5 Tips: ‘Green’ Interior Car Care

Driving 'green' also means having a green and clean interior using safe, non-toxic, and earth friendly products to protect your investment, your health, and the environment. While air quality concerns and tailpipe emissions are a primary focus for many, the environment inside your car can also impact your immediate and long-term health, as well as the world around us. Just as we have discovered that the indoor air in our homes is polluted with off-gassing materials and the VOCs (volatile organic compounds) found in cleaning supplies, so is the air in our car interiors. This is important because the average American spends 400 hours or more a year here while commuting and running daily errands.

DETAILING CAN INVOLVE TOXIC CHEMICALS
After a detailing at the local dealer, a car interior can be filled with chemical irritants from the carpet and upholstery cleaner, polishes, protectants, and perfumes used in the process. The promise of regaining that new car smell indicates the presence of these toxic chemicals. There are other ways to maintain the interior of your car and be health conscious.

INTERIOR CLEANING TRICKS
Avoid the need to use cleaners at all. Regular vacuuming and dusting with a microfiber cloth or a small car duster will reduce the build up of grime and decrease wear caused by the friction of grinding dirt and debris into carpets and upholstery. For those hard to clean nooks and crevasses, a household cotton swab works wonders. Treating spots as they occur will also help reduce the need for large scale shampooing. Using recycled rubber car mats and under seat mats cuts down on clean up tasks as well. Staying on top of minor daily and weekly maintenance eliminates the need for the heavy cleaning artillery later.

ECO TOUCH OFFERS NEW APPROACH
While there are many recipes for natural, homemade cleaning products that work in the home, the risk of damaging the variety of surfaces in a car interior aren't worth it. Specially developed commercial products that are made with non-toxic, environmentally friendly ingredients are becoming more readily available in response to consumer demand. Eco Touch, known for its waterless car wash products sold at Whole Foods, has released a line of car interior products. Eco Touch's concern for the environment and awareness of consumer concerns over the health impact of cleaning products led to the creation of new products that are also packaged for low environmental impact. The line includes a Dashboard & Trim Cleaner for vinyl, plastic, and leather; a Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner, and a Metal & Chrome Polish. Made with soy and coconut based cleaners, they avoid the formaldehyde, phthalates, and VOCs found in most cleaning products for home and autos. Avoiding the fragrances and dyes of regular interior products cuts down on the irritating chemicals, too.

REPLACE CABIN AIR FILTER
Replacing your interior air filter regularly affects air quality as well. Pollen, dust, mold spores, and smog enter the vehicle through the air-conditioning, heating, and ventilation systems. The air inside your car can be six times dirtier then the air outside unless air filters remove the incoming contaminants. If filters become clogged, the fumes and particles embedded in the filter can further pollute the interior. Most cars made after 2000 have indoor air filters, so be sure to check the owner's manual.