By now, everyone is pretty aware of the deadly pathogen that has literally taken over most of our planet. In a fight against COVID-19, the Malaysian government had introduced a two-week Movement Control Order that will last till 31st March.

Now, one of the easiest ways to fight this virus is the 20-second hand-wash. However, there is a lot more. As per researchers, the COVID-19 virus can stay on a surface for days, thus getting transmitted via casual contact easily. Therefore, social distancing seems like a necessary step. And by staying at home, it’s easy to keep oneself disinfected.

The problem arises when one needs to step out for essential supplies. The question is, is your car clean? And how to best disinfect the vehicle afterward? Since everything is locked down, no garages, no professional help, the cleaning task rests on your shoulders.

Here’s a quick car cleaning guide, making sure no pathogen can stay calm in your car.

First thing first, prep work

Before you start, it’s essential to take all the necessary precautions, which include wearing a well-fitted mask, eyeglasses, gloves, and full-sleeve clothing. The idea is to fully cover yourself and prevent anything from coming close to you. Remember, prevention is the best policy.

Next, figure out the touchpoints

The obvious one being the door handles, steering wheels, gear lever, and touchscreen. But several other areas require special attention like the dashboard, key fob, power window switches, seat height-adjustment lever/switches, indicator & wiper stalks, grab handles, vanity mirror, reading lamp switches, and other switches.

Time to clean

Wipe all the above-listed touchpoints with a clean cloth or a vacuum cleaner. Also, clean the dashboard, door pads, central console, and the crevices.

Get down to serious cleaning

To get the job done perfectly, use a good-quality disinfectant spray. In case you didn’t manage to get hold of one, use a clean microfibre cloth with a few drops of sanitizer (one with 70 percent alcohol). You can also use isopropyl alcohol, but don’t spray it directly on the surface.

Make sure your cloth isn’t dripping with the solution as it may get inside the crevices of any electronic entity. You can also use a good old soap and water mixture, but it might be a bit messy.

If your car floor is covered with rubber floor mats, then clean with high-pressure water treatment and soapy solution later. For the ones with carpet, use a vacuum cleaner (clean both sides). Next, spray it with carpet cleaning liquid or plain old vinegar. Once you are done, gently remove any junk and wash it with high-pressure water. Lastly, let the mats dry in the sun.

P.S. don’t hold the mats.

Coming to upholstery cleaning, whether it’s leather or fabric - first vacuum the surface and then use a good quality leather or upholstery shampoo and conditioner. In case you don’t have these cleaning agents, clean cloth and soap water work just as well. However, we’d recommend to skip this part and get it done by a professional later.

The last but not the least

Once you are done disinfecting your car, it’s time to clean yourself. Get inside, don’t touch anything and head straight to the shower. Also, put your clothes for a wash.

Remember guys, no vaccine or cure has still been developed for the novel Coronavirus. The only way out is to follow social distancing and maintain proper hygiene. Let’s fight the pandemic together and hope for a better tomorrow.

Also Read: COVID-19 effect: List of OEMs who declared shut down till March 31