Right way to sanitize the interiors of your car explained

With lockdown restrictions eased up, a lot of us are going about our daily lives in the 'new normal' mode and travelling from one place to another. Naturally, the easiest and the most convenient way to do that is using your own car. But is it also the safest?

Keeping your car sanitized is essential

COVID or no COVID, your car can be one of the germiest places you might be touching or using.

Despite what you think, using your own car doesn't mean you are all protected from infections and COVID-19 viruses. Just as you need to pay attention to other objects or daily use commodities you are sanitizing, the same needs to be done with your car, especially if you are regularly travelling. Don't just leave a deep clean and wash pending for the next service!

Here is a list of precautions and what all you need to take care of when you clean your car:

01/ What all areas need to be cleaned well?

There are a lot of high-touch areas inside your car, which you frequently use or access. All these places and utilities have tiny nooks and crevices which can make it super easy for germs or any coronavirus infection to breed in. Remember, COVID-19 can transmit to surfaces and make them hazardous. Hence, it's important to give surfaces a good wipe-down. You will be surprised to see the number of germs and grimes the wipe picks up. Pay attention to surfaces such as armrest, any display screens, cupholders, radio controls, gears, cubbyholes and paddle shifts.

Use a good grade disinfectant which cleans surface-level bacteria and viruses. Simple soap and water can also be effective, provided you have the time for it and you do it carefully. Any type of soap solution or heavy-duty cleaning may weaken down coronavirus.

02/ What about the seats?

One should always clean the seats in a car. From the dust that settles in to the germs, anything can be hazardous. Regular cleaning and sanitization is hence, a crucial step. Wiping down seats is all the more important if you visit any place, or are helping someone who has been exposed to the virus.

03/ Do not forget the steering wheel

You may be surprised to know that a steering wheel is four times more germier than an average toilet seat, and that makes it all the more important to give it a thorough clean. There are one too many nooks and crevices and considering the number of times you place your hands on the steering wheel, rooting away the dangers of catching a coronavirus infection through the car is something you would want to avoid.

04/ It's also important to clean your hands

The importance of cleaning hands cannot be stressed enough. Just as you should clean and disinfect hands before or after stepping out of house or any place, the same protocol should be followed while hopping onto your car. You don't want to touch the interiors of the car with dirty grimy hands, do you? If your hands are unclean, you risk exposing clean areas of the car to germs or getting a virus back to your vehicle's surface.

Clean your hands with soap and water, or a good hand sanitizer if can't wash your hands.

05/ Should you keep a bottle of hand sanitizer in the car?

Keeping a hand sanitizer is a handy measure. However, storing it in the car may not be the best idea. Doing so could directly expose the alcohol content in the sanitizer solution to high temperature and may even lead to a possible explosion or injury, just like some incidents were reported in May.

06/ Servicing the AC is also important

Another important thing to remember is to keep the AC vents and the system itself clean and well-ventilated. Newer studies have emerged that COVID could transmit through aerosols or humid air. Hence, as a measure, it is a good idea to clean your vents and coolants of any bacteria, fungi, or virus which may have collected. Get it serviced by professionals if you haven't used the car in a while.

07/ What other measures can you take?

Unless and until you have been sick yourself, or travelled with someone who was sick, one should not be too worried about going through the cleaning and sanitization procedure for the care too regularly. However, doing so may just give you the peace of mind so it's never a bad measure. Here are some additional things you can do:

-Coronavirus could spread through respiratory droplets. Keep your mouth covered while coughing or wheezing.

-If you travel with someone found COVID+, follow necessary protocols and disinfect your car as well.

-Wearing a mask is a good measure.

-Practising social distancing in the car is equally important when more than 2 are travelling.

-It's also advised to keep a box of disposable tissues and a small trash bag in the vehicle to dispose off used tissues if you are sick

from LifeStyle