Many of us take our vehicle to the car wash and vacuum its interior regularly, but we don’t always think about deep cleaning to remove dirt and germs. Cleaning the interior of a vehicle can also be a difficult job because there are so many different materials and each reacts differently to cleaning products. There are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you clean the interior of your vehicle effectively and safely.
Further reading
What is your goal?
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Here you have to consider two ways: which products will clean your interior and which products will disinfect your interior. Disinfecting is much more difficult than just cleaning, partly because removing viruses and bacteria is much more difficult, and also because many products that actually work to disinfect can be very harmful to various materials inside your vehicle. The good news is that many cleaning products and sanitizing wipes have detergents that are safe for the interior and effective at killing viruses and bacteria.
What cleaning agents to use
Leather and organic materials
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Basic car cleaning wipes are very good at cleaning dirt and grime and usually contain a mild detergent to help kill viruses and bacteria. If you don’t have a stock of car cleaning products, you’re not completely out of luck. You can also repurpose other household cleaners to clean your car’s leather upholstery. Makeup remover wipes can do wonders for the skin, as they usually contain a cleanser along with a moisturizer that will prevent the organic materials from drying out.
While it may be tempting to reach for rubbing alcohol to disinfect, there’s a good reason you don’t shower in things, and the same logic should apply when cleaning leather and other natural materials in your vehicle. Alcohol-based cleansers can dry out the natural oils that live in the skin. Believe it or not, as a last resort you can use plain old soap and water, which are also very good at killing bacteria and viruses.
Synthetic materials
Interior materials like vinyl and synthetic leather have been improved to the point where they are almost indistinguishable from the real thing in many cases, but the way they behave when cleaned is completely different. Synthetic fibers do not have the same porous structure as natural materials like leather, which makes them much less susceptible to drying out when they come into contact with the wrong cleaning agent. You should still avoid using bleach, alcohol, ammonia, or other harsh cleaners, but wiping with other products will be much easier. Use a car cleaner such as Armor All to wipe down synthetic surfaces or a cleaner that contains detergent.
Colored surfaces
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Cleaning your vehicle’s paint with something like dishwashing detergent is not recommended, as it can remove wax and other protective materials and allow paint damage. You will run into the same problems when you use alcohol. You can use bleach if you really have to, but make sure it’s very diluted. If you’re determined to clean the exterior of your vehicle and don’t have a dedicated car wash solution, plain old water can wash away the worst dirt and grime without damaging the paint.
Mother Nature
If your goal is killing microbes, you might be able to get away with using what Mother Nature already provides for free: sunlight. Ford recently released a software update for its fleet of utility vehicles that raises the cabin temperature to 133 degrees Fahrenheit, but in some parts of the country, the sun will do it for you. If the interior of your vehicle is exposed to continuous sunlight and high temperatures for at least 15 minutes a day, you are likely to kill many of the harmful bacteria and viruses that live there.
What not to use
There are plenty of household cleaners that work wonders in your kitchen but will wreak havoc in your car. If you must use Lysol or Clorox wipes, make sure the product you use is bleach-free. Spray sanitizers can also be tricky, as they only kill bacteria and viruses on contact, so you’ll need to be sure to spray every single surface for the cleaner to be effective. Also avoid cleaners that contain ammonia, especially when using them on and around your vehicle’s electronics and displays. Ammonia can strip protective coatings and damage sensitive touch screens.
Public transport
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Those of us who have to take the bus or use a ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft are in a slightly more stressful situation, because the transportation we use every day is regularly used by hundreds of other people. If you’re worried about who touched the doorknob before you, there are a few simple solutions. Personal hygiene wipes that contain alcohol are a great way to wipe vehicle door handles and grips on public transport. You won’t be able to do much about the seats — most Uber drivers will frown upon someone scrubbing the inside of their vehicle — but you can make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after the ride.
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Source: newstars.edu.vn