Moneycontrol PRO
Check Credit Score
Check Credit Score
HomeNewsTechnologyAuto

6 steps to disinfect your car during the COVID-19 pandemic

We have laid some simple, yet very necessary steps to clean your car and keep you and the people around you as safe as possible from being infected with COVID-19.

June 30, 2020 / 07:19 PM IST

Over the past few months, coronavirus has become a big problem. With the number of positive cases growing more and restrictions still easing out, there is an even bigger need to keep cleaning and disinfecting everything you are likely to touch, including your car.

For this, we have laid some simple, yet very necessary steps to clean your car and keep you and the people around you as safe as possible from being infected with COVID-19.

Wash your hands

The first thing that needs to be said is to keep your personal hygiene game strong. Wash your hands regularly. Wash your hands before heading out to your vehicle. Wash your hands at the end of your drive. Keep a sanitiser handy in the car just in case you need to come in contact with people or things outside of your car.

Practice social distancing

COVID-19 Vaccine

Frequently Asked Questions

View more
How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.

View more
Show

This hasn’t been said enough. Cutting down, as much as possible, on human interaction is one of your best defences against the spread of the virus. Make sure to keep safe distances when interacting with the attendants at the petrol pump and avoid handing your car over to anyone else.

Choose your cleaning materials

Depending on what the interior materials in your car are, you will want to choose your cleanser. Isopropyl alcohol is by far the most effective solution against coronavirus and is safe to use on most car interiors. However, you must remember that isopropyl alcohol can cause discoloration of leather, so be careful.

Wipe down hard surfaces

Use the isopropyl alcohol to wipe down all of the hard surfaces in your car. Make sure that more than a thorough cleanse is given to areas that are more frequently touched than others, for example, steering wheel, doors, door latches, cup holders, shifters, dash board, glove compartments and seat adjusters.

Cleaning your upholstery

To clean your upholstery and cloth or leather surfaces, a soap and water combination will work the best. This will not only be effective against the virus, but will be safe to use on leather as well. Do not rub hard, but be thorough. Reach into difficult to reach places, too, just to be safe. When washing the seats, make sure not to use too much water or soap as it can leave evaporation marks behind. Also make sure to use a microfiber cloth if possible. A microfiber cloth is soft enough to help prevent scratches on any of the interiors.

Service the air conditioning system

Finally, keeping your air conditioning system clean can also help. Most fatalities involving the coronavirus can be attributed to other fatal diseases as well. Servicing your air conditioning system can help cleanse it of any disease causing bacteria harboured inside.

We would like to point out that we aren’t health experts, but the best we can do is stay clean and stay calm during these troubled times. Social distancing and personal hygiene will play a big role in keeping you safe for the foreseeable future and while it may still be a while away, we can still look forward to the day when the coronavirus no more a threat to us than the common cold.

Invite your friends and family to sign up for MC Tech 3, our daily newsletter that breaks down the biggest tech and startup stories of the day

Moneycontrol News
first published: Jun 30, 2020 07:19 pm

Discover the latest business news, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!

Advisory Alert: It has come to our attention that certain individuals are representing themselves as affiliates of Moneycontrol and soliciting funds on the false promise of assured returns on their investments. We wish to reiterate that Moneycontrol does not solicit funds from investors and neither does it promise any assured returns. In case you are approached by anyone making such claims, please write to us at grievanceofficer@nw18.com or call on 02268882347