Although it is imperative to keep the interior of your car, truck, or SUV sanitized to prevent the germs from spreading, however since the awful pandemic took over the world, it has become unavoidable. Keeping your car clean is especially important if you share it with your family members. If you are renting a car or considering getting one from the second-hand cars for sale in Dubai, sanitization becomes inevitable.
For cleaning your car’s interior, alcohol is your best bet. Even a vast majority of automotive manufacturers nowadays opt for alcohol for in-depth cleaning. All you have to do is a quick wipe and clean most of the germs and fingerprints. Soap and water work as well. According to scientists, SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes corona is detectable for up to three hours in the air. While it stays several days on plastics, making up the majority of the interior surfaces of the vehicle.
How to go about it?
- Well, it is wise to disinfectant wipes with you with a minimum of 70% alcohol. Keep a travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer in the car for regular use. Also, drive with the windows down to air out if there are any residual virus droplets if you think someone you gave a ride to might has the virus. Clean your hands with virus thoroughly when before and after visiting a retail store or any public place.
- Use disinfectant wipes daily for wiping down the obvious interior touchpoints. Pay special attention to the steering wheel. It is said that a steering wheel can have four times more germs on it compared to a toilet seat, on average.
- Shift lever, window, door handles, mirror switches, armrests, and seat belt fasteners, and all other dials and control switches need to be cleaned as well. If you are using a disinfectant spray, see that you completely treat the surface and use a microfiber cloth to wipe it down. Do not touch your face before you have re-sanitized your hands.
- You can also use soap and water instead of sanitizing wipes. Avoid those products that are detergent free. They are not going to be effective. The coronavirus lives in a protective pocket that acts as a facilitator so it can infect other cells. This pocket is broken down by soap. With heavy-duty cleaning, you can weaken the coronavirus. It is just that you have to clean a bit thoroughly. See that you do not scrub too hard, which might remove dyes or surface coatings.
- If your vehicle has leather upholstery, then you should use a specific cleaner for those surfaces to prevent them from drying out. Makeup wipes are sometimes used to clean leather seats as they have moisturizers. See that you don’t scrub too hard. That can harm the finish.
- To clean cloth seats, use some laundry detergent and a small amount of water so that you don’t over-sud the surface.
- Also, wipe down the car’s gas cap and the fuel pump nozzle as well. Do it after every fill-up as it can be a breeding ground for plenty of germs.
What not to use
- It is never recommended to use any kind of harsh chemicals or bleach for the on vehicle’s interior. Do not use bleach or hydrogen peroxide for your car as they can cause damage to the plastic faux chrome bits. They will do a good job of killing off the coronavirus germs but damage the plastics and vinyl that are used in modern cars nowadays.
- Do not use any blue glass cleaning products. These products are ammonia-based and should not be used on anything else except windows and mirrors. The ammonia breaks down the vinyl on the dashboard and makes it sticky when exposed to heat and light. Moreover, to avoid any kind of damage to the anti-glare coatings, make sure the glass cleaner is not used on the touch display screens.
- Wash your hands often. Regularly clean your hands, even though you have properly cleaned your vehicle. If your hands are dirty, you are bringing the germs back into your clean car.
These car cleaning tips and advice are going to keep your vehicle germ free for long. All Dubai car dealers and sellers are following them religiously. With these steps, you can minimize the risk of getting infected.
