Cars are one of the most used machines of all time. People spend a good amount of time in their vehicles, driving from their homes to offices and other places. From using it to travel to using it as a home, cars have proven to be very versatile.
But they can be highly contaminated. All the bacteria and germs that get trapped in a car can become infectious and harmful. Therefore, everyone should invest some time to get their vehicles cleaned and sanitized.
Car services and cleaning options can be costly. Instead, one can clean and sanitize their cars at home any time they want. To help you in the process, the following are some tips to sanitize your car efficiently:
Use a Degreaser
Normally, people don’t consider cleaning their cars with a grease remover. But, once you try it, you will not believe the amount of gunk you will collect while cleaning. The small particles of oil and dirt can get into the tiny spaces of the car that render it from cleaning by a cloth. These oils then become the home for bacterial growth, leaving your car infested with germs.
A degreaser melts away all these oils, and you can then simply clean it with a wet cloth. You don’t have to buy a fancy car grease remover; even the kitchen one would work great. When you try this, you will be shocked by the results.
Use a Brush to Clean
To sanitize a car, it is essential to clean it first. The little dust particles that get trapped from the daily use make a place for all the bacteria and germs to grow. Thus, whenever you are planning to sanitize your vehicle, start by cleaning it.
Most of us believe that using a cloth is enough to clean. But the car vents are really hard to get with a cloth. So, for such places, try using a brush. A small brush (even a toothbrush) can easily wipe down the dust and clean the area that you can disinfect and sanitize later.
Use Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is used as a disinfectant worldwide. From hospitals to household works, this is used everywhere. It is only smart to use this chemical for cleaning your car too.
One thing that you should keep in mind is that it is really strong. It can burn your hands and leave marks on your car too. Therefore, always wear gloves when using this chemical. The best thing you can do is dilute hydrogen peroxide. Diluting it will help you make it a little less intense but equally effective.
Disinfect the Car Handles
The car door handles are considered to be the most ignored parts of the car. Even though these little handles are the main source of all the germs, they are often left unclean. So, when you are sanitizing your car, make sure to get those handles too. Clean them with a micro-fiber cloth and then disinfect with an alcohol-based disinfectant.
Do Not Damage the Seats
Sometimes, people go overboard with their deep cleaning disorder and end up destroying their car. The seats are one of the most delicate parts of a vehicle. The leather, the structure, it is just too fragile to hassle around with.
Therefore, when you get to the seats, just stick with a cloth. Using warm water and soap mixture is essentially enough to clean and sanitize them without damaging their leather.
Never Forget the Buttons
The cars are one of the most complex structures to clean. They have all those tiny spaces where dust is collected. This dust catches germs, and in turn, becomes a source of bacteria. Most of the people forget about cleaning these little germ collectors.
One of the hardest places to clean in a car is the buttons. These get piled up with dust and are very hard to reach. Thus, try using a brush or a very fine cloth to really get in there and clean them like they do in the car services.
To make this process easier, you can spray a car cleaner over the buttons, leave it there for a while, and then clean with a cloth. It takes patience to sanitize a car efficiently, but the results are worth it.
Try to Improvise
Generally, people fear cleaning their vehicles because they believe that they would have to buy special cleaning agents for the process. However, you can easily replace those fancy products with simple ingredients that are almost always present in your home or readily available in a store near you.
You can switch your disinfectant with an alcohol-based cleaner, as they both work similarly. Likewise, you don’t have to buy special car brushes; old toothbrushes work fine as well. Improvising won’t only save your bucks, but it will also make your work convenient. Also consider the best wheel cleaner as well to make your tires shine.
Clean the Mats
Mats are the dirtiest places in your car. These are the places where all the gunk that you carry on your shoe rest. Therefore, when you are sanitizing your car, make sure to clean your mats too.
Try washing these with regular soap and water, and scrub them as you clean. Once you have them washed and dried, use an alcohol-based disinfectant and kill all the bacteria and germs that are still left behind.
Invest in Disinfection Wipes
Sanitizing your car is a brilliant deed, but even if you kill every single bacterium, it will get colonized shortly after you are done with disinfecting everything. Besides, who has got the time to clean their car again and again? But having a busy routine does not mean that you should drive a dirty vehicle.
When you sit in the car, try cleaning all the parts where you touch, like steering wheel, handles, and buttons. Even if you only sanitize these crucial parts, you will get rid of a lot of germs that could infect you otherwise. And what better way to sanitize these places is if not by using disinfection wipes? These wipes will make your life a lot easier. Just carry them in your car, and sanitize it anytime you want.
Use a Vacuum
Vacuum cleaners are traditionally considered to be the machines that are used to clean carpets and rooms. But this beautiful invention can be used to take the dust off of nearly anything.
Every car has some hard to get spots, like space under the seats, or the dashboard corners. To clean these stubborn areas, use your vacuum cleaner and get rid of all the dust.
This is an easy way to clean your car without dealing with the hassle of water and other stuff. It will get rid of the dust without creating a mess. Besides, when you are done with vacuuming, take a disinfectant and spray it on your car’s interior. When it dries, you will be left with a clean and sanitized vehicle.
Get Rid of the Sticky Tapes
Every car comes with some safety tapes and plastics. These are meant to protect your vehicle from scratches and fingerprints. But, over time, these sticky protectors lose their cohesiveness and start to hang loose. These tapes then end up becoming the home to bacteria and germs. All the dirt gets collected in them and functions as a source of infection.
Therefore, when you sanitize your car, make sure to get rid of all sorts of protective tapes instead of cleaning them. If you want, you can get new protectors installed later.
Conclusion
Just like how we clean our home, it is very important to clean our vehicles too. Whenever you clean your car, don’t forget to sanitize it as well to make it germ-free and safe to use. Stay clean, stay safe.