Oakland Detailers Clean Wheelchairs Free of Charge
Wheelchair users in the East Bay can request free washing and polishing from a local mobile detailing business.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Home Cleaning
Live Poll
Do you trust local small businesses to give back to your community?
Dean Lopez, 21, and business partner Leo Asfar of Yay Area Mobile Detailing have started washing and polishing wheelchairs for free after a viral video of their free detailing of an Oakland van. A Dublin rehabilitation center asked Lopez whether he had considered detailing wheelchairs, and he has since cleaned hundreds of them without charge.
Why it matters
For families who rely on wheelchairs and mobility equipment, a clean and well-maintained device is part of everyday upkeep, and professional detailing is typically an expense they would otherwise cover themselves. Lopez says the work is not about the money, which makes it a rare example of a local cleaning service offering its time to people with mobility needs in the East Bay.
Lopez, 21, has washed, scrubbed and polished hundreds of wheelchairs at no charge, beginning with a request from a rehabilitation center in Dublin. The work followed a free detailing of a van belonging to a person living on the streets of Oakland, which Yay Area Mobile Detailing posted online.
The players
Dean Lopez
Co-founder of Yay Area Mobile Detailing, a 21-year-old former college baseball player who now leads the company's free wheelchair detailing work.
Leo Asfar
Business partner of Dean Lopez at Yay Area Mobile Detailing, which handles car and van detailing in the East Bay.
Yay Area Mobile Detailing
East Bay mobile car detailing business that builds its customer base through social media videos of its work.
The details
Lopez and Asfar launched Yay Area Mobile Detailing after an injury during Lopez's freshman year of college ended his baseball career, leaving him with time and little direction. They built the brand by posting videos on social media, and their Oakland van video drew wide attention. The Dublin rehabilitation center's request led them to apply the same washing, scrubbing and polishing to wheelchairs, and Lopez has declined payment for that work.
Timeline
Freshman year of college: an injury forces Lopez to stop playing baseball.
After the injury: Lopez and Asfar launch Yay Area Mobile Detailing.
Date unspecified: the free Oakland van detailing video goes viral.
Date unspecified: a Dublin rehabilitation center asks Lopez about detailing wheelchairs.
The Home Front
Small mobile cleaning and detailing businesses in the Bay Area have relied on social media video to reach customers rather than traditional storefronts. The Yay Area Mobile Detailing story shows that same video reach being used to offer equipment cleaning to people with mobility needs.
If you use a wheelchair or other mobility equipment at home, regular cleaning of wheels, frames and upholstery helps keep it in working order between professional visits. Ask your equipment provider or rehabilitation center whether cleaning services are available in your area before scheduling any work.
The takeaway
A useful household habit is to ask whether local detailing or cleaning businesses offer services for mobility equipment, since some providers accept requests beyond cars. Keep wheelchairs and other mobility devices on your regular cleaning schedule so they stay sanitary and easy to use.
Further reading
For more on keeping household items spotless, browse our Home Cleaning coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by NBC Bay Area.
Live Poll
Do you trust local small businesses to give back to your community?
