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A clean, black car interior with a view from the passenger seat door.
Keep yourself and your family safer by cleaning your car interior.

Odds are, you’ve had a few people in and out of your vehicle since COVID-19 has been in the states. We all know handwashing is vital, but how can we keep our car interior safe and clean? Here are our tips for keeping your interior coronavirus free.

First:

Vacuum your interior to get rid of excess dirt and dust. Then dust the dashboard and hard-surface interiors with a microfiber cloth.

Microfiber sweeps dirt away from the surface instead of rubbing it into the surface as a paper towel might.

After you’re done using the cloth on the interior, throw it in the wash in case it picked up anything more sinister than dust.

A close-up of a built-in gps and steering wheel.
Wipe down touch screens to prevent the spread of germs.

Touch screens:

Make sure your touch screen is off when you go to clean it, or it can damage the display pixels. Wet a microfiber cloth with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and distilled water and gently wipe. Do not press down hard or you can damage your screen.

Do not use ammonia-based cleaners, like window cleaner, on touch screens because they damage the anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings.

Upholstery:

Soap and water is recommended for cleaning most interiors.

If you have fabric upholstery, cleaning with too much water or soap can trap suds in the fabric, and even grow mold later on. Clean with a small amount and wipe it off with a damp cloth. A small amount of water and laundry detergent can also be used on fabric.

If you have leather, a leather cleaner is the safest to use. Cleaning with alcohol is safe, but not good to use over time. Cleaning with alcohol can make your leather susceptible to damage.

Dashboard:

Isopropyl alcohol works on most surfaces of the car interior. It is used by auto manufacturers to clean the car interior before they ship the vehicles to dealerships. A quick once-over with alcohol will get rid of most germs and fingerprints.

Soap and water work as well if you do not have alcohol.

Do not use bleach, hydrogen peroxide, or ammonia-based cleaning products. These can break down the vinyl on the dashboard and cause it to become sticky when exposed to heat.

The driver side view of a Mercedes interior.
Clean the wheel and buttons thoroughly.

Steering wheel:

Take extra time to clean the steering wheel. The steering wheel has four times the amount of germs as can be found on the average toilet seat. The small cracks and crevices on the rim and spokes make it easy for germs to hide.

We recommend using disinfecting wipes for the steering wheel and buttons, gear-shift, turn signal stalks, and other frequently-touched surfaces.

A close-up of a pair of hands full of suds, under a water faucet.
Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently.

Don’t forget to wash your hands:

Cleaning only goes so far if you have dirty hands. Washing your hands is the best way to protect yourself, and the more you wash your hands, the fewer germs you’ll likely be transferring in and out of your vehicle.

For more helpful cleaning and repair tips, follow ProCare Collision on Facebook.

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