With the slow easing of restrictions on movement, quite a number of us have been returning to bustling offices, shuttling back and forth from business districts back to our homes, reuniting with our beloved work family, and bringing some sense of normalcy back in to our lives.
While strict measures of social distancing are still being implemented inside most institutions, the risk of bringing home undesirable pathogens is still ever-present as we increase our contact with people outside of our homes.
One indispensable instrument that we find ourselves housed in are our vehicles, that more than just ferry us safely from home and work, may do the same for the microbes that we’re exposed to in our offices.
For some simple ways to maintain the cleanliness, and therefore the safety of our vehicles, we’ve outlined some tips to mitigate the spread of harmful germs
- With a microfiber cloth, wipe down all surfaces you may have come in contact with, using an alcohol-based sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol:
- Steering wheel
- Gear shift
- Seatbelt
- Arm rest
- Door handle
This is all the more necessary if you accidentally let out a sneeze while inside the car and forget to cover your mouth.
- Vacuum the interior of your vehicle at least once a week, to limit the dust and dirt you may have track in that microbes may latch on to.
- For leather seats, wipe down all surfaces weekly. These surfaces likely house all your office paraphernalia such as: your bag, your documents, your laptop carrier—all of which have been placed on various surfaces around your office.
For cloth seats, simply have all cloth covers laundered once a week.
It goes without saying that you should also wipe down your bags before leaving the office to prevent any microbes from getting tracked into your vehicle once you leave work.
Have your floor mats cleaned weekly.
- Deep-cleaning your car once a month may also be practiced, but may not be necessary as long as you don’t eat in your vehicles. Often it is decaying bits of food that cause a pungent smell to develop in your car. That, as well as dried sweat that sticks to driver seats and safety belts. This can be solved with a simple wipe down with an alcohol based sanitizer however, as long as the sweat and food stains have not yet been formed. Otherwise, cleaning with water and a regular detergent may be necessary.
Some practices may seem too rigorous to some, and are definitely just guidelines to be considered, more so if you come home to a space with more vulnerable individuals.
Our overall goal is easy-hassle free cleanliness and health, in order to support the health of those who matter to us most. Without impeding on our necessary day-to-day activities, such as going to our places of work, and without needing to invest in unsubstantiated methods of disinfection, such as disinfectant fogging machines and UV lamps, we strove to give safety precautions we can all easily take, using simple tools that are readily available to all of us.
If you have suggestions of your own, or experiences that our readers can learn from, feel free to speak out in the comments section below!