TurtleWax Renew and Restore Wipes Review
DISCLOSURE -THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.
Reviewed by H Chan
Over the last week I have been testing the new Renew and Restore wipes from TurtleWax. They are designed as an on the go method of clearing scratches and marks without fuss.
They can be used on oxidation, paint transfer, water spots, and other forms of mild scratches, and are safe for cars and marine equipment. I don’t have any marine equipment, so my review will be solely based on use on my Renault van, Guinevere. According to the website, I can even use them on stainless steel sinks! Which, is actually a great way to test them, as my sink is always full of scratches.
They come individually wrapped, with one wipe in each wrapping.
They are a bit like a wet wipe, with a strip of concentrated cleaner and a mild abrasive in the centre. Once ready to use, you have around five minutes before the wipe dries out, just enough time for one use.
It did take me a few extra days to test these, because I needed to wait for the heavy rain to finish first, as every time I went out to try them, it rained. Although, this did provide me with some handy water spots to try the wipes on!
The first time I tried the wipes, I mustn’t have rubbed the powder for long enough, as whilst it looked good when I first left it, the next day there were white streaks which then needed rubbing off again (after I’d thought I’d removed all residue). I am not sure how long I should have wiped for, but it must have been more than a few minutes. I turned to the internet to help, as the packet said the area must be clean and I thought it was, but the website showed a proper soapy wash. This is great if you have the chance to wash but if out and about, or on the go as the wipes say, you’re less likely to have the means to do a full soapy wash. However, I did wash and then the second time, it was fine and left a lovely finish. The key, I think, is to also go over it again for a few minutes with a different cloth, otherwise the residue from the powder does show up in the sun.
There is a video on the official Turtle Wax website of someone cleaning scratches without wearing gloves, and without cleaning the area first – which did seem contradictory because of this I dropped half a star. The gentleman in the video isn’t wearing gloves, but I highly recommend you do as the powder does make your fingers tingle (I can only liken it to peroxide if you’ve ever had that on your hands) The wipes themselves say to use gloves, but none are provided in the box so make sure that you have some available before using.
I did try them on water spots, and on the mirrors. They left a lovely, clean look and I was very pleased.
They are only useful for smaller areas though, as they dry out quickly and then the powder streaks. I found a damp cloth useful in these cases. For the handles, they worked a treat. I was especially pleased with the shine on my headlights. The pack also says that they can be used on shower glass, this is useful but also an expensive way of wiping the shower – unless you have a motorhome or caravan in which case, they are super useful! Especially on cleaning the chrome around the fittings. The cabin of my van didn’t have any chrome, but I did test it on something else and they worked well. They worked okay on marks left by bird poop. I assume it might take a few tries for a better effect.
They work really well on those dirty looking scratches on your alloys. Just clean the actual dirt off first and use these to tackle the stains.
I can also confirm that they worked great in my stainless steel sink. I was very impressed. I can imagine that if you have such a sink fitted in your motorhome then these will be a wonderful way to restore them if needed.
I am sure using the full versions of the products works out much cheaper, unless the wipes are on offer, but I can definitely see the market for quick and on the go shine ups. They are useful for that and the price point, when looking at that market is good. They’re also useful for if you are limited with space or don’t want to faff with several bottles of things and just want to get the job done.
You can find the wipes here https://www.turtlewax.co.uk/products/renew-restore-wipes-8-pack for an RRP of £10 for a pack of 8 wipes. The Turtle Wax website has some handy tips and a full range of uses for the wipes.
Do take care tearing the wipes from each other, as I accidentally tore open a second pack whilst opening one. Use scissors to separate them first.
I gave these wipes 4/5 stars. Partly because they aren’t as on the go as they say, and partly because of the conflicting advice on the packets and website videos. Overall I think I’d prefer to use the full sized products than use these, but they are handy for throwing in the glove box.
Rating: 4/5