If you’re like most people, you put conscious effort into avoiding high-risk ozone or pollen days and improving the air quality in your home.
Because you spend a fair amount of time inside your vehicle, the better the air quality, the better for your health.
Here are ways to improve your vehicle’s inside air quality.
Sources of Air Pollution in Your Vehicle
The air quality inside the cabin of your vehicle becomes polluted from three different sources.
- Vehicle Occupants: Occupants entering and exiting the vehicle bring in dust, pollen, and dirt from shoes and clothing.
Solution: Regular cleaning of the vehicle interior will help tame the pollution dragged inside. - Outside Air Pollution: Each time you roll down windows or open doors, outside air pollution easily enters the vehicle. Pollution sources from outside include mold, pollen, dust, dirt, fumes from vehicle emissions, smog, and the list goes on.
Solution: If you can, take the roads less traveled. In other words, if you are around less traffic, there’s less risk of those vehicle emissions entering your vehicle for you to breathe in.
This is especially important if you’re stuck in traffic at which time you should roll up the windows and turn on the air. Keep a safe distance from vehicles in front of you to avoid being in the direct line of emission fire. - Inside Cabin Pollution: Vehicle cabin pollution comes from sources such as air fresheners or dirty air filters. You may not realize that most vehicles today are equipped with cabin air filters as part of the overall ventilation system. These air filters are meant specifically to keep occupants safe from polluted air.
You know how important it is to regularly change the air filter in your HVAC system, and changing the cabin filter in your vehicle regularly is equally as important. Indicators that it’s time for a change are if you have never changed the filter, the AC circulation isn’t as powerful, you notice a musty smell, or the air just smells stale.
Solution: Check the owner’s manual for recommended intervals or mileage milestones as to the right time to change the cabin air filter.
Vehicle Maintenance Solution
Check seals around the doors and windows to make sure they are tight and in good condition. Repair or replace any loose, cracked, or damaged weatherstripping to ensure a strong seal that keeps pollutants from getting inside the cabin.
Cleaning Solutions
A clean vehicle will automatically have better air quality. Remove clutter, piles of clothing, trash, and anything else that doesn’t belong inside the vehicle.
A simple damp rag will get rid of accumulated dust and dirt without disturbing the pollutants, sending them airborne, and spreading throughout the vehicle.
When cleaning, be thorough. Vacuum the carpeting, mats, and upholstery, wipe down the dashboard, dusty vents, door panels, glove compartment and center console.
Clean up spills as soon as possible to avoid unpleasant odors, mold, or mustiness permeating throughout the vehicle.
Avoid smoking or vaping in the car because it’s difficult to remove these strong smells that tend to linger within the vehicle.
Conclusion
When looking to improve air quality for your health and comfort, don’t forget about the inside of your vehicle.
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