A clean car can make you look better to friends and coworkers who catch a ride with you. But is there a more serious reason to have your car interior cleaned?

First, is there any reason not to? Diamond Wash Express Interior Detailing starts at $20.00 — a very small amount to spend for that fresh and cared-for feeling. With our VIP Club membership, you don”t have to wait in line or even think twice about the best time to schedule your interior detailing.

Hold onto your hat, though, because it turns out that a clean car interior can actually be good for your health.

Health effects of a clean car

Researchers from the University of Nottingham swabbed car floors, handbrakes, and other surfaces and used the swabs to grow cultures in their microbiology lab. The results? They found E. coli , Staphylococcus, yeast, and molds. Any of these pathogens can make people sick.

Do dirty cars make people sick? Scientists say they haven’t seen any specific evidence linking the half-eaten burger under your car seat or the Bacillus mycoides carried in on your friends’ boots to illness. Even those used tissues haven’t yet been implicated in any deaths.

However, the source of illnesses and allergies often is not identified in the doctor’s office, where the focus is on treating symptoms. Why take a chance?

Wear and tear

You might not realize it, but soda bottles and toys rattling around on your cars carpet or plush seats can cause damage to those surfaces.

Getting the junk and debris out of your car is clearly a good idea. But you might be surprised to learn that household cleaners can damage the finish on your car interior. Many cleaners designed for glass and tile are just too harsh for the plastics in your car.

Diamond Wash uses the right cleaners — non-toxic and not harmful to your car’s surfaces.

Distracting

A can that rolls under your brake pedal has obvious potential for causing an accident. You might also be aware that filthy windows limit visibility and make you less safe as a driver.

You may not have thought about the fact that modern car sensors and cameras don’t do their jobs as safety measures when dirt and grime interfere. New technologies are currently being developed to help with this problem, but for now, cleaning the car interior is the only solution.

That melon that fell out of your grocery bag into the trunk a few weeks ago? The smell can be distracting, too.

Self-esteem

One study found that the average car owner cleans the interior of the car thoroughly just about once a year. The rest of the time, most of us are pretty slovenly.

Psychologists say that more Americans experience their cars as a reflection of themselves. Every time you get into a dirty car or invite your friends and family in, you get a message telling you that you are not in control of your life.

Let Diamond Wash get your car’s interior immaculate. For your health, safety, and general self-respect.