Blog

How to Disinfect Your Vehicle

Disinfecting right now is really important for everyone’s health and safety. You may have already disinfected your household, maybe even your electronics, but have you disinfected your vehicle?  

You may not think about it too often, but your vehicle is probably one of the dirtiest places you regularly interact with. It’s the go-between from your home to the rest of your life. If you have kids, you know how children will touch just about anything without a care about the microcosm of bacteria that live on various surfaces, not to mention the collection of germs and crumbs they always keep on them. 

Surfaces you touch the most in a vehicle will likely have the most bacteria, one study even found a staggering 700 species of bacteria on the steering wheel alone! You probably don’t even want to think about what’s hiding on the door handles and dashboard buttons which are frequently touched not only by you but by others.   

However, there’s good news in all of this, your vehicle can be disinfectedLet’s break down surface by surface on the best ways to clean and disinfect. 

Car Keys: 

A simple wipe with disinfectant will get most of the grime and bacteria off. The less people that touch your keys, the less germs it will be exposed to.  

Windows: 

Windows might be a close second when it comes to a community for germs. A simple glass cleaner is easy to use and should disinfect your vehicle windows. It’s recommended to clean your windows first so the residue can be cleaned away when you clean the door paneling. 

Dash and paneling: 

For the dashboard, you can vacuum, dust or use a paint brush to remove dust and crumbs from various crevices. Once that’s done, you can use wipes made for car interiors, warm water and mild soap, or another disinfectant wipe depending on the material of the surfaces. The paneling can also be simply cleaned using warm water and mild soap or disinfectant wipes and a micro-fiber cloth.  

Leather Surfaces: 

For leather surfaces like your steering wheel, hand brake, and leather seats it’s recommended to use cleaning agents like saddle soap. Make sure to check the labels on the cleaners to be sure they’re leather safe. Avoid products containing alcohol or petroleum as it might discolor the leather.  

Upholstery:  

There’s plenty of upholstery cleaners out there, make sure to grab the right one for the fabric of your vehicle. You can save yourself in the future by using Honda seat covers that can be removed to be washed easily.  

Carpet: 

Like upholstery, there are many vehicle carpet cleaners out on the market. These cleaners range from simple sprays, to scrubs to even steam cleaners. Depending on how dirty your carpet is should determine which cleaner you should choose. For simple disinfecting, a spray and a scrub should do just fine.  

Floor Mats: 

Honda floor mats are made from a rubber that’s easy to clean, durable, fade resistant and keep your carpets from taking the brunt of the mud and dirt. However, that means that the mats need to be cleaned more often than the rest of the vehicle. You can usually clean these easily with any sort of cleaner, sometimes a good hose down is all you need. For disinfecting, wash them with warm water and soap and you should be good to go. 

Disinfecting your vehicle might take an entire day, however, it’s worth it to keep you and your family safe from malignant bacteria and viruses. Keeping your vehicle clean and taking precautions can help prevent sickness from getting into your home.  

Call or check out our accessories page to learn more!