By Lynn Allison From Newsmax

After you’ve scoured your house from top to bottom with approved disinfectants to kill the coronavirus, now it’s time to tackle your vehicle. Chances are you’ve touched areas in the auto during your masked shopping sprees that need to be sanitized. And if someone you know has been in your car who has symptoms of the disease, or if you’re a taxi driver, you certainly want to sanitize more often.

Luckily, you probably have the proper cleaning products on hand that will get your car squeaky clean without damaging interior surfaces. But remember, a car’s interior is less durable than a kitchen counter or bathroom sink, so you need to proceed with a little caution, according to Consumer Reports. Whatever you do, don’t use bleach or hydrogen peroxide in the inside of your car.

“While they can both kill coronaviruses on surfaces, they will likely damage your car’s upholstery,” advises Consumer Reports. “And never use ammonia-based cleaners on car touch screens, as they can damage their anti-glare and anti-fingerprint coatings.”

Here’s how to proceed:

• Start with the most frequently touched surfaces. According to USA Today, these are the outside and inside door handles, steering wheel, gear shift, turn and wiper signal levers, buttons on your radio, seat belts and seat upholstery, mirrors and armrests.

• Use soap and water solutions or alcohol-based solutions that contain at least 70% isopropyl alcohol. It takes 20 seconds to properly disinfect your hands, so take your time sanitizing each surface of the car as well.

• If your interior has imitation or leather seats, alcohol may damage the coating so soap and water is the preferable choice, according to USA Today. But use small amounts of water so that you don’t soak the upholstery. Apply a good conditioning cream to leather seats to avoid cracking and use rubber gloves to protect yourself against contaminants.

• Spend more time cleaning the steering wheel as research shows it can have four times more germs than a public toilet according to a study by CarRentals.com. Keep a hand sanitizer and wipes in the car and use them to wipe down the steering wheel—and your hands—during each outing.

• Open the windows. Cars today are so tightly sealed that the ventilation rate—how much fresh air gets into the car—is low. With the windows closed, COVID-19 accumulates in fine aerosol particles in the car’s cabin. Cracking one window 3 inches can alleviate this problem, according to USA Today.

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