How to Properly Disinfect Your Car in the Time of COVID-19

COVID-19 is now a real health threat. And while everyone’s been concentrating on personal and home hygiene, there’s one typically overlooked thing: car interiors.

With car interiors made up of sorts of material from plastics to leather to chrome, cleaning, and more importantly, disinfecting a car’s interior may be seen as a daunting task. The thing is, armed with the right items (even some household cleaners) keeping it germ-free is actually quite easy.

Here are some tips you can follow:

• If you have automotive cleaning supplies on hand, best to use them. They’re designed to clean your car’s interior without harming the various surfaces it may get in contact with.
• Now, if automotive cleaners aren’t available, soap is actually a good way to keep car interiors disinfected. Unlike alcohol-based products such as hand sanitizers which can damage plastics, soaps with mild detergents such as liquid hand soap and even dish washing liquid is better.
• For leather though, don’t use alcohol- or detergent-based cleaners. If it leaves your hands feeling dry after use, chances are it’ll also dry out your leather. If you really have to use a detergent- or alcohol-based cleaner on your leather, make sure to apply leather conditioner after using a clean, dry cloth.
• For cars that use vinyl or other synthetic interiors, don’t use alcohol or bleach-based cleaners. Stick to a mild detergent. Diluted bleach though can be used on simple plastics (no chrome) such as car keys.
• Regardless of what you use, don’t overdo it. Remember to wipe surfaces down after cleaning them; even the gentlest of cleaners shouldn’t be left to linger on your car’s interior.
• Finally, if you’re running low on cleaning supplies, it’s best to focus on areas which you come in contact with directly such as the steering wheel, switch gear, shifter, infotainment system, and even the gas cap. The seats can actually be skipped since they don’t really touch parts of your body that are likely come into contact with the virus.