October 16th, 2020 by Sarah Miles

At this stage in the covid-19 pandemic, we are all considerably more conscious of how germs, bacteria, and of course, viruses, are transferred by touch. Deep cleaning at home and in places of work are now the norm but one space that often gets overlooked is our car interior.

By necessity, our car interiors are subject to a great deal of handling. Steering wheel, seat belts, interior door handles, gear sticks, radio controls, sat-nav, hand brake etc – all touched multiple times during every journey.

It is no surprise then that cars, and other vehicles, can become breeding grounds for germs and viruses – especially hard surfaces where it is believed that the covid-19 virus can remain viable for up to 72 hours.

Car interiors, therefore, need to be included in our cleaning regimes and sanitised regularly.

A step by step guide to sanitising your car

Follow these steps to keep your car really clean and minimise the spread of germs, bacteria, and viruses:

Dispose of any rubbish

Despite all good intentions, cars can easily become cluttered with car park tickets, food wrappers, loose change, and other bits and pieces. Tidy up the things that you need and throw away the rubbish
Top Tip: Keep a ‘car bin’ in the car (you can buy ones that sit in the cup holder or just keep a rubbish bag handy) so you can keep the mess contained as you go along.
 

Clean the glass

Clean windows and windscreen are obviously very important for a clear view when driving. Use a glass cleaner to minimise streaking.
Top Tip: Use 2 microfibre cloths – one to clean the dirt off and then one to buff it over afterwards to get a crystal-clear finish.
 

Clean the hard surfaces

Pay close attention to this part as these tend to be both the most handled and where germs, bacteria, and viruses can survive the longest. You can use clean paint brushes or cotton buds to get into crevices and deep areas such as door compartments and cup holders can be cleaned by getting a vacuum nozzle down into them.
Top Tip: Where you might normally have used a general cleaning spray, you will now want to up the ante and use something that will kill all the nasties that can linger. Just as you would insist on with hand gel and hand wash, use a spray with at least 70% alcohol to thoroughly sanitise these crucial surfaces. This can also be done in between valets. In fact, it’s worth keeping it in the car and spraying it every day that you use your car.

Pro-Kleen Alcohol Sanitiser Spray 400ml

Price: £10.99

Buy Now

Vacuum the carpets and seats

Now it’s time to get rid of all the dirt that has been brought in on feet as well as crumbs, hairs, and other debris. A handheld vacuum, or even a specific car vacuum, make this job easier. Use attachments to get into all the nooks and crannies and remember to take car mats out and clean underneath too.
Top Tip: Leaving this until after steps 1-3 means you can catch any dirt that has been transferred from the other cleaning activity.
 

Clean the seats

Seats can get very grubby and often take the biggest battery in terms of spills and marks. If your seats are leather or PVC you can probably get away with a wipe over. If they are fabric, you may wish to give them a proper wash with upholstery shampoo.
Top Tip: Even though viruses cannot survive as long on fabric as hard surfaces (approximately 24 hours), it’s a really good idea to give them a once over with alcohol spray as well.

Don’t forget to wash your hands thoroughly after cleaning out your car as you will have touched all surfaces and you cannot rely on the products you have used to clean the car to have properly sanitised your hands.

Aside from the real and present risk of covid-19, this is a really sensible exercise anyway, especially over winter as colds and flu become more prevalent.