COVID-19 – What about you and your car?
Marc McLaughlin from our valued #DiamondAmbassador Keyfleet has published his thoughts and advice;
We all know that we should wash our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds but what about the interior of the car? How can you keep that as free of the virus as possible?
The first thing to do is give your car a deep clean – the dashboard, steering wheel, door handles, grab handles, rear tailgate handle, gear-change, handbrake or brake button, starter button, indicators and so on. All the areas that you regularly touch.
Use soap and water or suitable wipes to clean the surfaces. At least then you know the interior is as clean as possible.
But of course you are continually getting in and out of the car, with the potential for contamination. So keep a packet of wipes handy and some hand sanitiser and use these every time you get in the car.
What about driving?
Should you drive in the first place? If you are suffering any flu-like symptoms – or have a high temperature – then do not drive. Follow government advice and self isolate at home.
But what if you need to drive? When you are in the car, make sure the ventilation setting is to free flow rather than recirculating.
And if you can use the ventilation system without the air conditioning then that’s a good idea too. Just try and keep the interior as well ventilated as possible.
The most likely passengers you will be taking are family members. If you regularly take friends to work, then it would be circumspect to stop that for the time being and follow the government’s advice on social distancing.
Nevertheless, kids still need taking to school if you live too far away to walk and that involves your little darlings clambering in and out of the car. Try, try, and try again to make sure they are sanitising their hands before buckling up in the back seats. A tricky business, but if you can keep the interior of your car as free as possible from potential contamination the better.
Filling up with fuel
Make sure you use the forecourt’s disposable gloves when handling the fuel dispensers. Or, if you want to be more sustainable, have a pair of gloves in the boot you can use for this purpose.
Again, when you get back in the car a bit of hand sanitisation would not go amiss.
Above all else, try and keep the interior of your car as clean as you can. If you are using the car regularly during the week, then a weekly deep clean would be a sensible precaution.
Other tips
● Keep a bag in your car that you can dispose of wipes and so on and a box of tissues. If someone sneezes then make sure they sneeze into a tissue and dispose of it in the bag. Make sure they sanitise their hands. Open the window to ventilate the car. Consider more cleaning of the car when you get home.
● Ensure you have some anti-bacterial hand gel and wipes in the car.
● Consider if you need to make the journey? Could you walk and get some fresh air rather than being confined to an enclosed space?
● Avoid giving lifts to anyone other than your immediate family.
Follow official government guidelines on preventing the spread of coronavirus
Always adhere to the most up to date government advice on preventing coronavirus and its spread. You can find government advice here.