type and the vehicle or upholstery manufacturer instructions.

Water need is low and mostly for rinsing towels. Power need is a vacuum outlet. Verification step: run the vacuum on the actual power source you will use at the job, check the filter for loading and damage, and confirm your accessories seat tightly on the hose.

Upholstery and carpet extraction kit

Essential: an extractor, an upholstery tool, a low foam or non foaming solution, a plan for handling recovery water, and drying or air movement so the vehicle is returned dry. Optional: extra air movers, a second hand tool, and a longer hose set.

Extraction changes your power plan. As one example, the Mytee Lite Model 8070 manual lists 19 amps at 115V, a single 25 ft 12/3 cord, and a grounded 20 amp outlet. It also says to use recommended attachments, avoid outdoor or wet-surface use, check upholstery instructions, and use low-foam detergent. These requirements apply to that model.

Water need is fresh solution plus enough recovery capacity that you are not dumping mid job. Recovery water is dirty water. Follow local disposal requirements for it, and confirm with the local authority rather than guessing. Verification step: confirm the outlet and circuit meet your model's stated requirement, confirm the upholstery manufacturer cleaning instructions for the material in front of you, and decide where recovery water goes before you fill the tank.

Paint enhancement and protection kit

Essential: a dual action polisher, a backing plate, a pad set, compound and polish, a panel inspection light, masking tape, dedicated towels, and the product instructions for every chemical in the kit. Optional: a paint thickness gauge, more pad sizes, and a second light angle.

This service needs training and surface inspection before the machine touches the car. This guide does not promise defect removal on any panel. Paint condition, prior repairs, and coating history all change what is possible and what is safe to attempt. Inspect first, agree with the customer on the scope, and test a small area.

For verification language, the RUPES LK900E manual describes the tool as intended for professional polishing, including auto detailing. It states that voltage must match the nameplate, accessories must meet the tool's speed rating, and power must be disconnected before accessory changes. Confirm these checks in your own manual.

Water need is low, limited to prep wipe downs. Power need is a matching outlet at the nameplate voltage. Verification step: match voltage to the nameplate, confirm the pad and backing plate speed rating, disconnect power before every accessory change, and document panel condition under the inspection light before you start.

Water weight, vehicle load, and power

Water weight and load

One U.S. gallon of water weighs about 8.34 pounds, per USGS. Use this formula: tank gallons multiplied by 8.34 equals water weight in pounds. Then add the empty tank, equipment, supplies, occupants, and any trailer tongue load.

40 gallons multiplied by 8.34 equals 333.6 pounds of water. Add a hypothetical 100 pound tank, 150 pounds of equipment, and a 180 pound operator, and the total is 763.6 pounds. The tank, equipment, and operator figures are invented for the demonstration. This is arithmetic only. It is not a recommendation and it is not a determination that any vehicle can carry this load.

To find out what your vehicle can carry, use the vehicle's tire and loading information label and the owner's manual. NHTSA describes locating the combined weight of occupants and cargo on the vehicle placard, subtracting the weight of occupants, and making sure cargo does not exceed the remaining available capacity. Run that subtraction before you buy a tank, not after. The water tank calculator does the gallons and pounds side for you.

Tank manufacturers may also specify transport features. As one example, Norwesco states that its flat bottom utility tanks are used in trucks and trailers for mobile washing, that some models include slosh guards, and that bands are necessary for the listed tanks to retain their shape and integrity. The same page also says the tanks may be used with or without bands, and marks bands optional on some sizes. Do not apply one model's requirements to every tank. Read the documentation for the tank you actually buy.

Power

Never infer a generator size from a generic equipment list. Add each tool's running demand and starting or nameplate demand. Compare the total with the source at the job, whether customer outlet, shop outlet, or generator. Follow each tool's manual rather than a rule of thumb.

A generator is an optional power path, not a universal purchase. If you use one, CPSC identifies carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock, electrocution, fire, and burns as hazards. It says never to use a generator inside a home, garage, crawlspace, shed, or similar area. Locate it outdoors, far from openings, with exhaust pointed away from buildings. Read its manual too.

