Disinfecting your home due to the coronavirus? Don’t forget about your car

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - More hand washing, trying not to touch our faces, coughing and sneezing in our elbows, we’re all trying to practice better hygiene. Spring cleaning has taken on a whole new level too when it comes to how we are keeping our homes sanitized because of the coronavirus pandemic. With all of the enhanced precautions, our cars is another space we should tackle.

“We touch a whole lot in our cars,” George Kok owner of Mr. Transmission in Clarksville, Indiana said. “Some people are very busy and don’t have time to clean and maintain their cars like they should.”

According to carrentals.com, 32 percent of people clean the inside of their vehicles only once a year. Germs and bacteria build up on high touch surfaces, like door handles, seat belts, and steering wheels.

“The average steering wheel on a car has way more germs than a public toilet seat,” Kok said.

We know that the coronavirus can last on surfaces for a while. So how should you sanitize your car?

Kok said wipe down anything you touch. You can use sanitizing wipes or alcohol to clean inside. Don’t use any kind of bleach or hydrogen peroxide on the interior. Both will kill germs but can damage the vinyl and plastic in your car. Don’t use ammonia-based cleaning products, the ammonia can break down the vinyl on the dashboard.

It’s not a part of your car but gas stations are a cesspool of bacteria.

“After we go to the gas pump if you don’t use hand sanitizer, you take your germs from the gas pump you transmit it to your door handle, your steering wheel, shift lever and anything else you touch in your car,” Kok said.

It may seem like a lot but, Kok says now is not the time to have your guard down.

“Some is us may be tending towards the paranoid a bit but, I think it’s better to be paranoid than too casual attitude,” Kok said.

We all probably do but don’t eat in your car, especially not now. Keep hand sanitizer in your car and use it every time you get in and out of your car.