Whether your vehicle is parked in the basement, under a shed or worse — left exposed to the elements for long periods of time — there's always going to be a moment that requires you to go for a spin for something, anything or nothing.
To keep your vehicle "virus-free", here are seven areas that should be sanitised.
1. Steering wheel, paddle shifters and gear knob - these are the first places your hands go to in order to operate a vehicle.
2. Doors - including the handles too as well as the door pockets if you regularly store things there.
3. Signal and wiper stalks - even if its just a touch or two, we still need to signal where we're going, turn on the headlights and obviously the wipers if its raining so do give those a good rub down.
4. Sound systems and climate control - in our neck of the woods, it's always hot so having air conditioning during the day is a definite need in the comfort department while listening to any updates about the coronavirus (Covid-19) on the radio.
5. Seats - even if they are upholstered in fabric, its also a good idea to wipe them down with a cloth after every trip to make sure that there are no viruses clinging on to them at the end of the day.
6. Boot - after picking up some things to bring home, make sure they are always placed in the boot to prevent the cabin (eg, rear seat, floor or front passenger side) from becoming possible contamination spots.
7. Keys - don't overlook the key or key fob in your hand. It's crawling with microbes when handled often enough. It's unnecessary to sanitise it if the car is of the keyless entry-type where the key is always in your pocket. But consider doing so if you also stash dollar notes and coins together with it since money changes hands and you really don't know what they might have picked up. (Thanks to a CarSifu reader for highlighting this point)
With these seven areas in mind, grab a fresh cloth and use a solution or hand-sanitiser that's at least 70% alcohol-based.
Remember to stay home to stay safe and only venture out when necessary as the movement control order (MCO) in Malaysia runs from March 18-May 12.
