Car Disinfection Guide: How To Keep Your Vehicles Free From Germs and Viruses

Car owners take pride in maintaining their cars. They go to great lengths to keep their beloved vehicles clean, bending over and backward, scrubbing their rides spotless outside. However, many forget that you need to keep the inside of a car clean as well.

If your car exterior is regularly cleaned and buffed, but the interiors are neglected, they can become a breeding ground of different bacteria that may cause various disorders and even infections.

Although vehicle maintenance can be a bit of a challenge, having a tidy, well-washed car inside and out should be your top priority.

Here are five steps that you can follow to make sure your cars remain a safe space with clean air and surfaces.

1. Don’t just brush; vacuum.

Let’s start with the basics of car cleaning: getting all the big and even the smallest of the small bits of dirt our of your car’s interior. 

Use a vacuum to make sure that all food crumbs, dust, and other small particles are removed from your car interior.

Take out all interior mats and covers and brush to loosen all particles trapped within the fibers of your carpeting, and then vacuum the remaining dirt. The same goes for your seats and headliners, as well as the carpets of your car.

2. Don’t leave any trace of trash behind.

Whenever you leave your cars, remember to always clear out any items such as food wrappers, tissues, and the like. Even if you need to leave an extra pair of shoes or clothes in your car, it’s advisable to take them down every now and then.

Why? Because these items, when left inside your car for too long in humid conditions, make a perfect breeding ground for germs and other microorganisms. 

When giving your car a thorough cleaning, make sure to check under the seat and in any other nook and cranny for dropped food or tissues. Also check your trunks for forgotten socks or dirty clothes. Prepare a trash bag with you and wear gloves whenever you take out those leftovers to limit your exposure to the bacteria.

(Read: The Most Essential Summer Car Care Tips You’ll Ever Need)

3. Disinfection is key.

Don’t just shampoo your cars to remove dirt and stains and grime. Make sure you also perform regular vehicle disinfection to give your cars not just a spotless look, but most importantly, to draw out foul smells and clear all the bacteria that could be lurking within.

The best way to do such thing is to use the appropriate products and methods. If you’re unsure as to how you will do it, it’s better to ask the help of the experts, learn a thing or two on your own, then properly perform it whenever you needed to do it.

Also, keep in mind that each surface requires a particular product so make sure you use the appropriate type of shampoo or cleaner to prevent damage.

4. Check your filters.

Microorganisms don’t just build up on your car seats and mats; they can also live in your cabin filters that is why regular cleaning or replacement of such consumable bits can block off viruses that are lurking within and give you a breath of safe and healthy air on your next trip. 

5. Repeat after a week or two.

Depending on the number of times you have used your car in a week or how many people have been inside it, properly disinfecting your vehicle can save you the hassle of catching unwanted pollutants that may be left inside. 

There are a couple of ways that you can maintain a clean car safe from dirt and viruses. You could either do it on your own especially if you’re already familiar with how you should be doing it or you could pay for an automated carwash service that can do the dirty works for you.

However way you choose to do it, proper vehicle washing and disinfecting is important and obviously not just for aesthetic reasons.

Where can I have my car washed and disinfected?

1. Big Bert’s Professional Detailers

Trusted by automotive enthusiasts since 2003, Big Bert’s Professional Detailers have been providing top-notch car care services such as maintenance, modification, and restoration.

They tailor each of their services offered depending on the needs or requests of their customers. No doubt that their long tine experience in the field has made them one of the top car care services providers in the country.

Services Small cars Medium cars Large cars Extra-large cars
Premium car wash P120 P140 P180 P230
Wash and wax P600 P750 P1,000 P1,200
Engine detailing P1,000 P1,000 P1,000 P1,000
Complete glass polishing P1,000 P1,200 P1,400 P1,600
Sidings and dash cleaning P800 P800 P800 P1,000
Carpet shampoo P500 P600 P800 P1,000
Complete interior detailing P3,000 P3,400 P4,200 P4,800
Exterior, interior, engine detailing with full glass polish package P6,200 P6,900 P8,200 P9,300
Carat nano-ceramic coating P10,000 P12,000 P14,000 P16,000

2. Pap’s Mobile Carwash

Providing premium car care services wherever you are in the city, Pap’s Mobile Carwash offers car washing and polishing services without the need for you to take cars out of the garage.

You can just make a call to them or simply visit their website to book your schedule. They also have their own mobile application that you can download for easy appointment booking and for real-time tracking of the location of your cleaners.

Once your booking is confirmed, they will promptly dispatch one of their services straight to your location, and voila, clean car without a hassle.

Services Small cars& Medium cars Large cars Extra-large cars
Paps wash P170 P190 P210 P260
Paps waterless P300 P350 P400 P450
Paps shine P600 P700 P900 P1,000
Paps signature P2,000 P2,500 P2,800 P3,000
Paps buff and shine P850 P950 P1,200 P1,300
Paps platinum exterior detailing P4,200 P4,800 P5,500 P6,000
Paps interior detailing P3,000 P3,500 P4,500 P5,000
Paps engine detailing P2,000 P2,000 P2,500 P2,500
Paps glass polish P2,000 P2,000 P2,500 P2,500
Papszerobacteria P500 P500 P850 P850
Paps nano shield X1 ceramic coating P12,000 P15,000 P18,000 P22,000

(Read: Safety Tips For You And Your Car During Ashfall)

3. Mr. Sponge Car Wash Delibeery

Offering affordable and reliable car care services at home, Mr. Sponge Carwash and Delibeery is your no ordinary car care provider. They will not just make your car squeaky clean, but the best part is, they also deliver beers straight to your doorstep!

An expert in car care plus a kick back of cold beer in your hand. Can it get any better than that? You can book their services through their website or you can just call their hotline at 0939-9129152.

Services Small cars Medium cars Large cars Extra-large cars
Mr. Sponge’seconomywash P129 P149 P169 P189
Mr. Sponge’s classic swag with vacuum P159 P179 P199 P219
Wash and wax deluxe P499 P519 P539 P559
Full interior detailing P2,999 P3,999 P4,999 P5,999
Full exterior detailing P3,999 P4,999 P5,999 P6,999
Full interior/exterior detailing P6,999 P8,999 P10,999 P12,999

4. Carwash Philippines

A three-step carwash service provider, Carwash Philippines has been washing away worries of availing easy and affordable car care services for two years now.

Although they’re quite new in the biz, they make sure that they give their customers a one-of-a-kind experience through their three-step booking process.

All you need to do is call their hotline, wait for their staff, and before you know it, your car is spotless and shining with you just staying at the comforts of your own home.

Services Small cars Medium cars Large cars
Basic carwash P200 P220 P250
Carwash plus P1,300 P1,500 P1,800
Waterless carwash P300 P350 P400
Exterior detailing P3,000 P3,500 P4,000
Interior detailingP3,000P3,500P4,000
Antibacterial FoggingP300P400P500

Other sources: Autodeal, Philkotse