Soap and water is the best combination you might think of whenever you have to wash your car thoroughly. It is also useful to keep your hands sanitized. You should also use hand sanitizer to protect your hands. Since the virus has been reported to have survived on the surfaces for hours or days together, it is all the more important to give some serious thoughts on keeping the car disinfected continuously. People keep entering and exiting vehicles throughout the day and often forget to keep themselves disinfected, one should be aware of how properly the car has been sanitized after people have exited the vehicle. One has to keep the vehicle disinfected to keep the virus from infecting the driver or the passengers.
Sanitizing a car is more challenging than doing the same to your home. The cars have so many nooks and crannies where germs and viruses can seat for hours hidden from the cleaners. Some chemicals or cleaners are quite harsh and they can abrade the surfaces of the vehicle after frequent rubbing and cleaning. These surfaces can wear down easily if subjected to frequent wiping and cleaning with chemicals.
The safest and the most effective disinfectants for cars are soap, water, and alcohol solutions. Upholstery and leather are susceptible to the onslaught of bleach, hydrogen peroxide, etc., though they are quite effective in killing the virus. It is not advisable to use bleach for cleaning because it may produce pollutants inside the car. Environment agencies vouch for vinegar and vodka to have been effective in fighting the coronavirus.
One should desist from using aggressive disinfectants or cleaners on surfaces of touch screens and other electronic appliances. One can use dampened clothes with soap and water to wipe and dry. You should cover the electronic gadgets while cleaning your car.
If you use Isopropyl alcohol, it should have 70 per cent alcohol. Alcohol is effective in killing the virus. Even if you scrub the surface with soap and water, it will kill the virus and keep you and others infection-free.
While you are on your way to clean your car, you require some other supplies to disinfect and protect. You need gloves, a vacuum cleaner, a mask, clothes of microfiber for touch screen, screen wiper for sophisticated electronics, a bucketful of soap and water and so on. You should also have a gown that can be disposed of and other clothes for working. You require a brush for scrubbing, cleaners for window and glass, conditioner for leather, etc.
While cleaning, you should keep the windows of the car open because some chemicals might emit irritants affecting your eyes and throat. You should wash your hands thoroughly with soap or sanitizer and then put on gloves. If you have a face mask, it will be a good idea to wear it. It will protect you from mites and dust. It will also protect you from harmful fumes from chemicals. It will also protect you against exposure to the virus.
It is better to remove mats and clean them up. Use a vacuum cleaner to blow away dirt from difficult angles and curves of the interior. Get ready water and soap and dip a cloth of microfiber into it. you may wipe the surfaces of the seats with it. Make it a point to scrub upholstery and seats along with the dashboard but never let the solution soak into them. If you do, the things will remain soggy and house mould in them. Scrub the mats with soap water and wipe them dry. Dip a microfiber cloth into isopropyl alcohol solution and use it to clean the steering wheel, handles, gear knob, and levers of doors and other parts. Make sure the surface remains wet for long, long enough to kill all the bacteria and viruses. The doors and windows should be sanitized thoroughly with wet clothes dipped in an alcohol solution. Make sure you dispose of the gloves and other articles you have used in cleaning.
