[Guna]

I would like to hear the views on the following, which I believe, would help in killing Corona virus

1. Since heat is supposed to kill the virus, park under the sun with the windows closed for an hour or so. Probably switching on the 'heater' for some time also help if the car parking is covered
2. Wiping the steering, gear knob etc with 'Johnson baby wipes'. These wipes do not have alcohol but are supposed to kill germs

[SJQIL87]

Keep a hand sanitiser/hand wash on car and use it for our personal safety.
I read somewhere that it is not good to use ammonia based cleaning products, bleach or hydrogen peroxide on the vehicle’s interior.

Alcohol based cleaners or just a good scrubbing with soap and water will be enough.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by Guna

[*]Since heat is supposed to kill the virus, park under the sun with the windows closed for an hour or so. Probably switching on the 'heater' for some time also help if the car parking is covered

Would recommend everyone to refrain from letting your cars getting only sunbathing sessions to kill the virus. As of now the jury is still out on this. Just spend a couple of minutes and clean/disinfect the hotspot areas.

[*]Wiping the steering, gear knob etc with 'Johnson baby wipes'. These wipes do not have alcohol but are supposed to kill germs

Baby wipes don't work as per the EPA.

There are many specialized disinfectants – 274 of them populate the EPA’s list of products capable of killing coronavirus.

That list is not exhaustive. Among other examples, Member’s Mark (Sam’s Club) and Kirkland (Costco) disinfecting wipes aren’t on it, but should be comparable to their name-brand counterparts. On the other hand, the EPA list is bereft of baby wipes, which are not effective disinfectants, especially in disinfecting coronavirus

More on disinfectants on this Link

Some valuable info:

With these and other products, take a look at the labels to understand both proper usage and time of effectiveness. Those three minutes comprise a span known as “contact time” – that is, the amount of time the surface should remain wet with cleaner for the advertised effectiveness to be expected. For most wipes, recommended contact time is between two minutes and five minutes. For dilutable or ready-to-use formulations, it’s more typically three minutes to 10 minutes.

The key here is that you need a good deal of disinfectant, particularly with a wipe, to ensure that it sticks around for five minutes of virus-killing. As with soap, proper disinfecting also involves elbow grease – you want to rub the stuff in, pick up much of the virus, and assume the remnant disinfectant will terminate the rest.

The contact time is why I mentioned to let Lizol stay on for 4 minutes. Which is the recommended duration for the similar Lysol marketed in the US.

Fill up a spray bottle with lizol. Spray it on to an out of direct sight plastic/vinyl surface and gently scrub with a cloth, and let it stay for 4 minutes. Then wipe it down with another mildly damp cloth. See how the material reacts and move on to the rest of the car.

[Reinhard]

Originally Posted by Guna

Wiping the steering, gear knob etc with 'Johnson baby wipes'. These wipes do not have alcohol but are supposed to kill germs

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Baby wipes don't work as per the EPA.

Small correction. Specifically Johnsons baby wipes available in India - contain Phenoxyethanol as one of the primary active ingredients (and fragrance contributors). This is alcohol of course & is used as a mild antiseptic/insect repellent industrially.

The Johnson baby wipes also have Sodium Benzoate - which again is industrially used often as an anti-fungal / anti-bacterial agent - and thus as a preservative.

So technically, the Johnson's baby wipes have ingredients that theoretically can work as anti-pathogens. (I'm not recommending this as a way to clean car of course, I'm no expert.)I know this for sure because I had purchased these some times & after checking these constituents switched over to Himalaya wipes for my kid, which tend to be far softer & gentler on a baby's skin in comparison.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by Reinhard

Small correction. Specifically Johnsons baby wipes available in India - ................

So technically, the Johnson's baby wipes have ingredients that theoretically can work as anti-pathogens. (I'm not recommending this as a way to clean car of course, I'm no expert.)

Here's a link, dissuading the use of baby wipes.

https://www.msn.com/en-my/health/wel...ms/ar-BB12DloP

I think people are getting confused between cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting. How can a baby wipe disinfect aka kill the virus on the steering wheel with just a wipe, when most proper disinfectants are required to be left on the surface for a couple of minutes?

For me, I can't use anything other than a proper soap wash on the steering wheel (no.1 hotspot) considering it's leather wrapped. So if its not leather, better to use a proper disinfectant post cleaning rather than a baby wipe.

[rpads1]

A disinfectant spray like the 'Dettol Disinfectant Spray' might be useful. I plan to use this in my car on a regular basis.

Currently available only once in a while on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.in/Dettol-Multi-P...769222&sr=8-36

[spoth001]

Johnson baby wipes are intended to be used on infants and not car steering or any other surfaces. You can always use normal alcohol wipes which are predominantly used to remove make up on face. They are widely available and safe to use. One more alternative is to use gloves while driving. I will ensure my entire family will wear gloves while they are in my car.

