Does The Car Cleaning Slime In Those Viral Videos Actually Work? We Tested It

There are lists of car cleaning gadgets and tools to purchase to help make your cleaning experience easier. Some of these items, though, like an electric buffer and a highly ranked pressure washer, can run a bit of money. However, there are some smaller products that can do the job without costing a lot of money.

As seen on TikTok and being used by influencers, the TICARVE Cleaning Gel is listed for $8.99 per jar. However, I was able to get it on sale for $6.99. As of writing this article, it dropped more to $5.99. However, the real question is whether this viral cleaning agent actually works or is it just another gimmick? I decided to put it to the test.

When I opened the container, the contents immediately reminded me of the slime you'd buy for a child from a hobby store. However, it was definitely thicker in consistency and didn't run or become loose when I took it out of its holding. The jar is made out of number one recyclable plastic and didn't warp after having it in the heat of my vehcile for about a week, which is nice considering I plan to keep it in the glove box.

Overall, the car slime was exactly what I expected it to be. Just be careful when opening the container. At the time of testing this item, I was camping at 9,400 feet above sea level and the seal immediately popped open from the elevation gain. I don't believe the change in altitude affected the properties of the slime, though.

In all, it felt safe to use. Neither the material nor the scent stuck to my hands or anything I tried to clean with it. However, there wasn't an ingredient list on the product's container or the box in which it came in.

The only ingredients listed on the Amazon product description page are in one of the product images. It says Provençal scent, water, and guar gum. Guar gum is a typical main component of Slime, a Mattel Toy Corporation product. It's a vegetable gum pulled from the guar plant, which is a type of bean. It's considered to be nonhazardous as long as you don't eat it, so I'd suggest washing your hands after using it. 

Just because this slime is called a car cleaner gel in the product description doesn't mean you can't use it on other surfaces. Because it is not obnoxiously sticky, it will cling to a surface, pick up the dust, and then easily peel off in whole when you lift it up. You can use it on nearly any surface of your vehicle, office supplies, most household items, and even on your laptop and phone.

However, do not try to use this gel on any type of fabric like a carpet, pillow, or blanket. There's a chance the gel will seep into the fabric's fibers and leave traces of itself behind. That wouldn't be fun to try to wash out. 

Since I am always traveling off-grid in Colorado and Arizona, my off-road vehicle is covered in dust and dirt, inside and out, so I knew I would be able to give this car gel a proper test. It worked fairly well to pick up the dust that was covering my dashboard and inside the cupholders. It got crumbs out of places I've been meaning to clean for months.

However, it didn't do great when I used it on the head unit screen and the review mirror. You'll want to use glass cleaner instead. Additionally, the crumbs struck in the creases of the Toyota decal on the steering wheel wouldn't come out. I'll have to use a toothpick to get into those tighter spaces.

I'll admit, I was a bit weary about using it on my MacBook Pro keyboard, but it did great pulling up all the dust that was embedded in the creases of the keys and even in the hinge where the laptop opens and closes. It can also clean out the ports, but I wouldn't recommend shoving the gel too deep into the sensitive areas, as there are safer ways to do this.

This cleaning product is fairly straightforward and simple to use. However, I would advise tearing a piece off if you're using it in smaller spaces. When I tried to clean the hinge section on my laptop, using the whole piece of gel made it impossible. Tearing it apart worked well, though, and it melded back together just fine in the container.

I also want to add that even though I was able to keep the product in the heat in my vehicle for a while, I would recommend keeping it at lower temperatures for storage. It does tend to work a bit better at room temperature. However, many people keep it in their vehicle and haven't had a problem, so it's up to you what is more convenient.

On the product lid, it clearly states that this gel will last you three months, or when it becomes too dark from all the dirt or hardens. Of course, I am unable to state if that is true or not since I just used it today. However, in my personal opinion, given how dirty my truck gets with being an off-grid digital nomad who frequently ends up in muddy situations, I don't see this slime lasting me that long if I use it consistently.

That said, the average car owner probably doesn't have as dirty of a vehicle, so this product may live up to the lasting allowance or more. In fact, some Amazon user reviews have mentioned that they were impressed with how long it has lasted. Just be aware that you can't wash it to get more uses out of it.

The biggest negative I've found when using this product is that as it picks up all the dirt, dust, hair, and crumbs, it can get a bit gross to hold. I kept having pieces of debris poking into my hand as I was moving the gel around. It'll keep picking up more dirt, but you're also going to notice it.

It clearly states on the container that you shouldn't use it in direct sunlight. However, there's always a chance you're going to be in the sun while cleaning your car. I will say that I used it outside in the middle of the day in Denver's summer heat, and it still worked just fine, though.

This item received a 4.2 out of five-star rating on Amazon from well over 14,000 users. I've already mentioned that some reviewers were pleased with the gel's longevity. In fact, a few stated that they've bought more than one jar to keep in multiple vehicles or because the last one needed to be replaced. A user was very happy with the gel but did give the suggestion not to store it in the vehicle during the colder months. They said that when they tried to use it when it was cold, their fingertips would start to hurt from the low temperature. 

Another user stated that it was messy. Apparently, when they pulled the gel out of the container, it tended to cling to their hands and left residue behind on surfaces. From my experience, this did not happen, so I have to question if it was just a bad batch of gel or if it wasn't the best environment to use the product, like if it was too hot outside. However, overall this gel won over many people, including myself.