Coronavirus: What parts of your car need constant cleaning/disinfecting

The threat of coronavirus is becoming serious by the day. World Health Organisation (WHO) has already characterised the disease as a pandemic. If you have been following the news, you probably know that the disease is spreading exponentially and to contain it we have to take care of our personal hygiene. Social distancing, washing hands regularly, using sanitizers and maintaining personal hygiene are the key practices that can prevent the spread of this virus.

You should keep your home and office space sanitized for your own good. Also, you should keep your car disinfected as it also comes in contact with various people. Basically all of your touchpoints(parts of the car that you touch the most) should be sanitized and disinfected.

What parts of your car need disinfecting?

If you think about it, parts that need constant disinfecting can be easily recognized. We will list down 10 important parts of your car that you must disinfect before you go on a drive.

Keys

The key fob or the key bunch is the first thing that you will touch so you must wipe the key fob with a disinfecting liquid before you get inside. Usually, your keys stay on the table for the whole day gathering dust so it is better that the first thing you do it disinfect it before picking it up.

Door handles 

Door handles can get dirty as they are constantly in touch with the exterior environment so you must wipe the outside door handles before getting in. You should also wipe the interior door handles before you get outside of your car as door handles are used quite frequently.

Rearview mirrors 

The rearview mirrors are important when you are driving as they help you know what is coming behind you. You should wipe the outside and inside rearview mirrors, before you adjust them as the outside rearview mirrors are in touch with the external environment and the interior rearview mirror should also be wiped as it can gather dust particles when the car is idle for long durations.

Stop/Start button and hand brake

If your car comes with a push-button to start/stop, you should disinfect it as it is an important touchpoint that will be used quite frequently to start or stop the car. You should also disinfect the hand brake as it also collects dust when the car is not in use.

Steering wheel

The steering wheel is the most used part of the car while driving it.  Because the steering wheel will be in continuous touch with your hands to steer the car, you should disinfect it.

Gear shifter

After the steering wheel, it is the gear shifter that is used the most. You must disinfect the gear shifter because it will be in contact with you continuously for your whole drive.

Infotainment Units

Infotainment units have become an important part of the driving experience and it is used extensively by many people while driving. You must wipe the buttons and particularly the touchscreens of the infotainment units as they accumulate a lot of germs and dust.

AC controls

Almost everyone nowadays drives with their climate control and windows closed because no one wants to hear the irritating noises that come from outside. The AC controls should also be wiped before you use them to adjust your temperature and fan speed.

Switch Gear

Switchgear is basically all the electrical equipment that you need frequently such as power window controls, headlight controls, indicator stocks etc. You will be using them frequently to drive the car so you should wipe the switchgear before you start driving.

Boot lid handle

If you have to open your boot lid to store something in your boot, make sure that you disinfect it. Also, you would need to wipe it again when you want to take your stuff out as dust and germs may gather when you drive the car on the road.

Easy way out

Instead of wiping everything, one easy way out is that you use disposable gloves before getting inside the car and driving it. Then you just need to dispose them carefully after the use. But, make sure that you disinfect and clean your whole car from inside out periodically, this will ensure that the germs are not able to survive in your car.

The most effective way for us to fight the coronavirus is to maintain social distancing. In fact, you should only drive if it is an absolute necessity. Otherwise, you should avoid getting out of your home. It is important that we practice self-hygiene and take every other precaution against the coronavirus.