It is one of those last-day Hawaii vacation questions almost everyone asks. Should you stop at a gas station to vacuum the sand out of your rental car? And, is it worth paying for a car wash before heading to the airport?
In most cases, probably not. Hawaii’s major rental companies generally do not expect customers to wash a vehicle before returning it. The real question is where normal vacation mess ends and an excessive cleaning charge begins.
Every Hawaii rental car gets dirty, and some dirt is expected.
People spend their vacations at the beach, hike red dirt trails, throw wet towels in the back seat, and load coolers, snorkel gear, and flip-flops in and out of the car day after day. By the time vacation ends, most rental cars no longer look the way they did at pickup, and ordinary signs of a Hawaii vacation are not the same as leaving a vehicle in need of extensive cleaning, such as the one we shot at a Hawaii hotel pictured above. The real question is whether the vehicle requires more than the routine wash and vacuum it would normally receive before the next customer. Unfortunately, that line is often less clear than many travelers expect.
The biggest misconception is that any visible sand could lead to a charge. A light amount of beach sand, dusty floor mats, and ordinary exterior dirt are very different from a vehicle that needs professional car detailing before it can be rented once again.
According to Discount Hawaii Car Rental, customers generally do not need to wash a rental vehicle before returning it because every vehicle is cleaned before its next rental. The company notes, however, that most rental companies may charge up to about $75 if a vehicle is returned with excessive or unreasonable amounts of dirt, including large amounts of beach sand that go beyond normal use.
Hertz updated its US cleaning fee policy years ago to only apply when a vehicle is returned excessively dirty, according to Hertz’s own terms and conditions language reported by the Washington Post.
What can trigger a Hawaii rental car cleaning fee.
Ordinary beach sand tracked in during a Hawaii vacation is not only expected but hard to avoid. The issue is whether the vehicle requires substantially more work than a normal turnover cleaning. The examples that can lead to additional cleaning are generally much more serious than a little sand.
Large amounts of sand packed into the carpeting, caked-on mud, major stains, anything soaked into upholstery, and evidence of smoking can all require work beyond a normal rental-car turnaround. These are the kinds of conditions that can keep a vehicle out of service longer and require substantially more cleaning before the next renter can drive away.
Turo has a specific Hawaii red dirt policy.
Turo says guests are not expected to clean a vehicle before returning it. According to Turo, ordinary sand, dirt, and crumbs that come out during routine cleaning are not considered a cleaning violation. Exterior dirt or sand that comes off during a normal car wash also does not qualify.
Hawaii is one of the few places where Turo’s policy becomes more specific because of the state’s distinctive and hard to remove red dirt. According to Turo’s cleaning policy, a host may submit a cleaning violation claim for “red dirt caked on the interior or exterior (including tires),” provided the host can also document that the vehicle was taken to one of the qualifying locations identified by the company on Kauai, Maui, Oahu, or Hawaii Island.
Most visitors can skip that Hawaii car wash.
For most visitors, it’s comforting to know there’s generally no reason to add a car wash to the final hours of a Hawaii vacation. Throw away any trash, take your belongings, and return the vehicle in reasonably normal condition. A modest amount of beach sand after a week in Hawaii is generally not what leads to additional scrutiny and potentially cleaning charges.
If the interior is packed with sand, the exterior is coated in hardened mud, the seats are stained, or the vehicle needs substantially more than the usual wash and vacuum before the next renter can drive away, the chances of a cleaning charge increase.
Have you ever cleaned a Hawaii rental car before returning it, or have you ever been surprised by a rental cleaning fee?
By Rob and Jeff, Beat of Hawaii.
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We always try to return the rental as clean as when we picked it up. However, on our last three trips to Kauai the Hertz Rentals at Lihue Airport have been absolutely filthy inside and out. As a Hertz President’s Circle member I have complained to Hertz corporate and of course nothing has been done.
Not a happy camper when it comes to Hertz at Lihue Airport.
I’ve cleaned a rental before returning but on the mainland not in Hawaii. We had dog hair on the seats and to me it did seem excessive so we vacuumed no problem. The reason I did so was I was once charged for that same issue by Fox.
I was also charged by budget in Oakland for it being dirty and the car wasn’t. Charge was $150 I appealed and prevailed.
I rent in Hawaii 5-6 times a year. I try to return it the same way I got it. I don’t follow the old adage “drive it like it’s a stolen car.” My question with some folks that visit here would you knowingly track all of that sand into your own car.
Track sand into my car? I do n’t worry about it too much as I have a vacuum at home. I do try and brush off the big “chunks” but you can’t get it all.
I have a small travel whisk (which attaches to a small dustpan); this is very handy for removing sand from beach chairs, boogie boards, coolers, flip flops, etc., prior to placing beach gear or getting into a vehicle. Works great at home and on vacation. No extra cleaning or charges required!
Just me but I always clean the interior of my rental cars in Hawaii especially when I have the family and grandkids with me. The level of dirt and sand doesn’t reach that breaking point but I just feel I should return the car in the same condition as I received it. Just something on me. I also leave hotel housekeepers very little to do.
How do you clean it, sand and dirt wise? I wooldn’t have anything with me to do that?
I once (20+ years ago) had a guy complain about all the sand in the car.
1. Sorry, I didn’t bring a vacuum with me on my vacation
2. I bring it back spic and span and he’s out a job. 😉
I didn’t actually say these things but I did think them…
I wonder if I should be asking for a discount for cleaning the inside of the windows, that I have to do. Budget is one of the dirtest one unless you are very lucky a get a new one. Many of the Hawaii rental cars look like they have been through a riot. After last 5 years expearence I am crossing Budget off my list.
2 trips ago on the big island, we were surprised with a $250(!!!) cleaning fee from a major rental company. There was a normal amount of sand in the car and That Was It. We disputed and got it cut in half but I’ll never rent from that company again. We have been to Hawaii over a dozen times and never had this issue before then. It was shocking and very disappointing.
Hertz in Hawaii last year charged me $30 car cleaning when it was cleaner than when I collected it. Complained and it was removed. The email your receipt policy is being abused by some stations.
If you are staying at a condo, ask whether or not there is a car wash station there. In Kihei, all the condo complexes I am familiar with do have this, and it’s free. Often it’s out of the way, so don’t hesitate to ask.