How to Sanitize the Interior of Your Vehicle?

During the COVID-19 outbreaks, you have learned a few things about what is the correct way to wash your hands and which household cleaners can disinfect coronavirus.

But, What about the interior of your vehicle?

Since the virus has been statistically reported to survive from hours to days, there has been a lot of attention in the media on sanitizing your home and workspace. It is necessary to wash your hands frequently as directed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But, disinfecting surfaces, including those in your car is also important to staying healthy.

However, most people use their vehicle for daily use and don’t disinfect their commonly touched vehicle parts where germs can hide. If you are a driver then it is necessarily important for you to keep your car clean to stop the virus from spreading. 

To be more specific, the right way to sanitize the vehicle is more difficult than cleaning a house because of the many types of surfaces and openings. Furthermore, vehicle surfaces are not designed to withstand constant cleaning with harsh chemicals and will wear down if frequently cleaned.

What type of cleaners is safe for car sanitizing without damaging the surfaces?

CDC research has been proved that the most effective products to kill the coronavirus in the car are none other than soap and water, or alcoholic solutions that contain 70% isopropyl alcohol. Undoubtedly, these products are safe for the interior of your car.

Moreover, the products which contain bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonia are effective at killing virus but can damage the leather, and may discolor fabrics. This might cause skin and eye irritation, and severe burns. Further, according to the new research, disinfect car interior with bleach could create air pollutants. 

So, motorists should take care not to use harsh cleaning products on infotainment screens and other touch screens. Instead of it, you should use screen wipes or soft cloth soaked with soap and water. 

List Of Supplies to Disinfect Your Car At Home For Covid

Along with the cleaning solution, you’ll also require a few supplies as part of your preparation for disinfecting a vehicle interior. The following are among them:

• Gloves – for hand protection.

• Mask – to cover the face.

• Vacuum.

• Screen wipes – needed if your car has a touch screen.

• Microfiber cloths – necessary for both cleaning and drying.

• Bucket – for mixing soap and water.

• Scrubbing brush for removing stains.

• Glass cleaner for cleaning glass after disinfection.

• Leather conditioner – needed if you have leather seats.

Checklist of Common TouchPoints to Regularly Disinfect

During each trip, we come in contact with a great variety of materials that are used in the interior of our car, truck, and SUV. It makes no difference whether you’re surrounded by leather or vinyl or hard plastics; the coronavirus can live for days on certain materials.

In addition to general cleaning of your interior, we will concentrate on the places in which you come into contact with the most, which we call the “touchpoints.”

The following checklist can help you remember what surfaces on your vehicle need regular disinfection:

• Steering wheel
• Key and remote fob
• Exterior door handles – both sides
• Interior door pulls –  both sides
• Start button
• Rearview mirror
• HVAC vents
• Gear 
• Turn signal lever
• Windshield wiper controls
• Center stack knobs
• Center console and armrest
• Seat belt and buckle.
• Parking brake handle
• Parking brake or release lever

How to Sanitize your vehicle to protect against germs and coronavirus?

During the cleaning process, keep the doors and windows open as certain cleaning products can irritate your eyes or throat. Following these steps will ensure that your car is thoroughly sanitized:

1. At first, wash your hands and put on a pair of disposable gloves. While you clean, you should also wear a face mask to prevent dust, chemical inhalation, and possible virus exposure.
2. Ensure that all floor mats are removed and shaken out.
3. Clean crevices thoroughly to get rid of dirt and debris.
4. Take a bucket and mix it with warm water and soap.
5. Use a microfiber cloth and clean the seat surfaces thoroughly with the soapy solution. If cleaning upholstery or leather, make sure not to saturate it with too much solution. 
6. Rub the previously removed mats with a soapy solution. After wiping with the second damp cloth, dry the surface thoroughly with a towel.
7. Clean all surfaces of the vehicle with a moistened soft cloth to remove dirt, dust, and any sticky substances.
8. Microfiber cloths or soft cloths soaked in 70-percent isopropyl alcohol can be used to wipe down high-touch surfaces.
9. The surface should be left wet with cleaners for several minutes to ensure the effective killing of viruses and bacteria.
10. Wash windows and mirrors with soap and water or use alcohol to disinfect them. Once the windows have been disinfected, spray a window cleaner solution on them and wipe them with a microfiber cloth.
11. Dispose of all disposable personal protective equipment (PPE) used for cleaning.
12. As soon as you remove your gloves, wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water.
13. Any clothing worn during the cleaning and disinfecting process should be washed in warm or hot water.

Wrap up!

You shouldn’t worry too much about sanitizing and cleaning the care too often unless or until you have been sick yourself or have traveled with someone who is sick. However, doing so may give you peace of mind, so taking the measure is not a bad idea. Below are some of the additional things you can do to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Coronavirus could spread via respiratory droplets. You should cover your mouth while coughing or wheezing.

• Always wear a mask.

• When there are more than two passengers in the car, social distancing is equally important.

• It is also recommended to keep a box of disposable tissues and a small trash bag in the vehicle so that you can dispose of used tissues if you are sick.

Author Bio:-

I am Waqar Ahmad Marketing Executive at PitStopArabia | Car insurance Services Provider. PitStopArabia is an authorized online tyre store in the UAE. Buy tyres online in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or wherever you live and have them installed for free. Mr. Waqar is very passionate about Latest Technology, Online Shopping and Digital Marketing.