Sanitization and cleanliness are now top of mind more than ever before. Keeping cars clean is particularly important to those who spend a lot of time in their vehicle or run a company fleet.
Whether you’re protecting yourself, your employees, or your family, ensuring your car is clean and sanitized is a must. However, there is a fine line between keeping everyone safe and using harmful chemicals or other treatments that cause health issues. Fortunately, sanitizing and steam cleaning is a healthy combination.
Here’s what you need to know about sanitizing and steam cleaning your vehicles.
Benefits of Sanitizing and Steam Cleaning
There are numerous benefits to using a steam cleaner to sanitize your vehicle. If you haven’t already invested in a steam cleaner, there’s no better time. Some of the most notable benefits of this cleaning method include:
Versatility
Many steam cleaning machines can be used for a variety of vehicles as well as in the home – it ultimately depends on what tool you choose to use. If you’re using a steam cleaner with a sanitizing solution for personal use, you don’t need all the bells and whistles of a commercial steam cleaner. Instead, you can get a multipurpose portable cleaner to use anywhere.
If you travel in your car frequently and consider yourself high risk for transmission or manage company vehicles, it’s worth getting a commercial-grade car steam cleaner.
Minimal Effort
Another benefit of using a steam cleaner to sanitize your vehicle is that they require minimal effort to use. You won’t have to spend endless hours or energy scrubbing each surface of your car’s interior. Instead, you can use the steam cleaner to ensure every surface has been covered and sanitized.
The steam ensures that even the hard-to-reach places aren’t harboring any harmful germs. Time is a precious commodity. A steam cleaner ensures that you don’t have to sacrifice your precious time to protect your health and vice versa.
Effective
Even without a sanitizing solution added, steam cleaners are incredibly effective at killing germs. The average steam cleaner reaches temperatures well over 100° Celcius (212° Fahrenheit). At that temperature, bacteria don’t stand a chance. Recent studies have shown that exposing COVID-19 to temperatures over 75°C (160°F) for three minutes kills the virus and makes the surface safe to touch.
In addition to the more concerning contaminants, steam cleaning also eliminates dust mites, mold, and other pollutants that could be hazardous to your health.
Chemical-Free
The effectiveness of steam cleaners without a special solution makes them a great tool for chemical-free cleaning. The use of harsh chemicals is a common concern when cleaning one’s home or vehicle thoroughly. As mentioned, the steam is often hot enough that no detergent is needed.
However, if you decide to use detergent to clean tough spots or the exterior of your vehicle, there are plenty of chemical-free options.
Eco-Friendly
The elimination of chemicals during sanitization with a steam cleaner is just one aspect of this tool’s eco-friendliness. Another benefit is that the use of hot steam dramatically reduces water consumption. Less water is required to cover more area while the wastewater is also reduced, with less chemical-ridden runoff getting into the water system.
A secondary environmental impact of using a steam cleaner is the reduction in wasteful materials. Many of the attachments used with a steam cleaner are washable. Using this tool will eliminate the use of disposable wipes, plastic bottles, etc.
Works on Fabric
Another noteworthy benefit of using a steam cleaner is that it works on porous surfaces. You can’t thoroughly clean fabric seats and carpets with a mop and rag or brush – you will always be limited to surface cleaning, so that you don’t risk causing more harm to the fabric.
Steam cleaners permeate fabric without causing lasting dampness or damage that could lead to the development of mildew. Using a steam cleaner also means being able to have one tool to clean the entire vehicle.
Keeps Everyone Safe and Healthy
Steam cleaning is an effective way to keep everyone safe and healthy during these troubling times. This consideration is incredibly important for company and fleet vehicles that frequently change hands. An employee getting sick can be detrimental to the business.
Steam cleaning and sanitizing also keeps the area free from irritants that could trigger allergies, making it a worthwhile investment for businesses. Many chemical cleaners cause headaches and irritation with prolonged exposure – and some of the symptoms of chemical exposure mirror those of COVID-19.
Tips for Sanitizing and Steam Cleaning Vehicles
While the benefits of sanitizing with a steam cleaner speak for themselves, there are still some techniques and tips that can improve your results. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when steam cleaning your vehicle.
Invest in the Right Tools
When it comes to buying a steam cleaner, you get what you pay for. Quality is of the utmost importance when purchasing this equipment. Keep in mind that your needs may vary depending on your intended use.
If you’re purchasing a steam cleaner for a family car, a small, portable device is sufficient. If you’re using your steam cleaner for business vehicles, it’s worth investing in Lamborghini powered steamers to get the job done.
Take some time to do some research and compare the options that suit your needs. Read customer reviews and remember to take a look at the warranty details to ensure your investment is well protected.
Vacuum First
The benefits listed above may have you wondering if there’s anything a steam cleaner can’t do – and the answer is yes! Steam cleaners cannot vacuum. If your vehicle has a lot of crumbs or debris, it’s worth running through with a vacuum before you start steaming.
Doing this step first will ensure your vehicle is entirely clean of loose particles. If you steam clean first, the dampness could make it more difficult to get rid of the dirt and crumbs that seemingly appear out of thin air.
Focus on High-Touch Areas
When sanitizing your vehicle, it’s best to prioritize the high-touch areas. Some focal points include:
- The steering wheel
- The dashboard
- The gear shift
- Door handles
- Seatbelts
- Buttons
It’s worth going over these areas a couple of times during cleaning to ensure a thorough clean.
While steam cleaning is effective, it may take a few passes to clean particularly tough stains. Consider using an eco-friendly detergent to help.
Schedule Sanitization to Minimize Transference
While steam cleaning takes significantly less time than other cleaning methods, it still requires resources to get the job done. To streamline your efforts, schedule cleaning times to minimize transference. For personal vehicles, this could mean as soon as you get home after a day running errands.
Fleet vehicles need a bit more planning to coordinate. Many fleet managers are revisiting their scheduling to minimize how often employees switch vehicles. The goal of scheduling cleaning times in a work setting is to minimize transference from one employee to another if someone comes in contact with COVID-19.
Final Thoughts
Scientists expect the COVID-19 pandemic to last for a long time to come. Investing in a steam cleaner now will help keep your employees and family safe and minimize the transference of any germs – from COVID-19 to the common cold.
Facebook Comments