Your car might look clean at first glance, but hidden within its interior are countless bacteria, allergens, and contaminants that compromise hygiene. While regular car cleaning might sound more efficient, maintaining its hygiene ensures a healthier and safer environment for you and your passengers. From food crumbs under the seats to germs on the steering wheel, cars often harbor more bacteria than household surfaces, including toilets.
This blog discusses the often overlooked causes of poor car hygiene while also providing some actionable tips to sanitize your car effectively.
The Causes of Poor Car Hygiene
1. Eating in the Car: Spills and Stains
Eating in a car is a common North American habit, especially for those with busy schedules or who love road trips. Our study on Texas car cleanliness revealed that 45.5% of car owners frequently eat in their cars contributing to food residue, spills, and stains. While eating in the car is convenient, it leads to food spills and grease stains that create perfect breeding ground for bacteria and pests. Food crumbs stuck between seats or in hard-to-reach areas often go unnoticed worsening the car hygiene over time.
2. Transporting the Pets: Hair, and Germs
While pets bring joy to our lives, they also leave behind fur, and germs into your car. From pet hairs embedded in upholstery to muddy paw prints, the residues left behind from your pet can trigger allergies and attract germs.
3. Relying on Self-Serve Vacuums
Self-serve vacuums are a popular cleaning choice, with 58% of Americans using them regularly. However, our recent study regarding self-serve vacuum revealed that these machines harbor dangerous bacteria like E. coli, Listeria, and Bacillus cereus. These bacteria are often transferred from car interiors and can cause food poisoning, vomiting, and other illnesses.
4. Ignoring Regular Cleaning: Dirt and Grime Build-Up
A shocking finding from our Texas cleanliness study revealed that 15.5% of car owners never deep clean their cars! This equates to millions of cars accumulating dirt, and grime. Neglecting routine cleaning leads to dirt and grime build-up, making surfaces harder to clean over time.
The Hidden Risks of Poor Car Hygiene
1. Bacteria Buildup and Spreading Germs
The negligence in cleaning your car leads to bacteria buildup which can be extremely harmful for you and your passengers. A study from Aston University highlights that car trunks had more bacterial contamination than toilets, and fecal matter was found in every car swabbed. These bacteria can spread easily within the confined space of a car, increasing the risk of illnesses such as diarrhea, food poisoning, and respiratory infections. Without proper hygiene measures, your car could become a breeding ground for germs that pose serious health threats to passengers.
2. Risk in Child’s Health
If you are a parent and have a baby car seat in your car they might be at a higher risk of getting infected by germs in cars. Children have developing immune systems and with that, the unhygienic car interior with dirty seats, spilled snacks and unclean surfaces can expose them to infections and allergies.
3. Mold and Mildew Growth Leading to Allergies
Damp conditions inside your car caused by spills, condensation, or wet weather can lead to mold and mildew growth. These fungi thrive in upholstery and hidden crevices, releasing spores that may trigger respiratory allergies, skin irritation, or exacerbate asthma symptoms. Left unchecked, the issue becomes harder to resolve and could lead to unpleasant odors and long-term health effects.
4. Pest Infestations
Spilled food crumbs and dirt accumulation are the reasons attracting pests like ants and cockroaches in the car. Once you have an infestation, it not only compromises your car’s hygiene but also becomes challenging to eliminate.
Dirtiest Areas in the Car
Dashboard and Center Console:
The dashboard and center console are magnets for dust, dirt, and grime due to their flat surfaces and frequent use. Touching these areas while adjusting controls or placing items like phones and keys leaves behind oils and bacteria.
Over time, this buildup not only affects cleanliness but can also degrade the materials.
Car Seats
Car seats are hotspots for stains, germs, and allergens. Spilled beverages, food crumbs, and sweat often seep into the fabric or leather, creating an environment conducive to bacteria and odors. Fabric seats absorb stains more easily, while leather can trap oils and grime. Cleaning car seats thoroughly with appropriate products prevents unpleasant smells and minimizes health risks, especially for frequent passengers.
Floor Mats
Floor mats endure constant exposure to mud, dirt, and debris from footwear. These materials accumulate in the fibers, creating a breeding ground for germs and allergens. Rubber mats may be easier to clean, but they still need regular washing and disinfection.
Steering Wheel and Gear Shift
The steering wheel and gear shift are among the most frequently touched areas in a car, making them prone to accumulating bacteria from hands. Despite this, many people overlook them during routine cleaning. A study by Aston University found that steering wheels are the cleanest part of the car due to increased hand hygiene awareness post-pandemic.
Air Vents
Air vents circulate air throughout the car, but they also accumulate dust and allergens over time. Neglected vents can worsen air quality inside the vehicle, leading to respiratory issues for passengers.
Trunk
The trunk is often the dirtiest part of a car, as revealed in the Aston University study, which found 1,425 bacteria in a single swab more than any other area. The trunk’s role in transporting groceries, equipment, and other items means it frequently comes into contact with contaminants.
How to Disinfect Your Car Effectively
General Cleaning Tips for Every Car Owner
Start with a systematic approach to cleaning, focusing on high-touch and hidden areas. Use a vacuum with various attachments to target crevices and under the seats. Wipe all hard surfaces with a microfiber cloth dampened with a disinfectant solution or alcohol-based cleaner. Avoid using harsh chemicals that could damage surfaces, and always test a small area first.
