These days, stepping out of the house feels like entering a biohazard zone. Even a quick yet necessary drive to the store can leave you or your family exposed to the dreaded coronavirus, so knowing how to protect yourself and your family is imperative.
Want to know the best ways to get your vehicle virus-free? Your Ford dealer in Madras, OR understands it better than anyone.
What Are the Most Germ-Filled Areas in Your Car?
According to a survey by Clorox, many people believe that the steering wheel, gear shift, and door handles are the most germ-laden spots. Surprisingly, they’re not: swab tests have shown that the cup holders, air conditioning vents, and the floor mats are the top culprits in harboring bacteria, fungi, and viruses.
Since you often touch these surfaces, a good start will be to have hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol nearby before going for a drive. Give these virus-harboring areas a pass with sanitizing wipes, and sanitize your hands as soon as you enter the vehicle.
CDC Advice on Corona-Proofing Your Car
For non-porous surfaces like the dashboard, door handles, console, armrests, seat belt buckles, and more, you can use a soap and water mixture or a diluted bleach solution. The same goes for porous areas like seats and floor mats.
Check the labels of your cleaning products on their proper use and application. Find suitable products and check if it passes the EPA standards for disinfection.
How about surfaces that can’t be scrubbed or washed? The CDC advises that a solution with at least 70% alcohol is enough to disinfect electronics like touch screens, buttons, and dials. Be sure to wipe them dry afterward with a clean cloth or paper towel.
Aside from these recommended strategies, you can take your game up a notch to ensure that your vehicle is at its cleanest. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water. Immediately change out of your clothes or shower if needed. Make sure that your clothes are washed and dried correctly.
Other Methods of Disinfection
Aside from these recommended strategies from the experts, you can take your game up a notch to ensure that your vehicle will be at its cleanest. Ionizers or misting devices are like fog machines that emit negatively-charged ions into the interior of your car. These microparticles bind with positively-charged microbes like bacteria, fungi, and viruses, immediately killing them and halting their reproduction.
Another tried and tested method for virus eradication is the use of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This method involves lighting up a specialized UV lamp inside your car. UV rays can alter the genetic code of microbes like viruses, thereby keeping their infectious spreading at bay. In some cities, the government regularly deploys UV lamps to disinfect heavily-used vehicles like ambulances and police mobiles. Note that the vehicle must be free of occupants when using ionizers or UV radiation.
During a scenario such as this, safety protocols can spell the difference between life and death. Now is the right time to be extra vigilant about sanitation and disinfection, especially when it comes to the vehicles you use.Your friendly Madras Ford dealer highly encourages you to be extra careful and to be a smarter motorist. Be sure to check back with TS&S Ford for more tips to help keep your precious ride corona-free.
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