About Mothers
Mothers Polishes Waxes Cleaners was founded in 1972 in Huntington Beach, California, where it remains headquartered today at 5456 Industrial Drive. The company's first product, Mag & Aluminum Polish, was developed to restore shine on the bare aluminum mag wheels that were sweeping Southern California's hot rod and car show scene at the time. Customer demand for a paint version of that same shine led directly to the California Gold Cleaner & Wax formula, and Mothers has since grown into a full car-care lineup spanning paint care, wheel and tire care, interior care, and specialty coatings across its California Gold, Ultimate Hybrid, CMX, Speed, Back-to-Black, and Professional product lines -- over 100 products in total.
On RevRated, the Mothers California Gold 3 Clay Bar Complete Kit is one of the products we rated highest among the seven clay bar kits we tested, backed by the deepest review base in the category on Amazon -- more than 14,600 verified ratings at a sustained 4.6-star average. The brand's Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner also earned a spot in our wheel cleaner coverage. Mothers has kept close ties to the Southern California car culture that produced its first product, maintaining a large annual presence at the SEMA trade show more than 50 years after its founding.
Brand website: mothers.com
What Mothers makes
Mothers's range runs wider than the products we review. The lines we know best from our own testing are marked with a star:
California Gold
flagship paint-care line -- cleaner & wax, clay bars, and ceramic wash & wax -- featured on RevRated — featured on RevRated
Foaming wheel & tire cleaners
non-acid foaming cleaners for factory-coated wheels -- featured on RevRated — featured on RevRated
Mag & Aluminum Polish
the brand's original 1972 product for bare aluminum and mag wheels
Ultimate Hybrid
ceramic-infused wash, wax, and detailer line
CMX
ceramic coating line for paint protection
Back-to-Black
trim and plastic restoration line
Why we recognized Mothers
The RevRated Top Brand recognition isn't paid for and can't be applied for. We award it to the brands whose products consistently stand out in our hands-on category reviews. Mothers earned it on the strength of the products below, evaluated the same way every product on this site is: bought, run on real vehicles, and judged on merit.
Mothers products we rated highly
Mothers California Gold 3 Clay Bar Complete Kit
The largest review base in the entire clay bar category at more than 14,600 verified Amazon reviews -- a sustained 4.6-star average across that volume is the strongest possible validation of real-world performance. Three 80-gram bars give 240 grams of total clay material, enough for multi-vehicle households or drop-replacement insurance, and the light-to-medium grade is the most forgiving formulation for first-time users. The included microfiber towel is genuinely usable for buff-off, and the kit is one of our top picks among the seven clay bar formats we tested.
Read the 7 Best Clay Bar Kits of 2026 guide →
Mothers Foaming Wheel & Tire Cleaner, 1 Gallon
Foaming action lifts brake dust with minimal scrubbing on factory-coated wheels, and the spot-free rinse claim cuts down on water spots to chase after the wash -- a real time-saver on a full four-wheel job. The gallon size suits frequent washers who want foaming convenience at bulk-cost value, backed by a long track record as a trusted, known-quantity car-care brand.
Read the 11 Best Wheel Cleaners of 2026 guide →What earned Mothers the recognition
- The Mothers California Gold 3 Clay Bar Complete Kit is one of the products we rated highest among the seven clay bar kits we tested, backed by more than 14,600 verified Amazon reviews at a 4.6-star average -- the deepest review base of any clay bar kit we evaluated.
- Mothers earned top-pick recognition in two separate RevRated categories, clay bar kits and wheel cleaners, evaluated independently and on merit.
- Founded in 1972 in Huntington Beach, California, where the company remains headquartered, Mothers built its reputation starting with Mag & Aluminum Polish before customer demand led to the California Gold Cleaner & Wax formula that anchors its lineup today.
- The brand's product range has grown to over 100 products across six named lines -- California Gold, Ultimate Hybrid, CMX, Speed, Back-to-Black, and Professional -- covering paint, wheel and tire, and interior care.
- More than 50 years after its founding, Mothers still maintains a large annual presence at the SEMA trade show, reflecting deep and continuous roots in the Southern California car culture that produced its first product.