If you own a car, you’re no stranger to the measures required to lengthen the lifespan of your vehicle. It’s not just about keeping the exterior sparkling clean; you also need to consider interior detailing like vacuuming.
Fortunately, you can easily find a gas station with vacuum cleaning services these days. Most establishments have powerful vacuums that can clean hard-to-reach areas. It won’t cost you much, and it takes just a few minutes. If you want to give this option a try, here are some things that are good to know.
How to Find Gas Stations with Vacuum Cleaners
Many gas stations now have vacuum cleaners. So, if you want to get your car interior cleaned while you’re filling up your gas tank, you’ll likely have at least one viable option close to your home, which would save you time and effort.
1. How to Find a Gas Station with a Vacuum
Most large gas station companies offer their customers vacuum cleaners for individual use. If you’re near Chevron, BP, ARCO, Citgo, Kwik Trip, Phillips 66, and 7-Eleven, chances are you’ll find ready-to-use vacuums for a quick clean-up of your car interior.
If these companies aren’t an option, a quick search engine inquiry will provide a list of gas stations with vacuums in your area. Once you have a list of available choices, check them out for yourself to confirm which ones really have vacuum cleaners you can use.
2. How to Find Gas Stations with Free Vacuums
As we’ve mentioned, some of the big gas stations offer vacuum cleaning services, but it’ll cost you a couple of bucks. However, some places allow customers to use their vacuums for free. You just have to know how to find them.
Check out smaller or independently-operated gas stations.
Smaller gas stations are more inclined to offer free vacuum cleaning to encourage more customers to come in. However, in most cases, you’ll still need to make a purchase to use the vacuum for no extra charge.
A simple internet search will help.
The internet makes the search for a gas station with a vacuum pump easy. Just remember to allow the search engine to access your location so you can find those within your area. To be absolutely sure, you might want to confirm over the phone if they truly provide free vacuums.
Make use of crowd-sourced review sites.
Crowd-sourced review sites give firsthand information about any gas station with a free vacuum in your vicinity. Customers and content creators who tried their services will likely share their feedback. It’s also a great place to confirm what other services the gas station provides.
3. How Much Does It Cost to Vacuum a Car at a Gas Station?
Sometimes, you won’t find a gas station near your current location that offers vacuuming for free. In that case, it makes more sense to head over to a station that provides the service at a cost.
But don’t worry; using a gas station vacuum won’t cost much. Most establishments charge anywhere from $0.75 to $1.25 per three to five minutes. However, the price varies depending on location. A quick vacuum will usually take about five to ten minutes.
4. How Much Are Gas Station Vacuums?
The vacuums provided in gas stations are different from those we use at home. They are typically bigger, with pipes that are longer. Unsurprisingly, purchasing one will cost a lot of money—anywhere from $1,300 to $6,500.
Considering how pricey these vacuums are, it’s only reasonable that most gas stations charge customers per three to five minutes of use.
5. What Gas Stations Have Vacuums?
Many gas stations nationwide provide customers with vacuums for car interior cleaning—whether it’s for free or at a cost. Some of the most well-known gas stations with this service are ARCO, Chevron, BP, Kwik Trip, Phillips 66, Citgo, and 7-Eleven.
6. Can You Vacuum Your Car at a Gas Station?
Gas stations usually provide a vacuum at their customer’s disposal for free or for a small fee. Car owners who have little time to spare but want to keep the interior of their cars clean have the option to quickly vacuum at gas stations. Check out whether some of the major establishments near your home or work offer such cleaning services.
7. How to Use a Vacuum at the Gas Station
Gas stations with available cleaning services have a designated area where car owners can park their cars and use the machines. Using these vacuums is straightforward.
Customers need to insert coins into the vacuum cleaner to use it for a few minutes. As the time is limited, you can insert more coins to continue. There are also some stations that only accept card payments instead of cash.
8. How to Reduce the Cost of Vacuuming Your Car at Gas Stations
When going to a gas station with vacuum cleaner machines, there are ways you can save on the vacuuming cost although the rates are fixed. The total cost depends on how long you’re going to use the vacuum, so the only way to reduce cost is by minimizing cleaning time. Before you start cleaning, you should:
- Open the doors and windows of your car for easier access.
- Remove all trash and large debris.
- Take out everything from the compartment and trunk.
9. What Are the Benefits of Going to a Gas Station with a Vacuum?
The benefits of opting for vacuuming at gas stations rather than traditional auto detailing are affordability, accessibility, and convenience.
Vacuum cleaners at gas stations run by the minute usually cost less than a dollar. Since it will only take a few minutes to clean a car’s interior thoroughly, it’s much cheaper to go to a gas station with a vacuum cleaner and do it yourself than to pay someone else to do it.
Additionally, most gas stations are open 24/7, so you can wash your car anytime. Industrial vacuums are generally very easy to operate. You only need to insert coins and press a few buttons to run it. The only challenging part is finding out which gas stations have vacuums, but we hope this guide helped.
10. Are the Vacuums at Gas Stations Effective?
The vacuum cleaners at gas stations are industrial grade, which means they are built and designed to clean car seats and carpets more effectively than the vacuums we have at home. Consequently, you’ll only need about five minutes to have your car thoroughly cleaned.
Key Takeaways
Many car owners don’t have the time or the money to take their cars to auto detailing shops. For this reason, finding the nearest gas station with a vacuum cleaner is a more viable option. It’s one of the safest, most affordable, and most convenient ways of keeping your vehicle’s interior clean.
The growing popularity of gas stations as a one-stop shop for filling up your tank and getting your car cleaned is undisputed. It’s now easy for car owners to find vacuum cleaners at their disposal 24/7.