With all the talk about the coronavirus, everyone must do their part in being more cautious. In particular, think about the things you touch when you go outside, even if you’re going into your own car. Recent findings state that this virus can live on surfaces like plastic, one of the main materials you’d find in cars, for up to 72 hours. This is why the best way to minimize your exposure to this virus is to clean and disinfect your car thoroughly.
Which part of my car should I clean?
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, can live for several days on a number of surfaces. While reports are still coming in on its exact life span, the virus clearly can survive long enough to go around and make people sick. This is why sanitizing and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces should be a priority.
According to a Subaru dealership in Covington, the section you should be spending extra time cleaning is the steering wheel. It is said that a steering wheel may have more germs on it compared to an average toilet seat by about four times.
Remember to sanitize car door handles and controls as well: these are the hot spots for germs and viruses, and people tend to touch them more than they realize. The door’s grab handles should be cleaned both on the inside and the outside. Controls such as the start button or your car keys, the gear selector, the sun visor, and your car’s AV components such as the touchscreen or volume buttons, as well as the turn signal, must be disinfected on a daily basis. If you want to be extra safe, you can clean other parts such as the seats, cup holders, and glove box.
What can I use to clean my car from COVID-19?
There are two main types of cleaners recommended by experts to clean your car: disinfectant wipes or soap and water.
Disinfectant wipes are single-use wipes that have been soaked in a disinfecting ingredient. Usually, disinfectant wipes contain sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide. Brands like Clorox, Lysol, and Purell are great choices, as they are strong enough to remove viruses such as the one causing the current pandemic. It’s usually enough to wipe your car once or twice daily, but if someone you live with is sick, you may have to wipe down high-touch surfaces more frequently. Pay extra attention to how long you should leave the product on a surface, because letting the surface air dry can give the disinfectant enough time to kill any lingering bacteria and viruses.
On the other hand, a Covington Subaru dealership reiterates the call of using soap and water against the coronavirus. Soap is composed of two-sided molecules: one is attracted to water, and the other is attracted to fat. Because the outer layer of coronavirus is made of fat, it gets physically inactivated when it comes into contact with soap molecules. In other words, the fat gets ripped out so the virus cannot bind to human cells anymore. To clean with soap and water effectively, you must scrub your hands thoroughly and create more soap bubbles for at least 20 seconds.
You can disinfect your car without causing any damage if you know which cleaner works best for which surface. Check out Baldwin Subaru for more helpful tips.
