We have cleaned the interior of thousands of cars in Saskatoon. At this time of the year we get a lot of calls about "funky smells coming from my air vents".
Your dark and damp ventilation system is an excellent environment for molds, bacteria and viruses to thrive and they are usually the reason for that funky smell when you're forced to turn on the heat.
Steam cleaning your ventilation system is an excellent way to not only dislodge any mildew, dust and bacteria that is lingering but also to disinfect the whole system. During an interior Quick Clean service we circulate high heat steam (over 300 degrees Fahrenheit) through your vehicles entire ventilation system.
High heat steam through every nook and cranny
The added bonus of using this high temperature steam is that no other chemicals are needed as most bacteria do not live above 120°F.
Dirty VS Clean cabin air filter
Another great help in the fight against funky smells, mold, mildew and bacteria is regularly changing your air filter. Regularly, in this case, means roughly every 25,000 kms. They aren't usually expensive ($20+) and its something many people can do on their own in under 15 minutes (YouTube is your friend)!
If you'd like to learn how to change your own cabin air filter please check out this quick 4 min video from AutoZone (we love the part where he vacuums after!).
If you'd like to learn more about how the relative humidity in your car affects your health please check out this informative post from Auto Service World.
*If the funky smell has arrived due to an infestation of mice please take the situation seriously as mice in Saskatchewan are known to be carriers of Hantavirus. Before you drive the vehicle please read this.