Choosing the Right Cleaning Products
Select cleaning products tailored to your car's materials:
- For leather seats, use a pH-balanced leather cleaner followed by a leather conditioner to prevent dehydration and cracking.
- For fabric seats and carpets, opt for enzymatic cleaners to remove odors and stains effectively.
- Use antibacterial wipes for the steering wheel and gear shift to kill bacteria without leaving residue.
Why Vacuuming Alone Is Not Enough
While vacuuming removes visible dirt and crumbs, it does not eliminate bacteria, mold, or allergens. Pair vacuuming with steam cleaning for fabric surfaces and disinfectant sprays for hard surfaces.
Steam cleaners can reach deep into fabrics, effectively killing bacteria and mites that vacuums leave behind.
Safe Practices: Avoiding Water Damage to Wires and Electronics
Excessive water can damage your car's electrical systems, so use a damp, not wet, cloth for cleaning. For intricate areas like control buttons, use cotton swabs dipped in a cleaning solution to avoid dripping liquid. Always ensure electronics are dry before using them.
Deep-Cleaning Specific Areas
Unlike general cleaning, focusing on hygiene means targeting areas where bacteria and allergens are likely to develop. Here are some of the areas that you need to pay high attention to:
Disinfecting the Steering Wheel, Dashboard, and Gear Shift
The steering wheel, gear, and dashboard areas are touched frequently and accumulate oils and bacteria.
- Use disinfectant wipes to clean the area thoroughly, and follow up with a soft, dry cloth to remove any residue.
- For the dashboard, avoid sprays that leave a greasy finish, as they can attract more dust.
Cleaning Air Vents: Remove Dust and Allergens
Air vents can spread dust and allergens throughout the car.
- Use a small detailing brush or compressed air to dislodge dust from the slats.
- Finish with a disinfectant spray designed for air systems to eliminate hidden bacteria.
Have a proper routine to clean the air filters and know when is the perfect time to replace the cabin or engine air filters.
Upholstery: Stain Removal and Deodorizing
Fabric Car Seats
- Use a high-temperature steam cleaner to sanitize and kill bacteria without soaking the material.
- Apply an enzymatic cleaner to tackle organic spills like food or sweat, breaking down stains at a microbial level.
- Finish by sprinkling baking soda on dry seats and vacuuming after an hour to neutralize odors.
For a more detailed guide, check out our blog on cleaning cloth car seats.
Leather Car Seats
- Use alcohol-free disinfectant wipes to remove bacteria without damaging the leather.
- Apply a leather conditioner after cleaning to prevent cracks, which can trap bacteria.
- Use a soft brush to gently remove dirt and germs from stitching and seams.
- Regularly vacuum to reduce allergens and debris buildup.
For a step-by-step guide on regular cleaning of car seats, check out our article on how to clean leather seats.
Carpets: Sanitizing Tips
Carpets are one of the most unhygienic areas in a car, as they trap spills, dirt, and bacteria brought in by shoes. Over time, they become a breeding ground for germs, allergens, and even mold, compromising the cleanliness of your car. Here are a few steps to keep your car carpets clean and sanitized:
- Use a high-powered vacuum with a crevice tool to extract dirt, allergens, and debris deeply embedded in carpet fibers.
- Sanitize carpets with a steam cleaner to kill bacteria and dust mites effectively.
Floor Mats: How to Wash and Disinfect Properly
- Remove mats and shake off loose dirt and debris to avoid spreading it inside the car.
- Scrub fabric mats with a high-quality carpet cleaner and rinse thoroughly. Follow up with a steam cleaner to kill bacteria and allergens embedded in the fibers.
- Wash rubber mats with soap and water, then apply a disinfectant spray to eliminate germs and odors.
- Allow mats to dry completely before placing them back to avoid moisture buildup.
Learn more about cleaning specific types of car floor mats.
Professional Detailing for Car Hygiene
While regular cleaning is essential to maintain proper car hygiene, professional detailing services go beyond basic maintenance to ensure your car is in top condition. It’s up to you if you want to invest in a detailing equipment set and detail your car by yourself or want to get it done with an experienced professional.
Professional Detailing at Home: Invest in High-Quality Tools
While basic cleaning habits cannot get you to the expert level detailing results, you can always buy the high-quality tools and products that professional detailers use.
- Steam Cleaners: Ideal for sanitizing upholstery, air vents, and hard-to-reach crevices, steam cleaners eliminate bacteria without the need for harsh chemicals.
- Extractors: These machines are designed to deep clean fabric surfaces like carpets and fabric seats, lifting dirt and grime that vacuums can reach.
- Microfiber Towels: These towels are gentle on surfaces and highly effective in removing dust and water spots without scratching paint or interior materials.
- Dual-Action Polishers: For exterior detailing, these tools help restore the shine to your car’s paintwork while minimizing the risk of swirl marks.
- Dedicated Cleaning Solutions: Use specialized high-quality products for different surfaces, such as leather cleaners, fabric shampoos, and glass cleaners, to ensure optimal results.
Booking a Professional Detailer
For those looking for a comprehensive and time-saving solution, consider booking a professional detailer to get unmatched expertise and results. The professional detailers use industrial-grade equipment and high-quality products to clean, sanitize, and restore every part of your car.
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