Wash water and runoff

Decide where the water goes before you buy the machine that produces it. EPA's stormwater best management practice on vehicle maintenance and washing is informational guidance: municipalities communicate best practices and waste requirements through local ordinances, and state and local requirements may apply. It gives an example prohibiting unpermitted commercial wash water from entering storm drains or streams. Wash water can carry pollutants.

Requirements vary by location. Check local stormwater and sewer rules before you wash. Do not assume grass or gravel is acceptable for commercial work. Record your recovery or containment method and confirm it with the local authority.

Buy in this order

1. Scope and safety. Choose the one service you will sell. Buy gloves, eye protection, lighting, first aid, and load securement first.
2. Core kit for that first sellable service. Buy only the essential items listed for that kit. Skip every optional line.
3. Consumables and containment. Chemicals, towels, brushes, waste containers, and spill supplies. These are the items you replace, so build a reorder habit early.
4. Utilities and load verification. Run the water weight arithmetic against your vehicle's loading label, add up tool amps against your real power source, and confirm your runoff plan locally.
5. Optional upgrades after demand. A larger tank, a second machine, a generator, or a new service kit, once bookings show you need it.

Next actions: run your kit through the setup builder to see what your chosen services demand, then size water against payload with the water tank calculator. Keep the checklist or the CSV open while you work through it.

USGS supplies the 8.34 pounds per gallon figure. The 19 amps at 115V figure applies to one extractor model. The 763.6 pound total is hypothetical. Use your vehicle label, tool manuals, and local authority for your numbers.

Sources

• Stormwater Best Management Practice: Vehicle Maintenance and Washing — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Checked 2026-09-11. Vehicle washing requirements are communicated through local ordinances, including waste disposal requirements, with an example prohibiting unpermitted commercial wash water from entering storm drains or streams. Supports checking local rules and planning containment or recovery.
• Portable Generator Hazards — U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Checked 2026-09-11. Carbon monoxide, shock, electrocution, fire, and burn hazards; never operate a generator inside a home, garage, crawlspace, shed, or similar area; locate it outdoors and away from openings. Supports rejecting in-van or in-garage generator operation.
• A Million Gallons of Water: How Much Is It? — U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School. Checked 2026-09-15. Water weighs 8.34 pounds per gallon, the same figure the water tank calculator uses. Supports the tank load arithmetic only and does not establish that a vehicle can carry a given tank.
• Owner's Manual Requirements: Steps for Determining Correct Load Limit — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Checked 2026-09-11. Locate the combined weight of occupants and cargo on the vehicle placard, subtract occupants, and ensure cargo does not exceed available capacity. Supports directing readers to the tire and loading label and owner's manual.
• Above Ground Tanks: Flat Bottom Utility Tanks — Norwesco. Checked 2026-09-11. The manufacturer's utility tanks are used in trucks and trailers for mobile washing, and its page says both that bands are necessary for the listed tanks to retain shape and integrity and that the tanks may be used with or without bands; some models include slosh guards. Supports treating tank transport features as model-specific.
• Mytee Lite Model 8070 User Manual — Mytee. Checked 2026-09-11. The example extractor lists 19 amps at 115V, a 25 ft 12/3 cord, and a grounded 20 amp outlet, and gives model-specific safety, upholstery, and detergent instructions. Supports explaining why tool power requirements vary by model.
• DWPW2400 Instruction Manual — DEWALT. Checked 2026-09-15. The example pressure washer has a GFCI built into the plug, requires testing it before each use, and directs users to a working grounded outlet with no adapter, no extension cord, and no defeated safety features. Supports manufacturer-specific electrical checks.
• LK900E Instruction Manual — RUPES. Checked 2026-09-11. The polisher is intended for professional polishing including auto detailing; voltage must match the nameplate, accessories must meet the tool speed rating, and power must be disconnected before accessory changes. Supports training and verification language, not a performance claim.

About Elena Mercer

Elena brings nine years of detailing experience to guides on equipment, pricing, and starting a business.

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