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A recent post on the Reddit r/Detailing forum titled, “Wife laughed that I used a blower to dry the car (I used it for the crevices) anybody else do that?” generated a significant amount of sarcasm due to the practice of using a leaf blower for drying off a freshly washed car is about as old as the invention of the first leaf blower.
One of the most valuable and practical applications of a leaf blower for car detailing, however, goes deeper than the car’s surface:
I use this, not so much on exterior paint, but I find it very useful for drying door jams, lift gates, and basically drying all the hard-to-reach crevices where I don’t want water to remain. I’m nervous about corrosion and early rust, so I like blowing dry the hidden nooks. This tool is very handy and more powerful at close range.” ―StrongPlantain3650
Why a Leaf Blower Might Be a Bad Idea
However, according to a past Consumer Reports update, car owners — and some car detailers as well — extend the use of leaf blowers (or similar tools) to not just the exterior of vehicles but also the interior during the car cleaning process.
But is this a good idea? Are they violating the “wrong tool for an important job” maxim?
Further down in the forum thread, there are comments posted about using a leaf blower for not just the car exterior but the interior as well:
Consumer Reports points out that while this is a common practice, it has its caveats to consider whether it is worth the risk on your car’s interior:
“I was surprised to see how many people online recommend using a leaf blower to clean your interior, including some car detailing experts…I could see it working in some cases, but remember, leaf blowers are blowing things around rather than picking them up. You could potentially be driving the dust deep into the crevices of your interior,” says Keith Barry, a Consumer Reports autos editor.
The CR article correctly points out that using a leaf blower on the interior of a car could result in damage and create problems with the car, which greatly offsets the convenience of using a leaf blower to save time during cleaning.
Two reasons especially stand out:
- With newer car models becoming increasingly electronics-dependent, possessing a hundred or more computer chips alone, air filled with dust and dirt while attempting to blow it out of the vehicle can just as easily blow a significant amount of debris — impossible to access afterward — onto the pins of sensitive electronics.
- A leaf blower used on the interior is likely blowing dirt and debris into your air vents, which in turn will blow it back into your face and that of your passenger the next time you turn on the climate controls.
It’s the equivalent of snorting carpeting trod upon by street shoes.”
For example, I sometimes use a leaf blower to clean out my garage. On more than one occasion, I have observed that doing so has prevented the garage door sensors from operating until I cleared them off of the blown dust.
Easy to remedy with its large and easily accessible external sensors. But imagine the same thing happening to an internal chip buried deep under the dash.
Who would be laughing now?!
The Best Car Interior Cleaning Recommendations
Rather than resort to a time-saving leaf blower on your car’s interior, it makes better sense to:
- Work from top to bottom: Clean from the top (dashboard, windows) down to the floor to avoid re-contaminating cleaned surfaces.
- Use the right tools: Soften your cleaning impact with microfiber cloths, soft brushes, and the appropriate cleaning products for each surface type. Also, use a vacuum (rather than a blower) with a variety of attachments to fit into small crevices.
For a related article about care for your car’s exterior, here is an informative one titled “Ceramic Coating for Car Paint Protection Questioned and Answered by Car Experts.”
Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog “Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair” for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.
Image Source: Deposit Photos
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Source: torquenews.com
