Hygiene Tips for Your Vehicle

08.06.2020News From Ford

Hands are washed, masks are worn… You are ready to go. But, how about your vehicle?

With the COVID-19 pandemic, we brought hygiene and cleanness to almost every point of our daily life. Attention to social distance, constantly washing hands, ventilated clothes, items wiped with disinfectants, packages, phones…

However, our vehicles are such an environment where we constantly touch and breathe. Ford England chief medical officer Dr. Jenny Dodman and her team shared important tips to ensure vehicle hygiene, because of their work on the subject:

“It is not known exactly how long the virus lives on the surfaces”

Although the risk of contamination from a surface contaminated with COVID-19 decreases over time, how long the virus can survive on any surface is not yet known. The life of the virus can vary depending on the surface and conditions. In addition, research on viruses from the same family reveals that the risk of virus contamination from surfaces is significantly reduced after 72 hours.

“Never use bleach when cleaning your vehicle's interior”

You should never use bleach or products containing hydrogen peroxide when cleaning the interior of cars. You should also avoid ammonia-based products since they can damage some special coatings, such as anti-glare and anti-fingerprint. Usual household disinfectants are effective enough against COVID-19.

Which areas of your car are more risk and need more attention?

Special attention should be paid to frequently touched areas such as the steering wheel, handles, gearshift lever, buttons, touchscreen, wiper, and signal pads, armrests, glove box holder, armbands, and seat adjusters during cleaning.

Seat belts and belt handles should also be at the top of each driver's cleanliness checklist. Your seat belt may contain particles from possible coughs and sneezes.

“Do not share your car with anyone you do not live with”

Car washing methods that strictly apply the social distance rule and hygiene measures should be preferred for the exterior of the cars.

You can consider the glove as a form of protection. However, please note that if you touch a contaminated surface, your gloves may get dirty again, and then the virus can be transmitted when you touch your face with that gloved hand.

You should not share your car with anyone you do not live with, because it would be breaking the social distance rules that experts recommend.

“Clean your car frequently and keep a hand sanitizer in the car”

You should clean your car frequently, considering that the vehicle surface may be contaminated with COVID-19 and the contamination process differs according to the person. And of course, always have a hand sanitizer and cologne in your vehicle.

We wish you healthy days by reminding once again that the most important way to protect against COVID-19 is to maintain social distance, wash your hands for 20 seconds frequently and follow the measures recommended by the health authorities!