Top 3 Critical Considerations for your Car during COVID-19

Disinfect Your Car

The coronavirus has changed how we live our daily lives and even commute. Both companies and individuals have had to rethink their commuting patterns. It’s important to ensure that goods and humans travel without having to worry about being infected. As a result, some people have had to start using private transport to commute to various places. Using your car is much safer, but you should still take precautions to make sure it is clean and safe at all times.

The coronavirus can survive in and around the car. It is not visible to the naked eye so no one can see it. As more evidence about the coronavirus is made available, experts have cited that the COVID-19 virus can remain alive on surfaces, e.g. the inside plastics, leather, and metal of a car for longer than 7 days.

Maintain your Car’s Interior & Exterior

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, the air in any particular vehicle is usually unpleasant. Vehicle interiors provide a damp and warm environment where germs can breed. Research has shown that a typical car steering wheel has close to nine times more germs than a household toilet seat. Every time your car doors or windows are open, germs instantly have an entrance into the car. This s a great concern, especially if you have to use the car to drive a patient seeking medical care. In the event that you use your vehicle to transport someone with a flu or even coronavirus, it’s critical to clean and sanitize all surfaces that they came in contact with, like the seat belt buckles and all the other areas within sneezing or coughing radius.

For the exterior, do a normal wash as you usually do and allow the vehicle to dry. However, you can occasionally disinfect the exterior door handles since people are always in contact with them.

NOTE: After the outbreak of coronavirus, keeping your car clean all the time is extremely important now.

General Guidelines

Using harsh cleaning detergents can cause damage to the car’s interior. Chemicals like hydrogen peroxide (used in bleach) or any other general-purpose solvents can damage fabric and electronics. You definitely need to avoid such chemicals. Always choose cleaning detergents that are recommended by car cleaners. Also, the disinfectant must contain 70% alcohol for it to be effective in eliminating health hazards such as the coronavirus. As such, it is much more sensible to hire a specialist coronavirus spray company that is trained and skilled to disinfect your vehicle.

If you’re disinfecting your car yourself, make sure you do it in a well-ventilated place and wear a mask and gloves. Make sure you clean the dashboard, cup holders, door handles, seatbelts, glove compartment, and all other surfaces. Also, air out and clean the boot of your car (if your car has one).

If you’re using a manual chemical sprayer, spray the interior and let the chemical act for the recommended contact time. Remember to keep the doors and windows shut. Wipe off any residue with a clean cloth. Always keep an alcohol-based disinfectant spray nearby. Spraying makes it easier to clean places like air vents.

If you ever feel overwhelmed or think your car has been exposed to the virus from a passenger, reach out to Power Facilities Management to restore the sanctity of your car. Stay safe!