When the words car disinfectant come to mind, you might be imagining a deep clean using the best upholstery cleaner amongst other things to produce an un-worldly result. But actually, it’s a little bit easier than that. Car disinfectants are hyper-simple to use and you don’t have to do anything tiring like picking up a spot washer.
Chances are if you aren’t so hot on interior cleaning, lots of nasty bacteria could be lurking on every surface ready to cause illness.
And, unless you’re heavily into detailing and spend an obscene amount of money on sprays and pet hair removers. Chances are you haven’t got some specialised spray that will leave your interior spotless.
The best car disinfectant at a glance:
Editor’s pick: Autoglym AS150 Air-Con Sanitiser – buy from Amazon.
Best twin pack: Turtle Wax Odor-X – buy from Turtle Wax.
Best disinfectant wipes: Clinell Universal and Cleaning Disinfectant Wipes – buy from Amazon.
It doesn’t have to be as extreme as applying tonnes of interior dressing either. There are a wide range of products available for sanitising your car that suit any budget. So keep yourself and others safe with our picks for the best ways to disinfect your car’s interior.
The best car disinfectant
Editor's pick
The air-con sanitiser helps kill the bacteria and odours that live within the system and it's a single-use product that you just press and leave for 10 minutes. Autoglym say it leaves a fresh citrus scent after application.
Pros
- Effective air conditioning cleaner
- Easy to use
Cons
- Single use product
Best disinfectant wipes
Pros
- Heavy duty
- Approved by doctors
Cons
- Non-recyclable
Best budget aerosol disinfectant
Pros
- Perfect for sanitising
- Good value
Cons
- No nice odour
Best single-use disinfectant bomb
Rrp: $12.00
Rrp: $12.00
It also leaves a new car scent after use, meaning your car will smell similar to one you've probably browsed in a showroom. What a nice feeling.
Pros
- New car scent is neat
- Easy to use
Cons
- Not really a disinfectant
Best air con cleaner
Simply follow the instructions on this air-con cleaner and not only with the smell of guff be gone but your system will be free of bacteria.
Pros
- Gives your air con a thorough clean
- Easy to use
Cons
- Single-use only
Best twin pacl
As ever, it's a single-use product which you leave the air con in your car running for up to 10 minutes with the windows open. It essentially cleanses out the air con system like a few of the others in this list.
Pros
- Great value
- Comes as twin pack
Cons
- Doesn't leave scent
Best value disinfectant
It comes in a 150ml bottle which is slightly more than each Turtle Wax bottle, but only comes in a pack of one.
Pros
- Good value
- Very effective for car hygene
Cons
- Some users report scent doesn't last long
What you need to remember about car disinfectant and cleaning
Do these car disinfectant products solve everything?
The simple answer is no. It’s no myth that these single-use car disinfectant aerosols do a great task of cleaning the air con system, killing germs, and eliminating bad odours. However, they’re not a replacement for a good, deep clean. Wet and dry vacuums and good carpet brushes are still a default choice for hoovering up sources of bad smells and leaving a fresh scent of air.
When cleaning, what areas should you target first?
The obvious places to start with are the areas people are always touching. You could utilise some leather seat cleaner and begin in the places where people always sit. Door handles, seat belts, touchscreens and driving controls are always good to clean because everyone touches them. Also, remember that fabrics can trap scents and bacteria so the seats and carpets should be given a clean too.
Other areas to clean
The areas you may forget about include your key fob, boot and door pockets. You carry your keys around all day so it’s a good idea to give them a freshen-up when you clean the interior. And your boot and door pockets are usually filled with a whole host of random stuff so giving them a good clean once in a while won’t hurt. For a bit of longevity, it may even help to keep an air freshener in your car – like this FUMEBAR we reviewed.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. A veteran car cleaner; if it details, waxes or washes he’ll be on hand to make sure it’s worth your money.
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