For many professional drivers, the driver's cab is not just a workplace, but alternately a living room and bedroom. Long tours, daily transports throughout the week, changing co-drivers or several drivers on the same truck - the result is odours that build up and surfaces that are subject to more wear and tear than a car interior. If a workshop or fleet operator wants to clean the interior, they need two things: a material-friendly cleaner that works reliably on the different surfaces and a fragrance component that can be dosed in a targeted manner.
With the new products presented in spring 2026 AirVentures car refreshers and the already introduced CleanStar Interior cleaner offers SONAX a pair that is tailored to everyday lorry use. The main article looks at the practicalities behind this - i.e. which cleaners fit in which cab and which materials are sensitive Cleaning lorry interiors: Proper care of the driver's cab. This article supplements it with the two new product modules.
Interior care is not cosmetics, but value retention. A clean-smelling, well-maintained cab has a direct effect on driver motivation, hygiene and resale value. Garages that take up the subject of care establish a second contact with the fleet that goes beyond mere repairs.
AirVentures: Fragrance care with a history
Conventional car fresheners do not have a good reputation with many drivers - too intrusive, too artificial, too difficult to control. SONAX has the AirVentures deliberately different: The fragrances are designed as fragrance compositions and the intensity can be individually dosed via the spray puffs. Just a few sprays are enough to neutralise unpleasant odours and provide the cabin with a subtle fragrance.
The claim is narrative: each of the four fragrances is linked to an idea of travelling. Inspired by famous routes such as Route 66 in the USA, the Champs-Élysées in Paris or the Sakura Road in Japan, the fragrances transport the feeling of certain places into the interior. For drivers who are on the road a lot, this makes the change between tours noticeably more varied.
SONAX has been setting standards in interior care for decades and has designed the AirVentures series for use in commercial vehicles: high-quality fragrance compositions instead of cheap synthetics, a spray head that dispenses evenly and bottles that can be stored in the cockpit or door compartment. This turns the fragrance into a quiet but effective care component - an element that drivers can sharpen themselves in their routine.
The four fragrances and their routes
The AirVentures series starts with four variations. The following overview assigns each fragrance to the corresponding route and the typical mood that SONAX conveys with it:
| Fragrance | Route / Place | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| Orange + Rosemary | Sardinia | Sunny, Mediterranean freshness |
| Croissant + Café au Lait | Champs-Élysées, Paris | Warm Parisian lifestyle |
| Leather + Wild Cactus | Route 66, USA | the myth of the open road |
| Cherry Blossom + Green Tea | Sakura Road, Japan | soft, clear spring note |
The selection thus covers a broad spectrum of flavours - from spicy Mediterranean to floral Asian. For fleets with several drivers on different lorries, this means that each driver can take "their" fragrance with them instead of having to get used to a predetermined standard.
"Just a few short sprays neutralise unpleasant odours and give the driver's cab a pleasant fragrance."- SONAX press release, AirVentures, April 2026
CleanStar: sophisticated interior cleaner
Before a fragrance can take effect, the surface must be clean. This is exactly why SONAX has developed the CleanStar interior cleaner - an all-rounder that can be used on practically all surfaces in the cabin: Plastic, glass, touchscreen displays through to piano lacquer and sensitive control surfaces. The cleaner removes even stubborn dirt, leaves no streaks and is formulated to be gentle on materials.
Ecocert certification as a quality anchor
The CleanStar carries the Ecocert-seal - a certification that focuses on environmentally friendly production and processing methods, the use of natural ingredients and the responsible use of resources. Specifically, 99.75 % of the raw materials come from natural sources. Ecocert has been active as an independent certification body for sustainable products in over 130 countries for almost three decades and is a recognised benchmark in Germany and France.
What this means for the workshop
This is relevant for workshop operations in two respects: Firstly, the material-friendly cleaner offers a wide range of applications without the need to stock different special products for different surfaces. Secondly, sustainability is an argument that is increasingly being asked for in fleet tenders - workshops that work with certified products can credibly document this to fleet customers.
The CleanStar also practically complements the odour build-up of the AirVentures: When wiping, it leaves its own subtle fresh note. The transition to the AirVentures fragrance is therefore organic - and not like two competing care products superimposed on each other. A small difference in workshop practice, but one that is relevant to the end result.
Application in workshop practice
Both products work together because they cover different steps - first clean thoroughly, then refresh in a targeted manner. In the workshop routine, this can be organised into a short, repeatable process:
Pre-cleaning the cabin
Roughly dust visible and operating surfaces, dashboard, steering wheel, door panelling and sleeping cabin. Remove loose dirt and crumbs before using the cleaner so that the CleanStar is not bound by dry material.
Targeted use of CleanStar
Spray the cleaner onto a microfibre cloth - not directly onto the touchscreen or display - and wipe the surfaces without leaving streaks. Allow to act briefly in the event of heavy soiling. Test sensitive materials such as piano lacquer in an inconspicuous area beforehand.
Post-drying and airing
Remove residues with a dry cloth and briefly ventilate the cabin. Only then apply the fragrance - the fragrance will not develop properly on a damp surface.
Discreet dosing of AirVentures
Spray two to three short bursts into the interior - not directly onto the upholstery or fabric. Adjust the intensity to the driver's preference. The driver can keep the spray bottle in the cab for re-dosing.
Follow-up maintenance at fleet intervals
For regular fleet service customers, interior care is worthwhile as a recurring module, for example for inspections or seasonal tyre changes. Large containers in the workshop warehouse keep costs to a minimum.
For workshops that offer interior care as a service module, it is worth reaching for the 5-litre canister or the 25/200-litre bulk container. The 750 ml spray bottle remains the practical format for handing over to the driver to take along in the lorry.
What fleet customers get out of it
Interior care works on three levels that are relevant for fleet managers. Firstly, on the driver's side: A clean, fresh cab is a feel-good factor that should not be underestimated - especially on tours with multiple day breaks or overnight stays in the lorry. Drivers who feel that they are taken seriously in their working environment are more relaxed and stay with their employer for longer. Secondly, on the hygiene side: Regular cleaning with a professional cleaner that is gentle on the material prevents drivers from using unsuitable household products that can damage touchscreens and sensors.
Thirdly, value retention: A well-maintained cab is a tangible financial argument when reselling or returning from leasing. Discolouration, odour damage or damaged surfaces are reflected in the residual value. If you systematically integrate the topic of care into your maintenance routine, you can prevent this - and gain leeway for subsequent calculations, such as those described in the article Reduce workshop costs describes.
This gives garages an additional point of contact with fleet customers: Offering interior care as a small, recurring service gives them an opportunity to regularly inspect the vehicle - and can also check whether other maintenance work is due. Interior care thus becomes a low-threshold door opener for the structured service relationship.
In practice, this can be easily combined: At the regular service appointment, the workshop team carries out a short interior sequence with CleanStar and the AirVentures bottle is handed over to the driver. This creates visible maintenance continuity for the fleet without having to schedule additional downtime in the workshop process.
Availability and ordering method
The AirVentures are designed as compact spray bottles to be carried in the driver's cab. The CleanStar Interior Cleaner is available in several sizes: 750 ml spray bottle for in-cab equipment, 5 litre canister with spout for everyday workshop use and bulk containers of 25 or 200 litres for workshops and haulage companies servicing larger fleets. Order and further information via sonax.com/commercial-vehicles.
If you want to find out more about the correct way to care for the driver's cab - for example, which cleaners work on which materials and which household products expressly do not belong in modern lorry interiors - you will find a detailed practical overview in the main article Cleaning lorry interiors: Proper care of the driver's cab.