[phamilyman]

Originally Posted by rpads1

A disinfectant spray like the 'Dettol Disinfectant Spray' might be useful. I plan to use this in my car on a regular basis.

Currently available only once in a while on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.in/Dettol-Multi-P...769222&sr=8-36

The sanitizer sprays i mentioned are a poor man's version of this amazing Dettol product. Gets the same job done frankly.

IMHO it is about committing safe Standard Operating Procedures to muscle memory. I'd rather over sanitize than under sanitize given my proclivity to touch my face.

Not sure the can is safe enough to keep in cars that can get super heated, even in the armrest. I would not use anything except a typical sanitizer to keep in the car given Gurgaon heat.

[Lobogris]

The main thing is to avoid touching your face until you have washed your hands. Apart from this, if you are going on a long drive, simply take some soap solution and a cloth to clean the steering wheel, ac and radio controls, window switches etc. That is all you need. The virus won’t remain on any surface inside the car for more than a few hours except perhaps on the glass touch screens. Hence if you are waiting till the next day, you should be fine. There is no need to be paranoid. Most of us won’t be able to do all these thorough disinfection routines every time we get in the car. After a few days we will be in a rush or get lazy. So the best option is to simply avoid touching your face or eating until you get out and wash your hands. In any case, this virus spreads mostly via being in an enclosed space wih a person for a while. Touching a surface is a relatively lower risk. I wouldn’t worry about a mechanic having sneezed in the car. Simply open the windows for a few minutes and you are all set.

[V.Narayan]

For various reasons I have been visiting hospitals almost each day of these 40 odd days. I crossed this issue of sanitizing my car several weeks ago. I agree with what @Lobogris says that if you overdo this you'll stop bothering after the first three days what with pressures and time. Once a day I clean the high touch points in the interior with a sanitizer and a soft cloth. 5 minute routine. No more. And it has worked thus far. Only item on the exterior is the drivers door handle. I don't do the seat or the entire dashboard - just those knobs and levers my fingers touch while operating the car.

Only problem is it leaves a slightly sticky feel to the steering wheel.

[Sran]

It would be wise to avoid products that contain triclosan. It is a harmful product that has been banned by several developed countries. It is used in several anti bacterial soaps and other items. Before this wuhan virus came into, it was advised to not overuse soap or santisers as they kill good bacteria on our skin.

Alcohol discolours body paint and leaves a blue tint on the body wherever applied. The discolouration can be seen under direct sunlight at an angle after a good wash.

Panicking will serve no purpose and daily sanitizing on top of daily dusting is not at all possible by self anyone. If money and product availability is not an issue then buy disposable gloves whether its of latex or plastic. Sanitize your hand before pulling the door handle and then wear the gloves so it can be used multiple times in a day or use a new one everytime. Put your car audio on radio to avoid using the screen or rotary switch. I will not be offering anyone any ride nor will sit in anyone's vehicle till it all ends. No handshake, no sharing lighter( for those of us who smoke).

[Storm2.0]

I would take an old spray bottle, put 2-3 caps of dettol and mix it with water. Then spray the solution and wipe with a cloth where ever needed. This what they do in gyms also to clean equipments before other person uses it.

[Sran]

BMW sent out a video yesterday evening about disinfection and sanitization of cars. There are 3 types of package on offer starting from Rs.1,499, all done by BMW certified technicians. BMW intensive care with 32 check points and process time of 30 minutes. BMW intensive care+ with 58 check points and process time of 90 minutes . BMW advance care with 70 check points and process time of 190 minutes.

I don't think this is going to work because every minute there is a chance of infection.

[Thad E Ginathom]

There is what I am fairly sure is a fake-event video on the Whatsapp rounds. It shows a guy sanitizing his car keys. When he turns on the ignition the car explodes. You can tell it's not a real event, because, hey, film crew! But it is real advice.

There can be a grain of truth even in fake news. Alcohol vapour is very inflammable: we should not be using it in a closed environment such as a car. On top of that, it's not good to breathe that vapour.

[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

There can be a grain of truth even in fake news. Alcohol vapour is very inflammable: we should not be using it in a closed environment such as a car. On top of that, it's not good to breathe that vapour.

Now I don't know to what extent alcohol/alcohol vapour would be hazardous. Either ways, I didn't include IPA or sanitizers/sanitizing in the opening post.

But what I have noticed is, most pro detailers on YouTube will show it as a last resort or the last product to use in the lineup. So even they're not so gung-ho on using it.


Now before someone retorts saying that disinfectants contain alcohol too, remember, you are advised to wipe it off the surface with a mildly wet cloth after the contact time is up.