Pay close attention to the title on this before you grab the pitchforks, torches and head to my house. The discussion will be about standard detail services. We are talking about cleaning up a drink you spill, picking up your kids cereal,vacuuming regularly ….you know….like you do in your house. This article is not about high end detail work like ceramic coatings, paint correction, PPF and the like.
At Top Gun Detail, we have a phrase we have memorized and it goes like this: “A maintenance detail is recommended, at minimum, once a month. Whether you do it or we do it.” The reason we recommend this is our extensive knowledge of what we find in presumed “clean” vehicles. What follows may gross you out, but you know we don’t pull punches when it comes to detail work.
We could talk about the several times you have sneezed in your car, the times you went to work sick and coughed all over your interior, those kiddos bringing the bugs home from school, that food you spilled that is now growing mold under your seat or the moisture around that window seal that is starting to grow mildew….but we won’t. That is just the beginning of the stuff that you do not see.
Many wait until the vehicle visually appears to need a detail. At that point, the car is already chuck full of bacteria. On top of the above things we discussed, we also have urine, fecal matter and bodily fluids. Many would say, I don’t pee in my car! Of course not, that would just be weird. Although, we have seen that too! Those dogs are adorable though! We are talking about everyday walking around. Your kid gets some crusty dog poo on his shoe and you don’t notice until it’s in the carpet at home. Even better, your husband or teenager uses a public restroom and gets urine on the bottoms of his shoes. Guess what! That transports it to your carpet.
There are areas of a car we even recommend weekly wipe downs. These areas include the flipper flapper (turn signal), shifter, steering wheel, door handles, touch screens, radio knobs, any high traffic areas. If you are regularly transporting then these weekly duties can double very quickly. Statistically speaking your steering wheel has more bacteria than a public toilet seat! Check out one of the many articles on that here:
Now, I know some of this was gross, but my hope is that it was also eye opening. There are benefits to regular cleanings though. Simply by keeping the vehicle bacteria free we also keep the surfaces protected and like new. The carpets don’t develop wear tracks, the plastics stay newer and the overall interior stays brighter and ‘like new’. All of this adds to your trade or resale value. There are also health benefits including better breathing, fewer allergy issues and overall improved immune health. Here is another article on how having a clean car improves the health of you and your family! If you ever have questions about regular maintenance feel free to reach out to us at Top Gun Detail.
https://www.goldeagle.com/tips-tools/hidden-benefits-clean-car/
As always, thank you for reading!
Kris Mindrum
