CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Like distilleries turned hand sanitizer manufacturers and other industries pivoting to provide products crucial in the fight against COVID-19, Autobell Car Wash has shifted its focus from carwashing to providing an essential vehicle interior disinfectant service to help flatten the coronavirus curve, according to a press release.
Already in the research and development process since last fall of adding an interior disinfectant service to its carwash options, Autobell took swift action to offer the service system-wide in early March to protect Autobell team members and the driving public in the face of the looming COVID-19 crisis, the release continued.
“We are no longer primarily a carwash; we are a cleaning and disinfectant company helping slow the spread of coronavirus, serving everyone from police departments to postal workers to medical personnel,” said Carl Howard, COO of Autobell Car Wash Inc. “Since we instituted this service in mid-March, we have disinfected more than 70,000 vehicles across all of our stores.”
PURTABS™ is an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant that meets the EPA’s criteria for use against COVID-19, the release noted.
The disinfectant is applied using a fogging technique after people and pets exit the vehicle, the release added; this is followed by a one-minute activation period with car doors and windows closed.
The interior disinfectant service will eventually become an optional à la carte service, but it is currently provided free for essential workers visiting Autobell for an interior cleaning as well as a free stand-alone service for first responders and government workers with a government-issued ID, the release continued.
“Stay-at-home orders are currently in effect in every city that Autobell serves; therefore, we felt it was important to support the essential workers who are serving the public and helping fight this terrible pandemic every day,” said Howard.
