Cleaning Car for CoronaVirus - what are the options

[Nikhil Malhotra]

More important in the current context .
Its recommended to use 70% Alcohol based cleaner . What are the options ?

I dont want to use Soap Solution on Genesis leather directly .
I have been using Lysol wipes , but they dont seem to be very good on my light colored Genesis leather . Was using meguiar's leather cleaner till Feb , but not anymore.

Few articles -
How You Can Kill Coronavirus in Your Car Without Damaging Interior Surfaces
How to Clean Your Car for Coronavirus
https://thenewswheel.com/tips-for-sanitizing-your-car-against-covid-19/
The Risks of COVID-19 In and Around Your Vehicle – WBIW

uber and other taxi services - dont know what is being recommended to taxi drivers . Its CRITICAL for them to daily disinfect their cars.

Not panicking , but its needed at this time of crisis.

 

[Suburbazine]

I use this stuff. Spray on, wipe off. Hasn’t caused any problems but I do a Meguiar’s pass every week.

OdoBan Ready-to-Use 32 oz Spray, 3 Bottles, Original Eucalyptus Scent - Odor Eliminator, Disinfectant, Flood Fire Water Damage Restoration Amazon.com: OdoBan Ready-to-Use 32 oz Spray, 3 Bottles, Original Eucalyptus Scent - Odor Eliminator, Disinfectant, Flood Fire Water Damage Restoration: Industrial & Scientific

 

[Markymark]

I use a steam cleaner. Not the $100 version, a $600 version that can continuously put out superheated steam at about 240 F. If you’re careful not to heat the surface to be treated too much, I believe it is pretty effective. It also gets into nooks and crannies really well.

 

[Nikhil Malhotra]

I use a steam cleaner. Not the $100 version, a $600 version that can continuously put out superheated steam at about 240 F. If you’re careful not to heat the surface to be treated too much, I believe it is pretty effective. It also gets into nooks and crannies really well.

That would be really good - superheated steam .

 

[glennk]

You can also use an ozone generator.

 

[Nikhil Malhotra]

Heard thats not allowed in California

 

[Suburbazine]

Heard thats not allowed in California

Correct, and it's worse for you than it is for the virus. Plus you have to air out your car for several hours after use.

 

[carguy75]

More important in the current context .
Its recommended to use 70% Alcohol based cleaner . What are the options ?

I dont want to use Soap Solution on Genesis leather directly .
I have been using Lysol wipes , but they dont seem to be very good on my light colored Genesis leather . Was using meguiar's leather cleaner till Feb , but not anymore.

Few articles -
How You Can Kill Coronavirus in Your Car Without Damaging Interior Surfaces
How to Clean Your Car for Coronavirus
Tips for Sanitizing Your Car Against COVID-19
The Risks of COVID-19 In and Around Your Vehicle – WBIW

uber and other taxi services - dont know what is being recommended to taxi drivers . Its CRITICAL for them to daily disinfect their cars.

Not panicking , but its needed at this time of crisis.

I just use Lysol wipes as well and let it dry.
To prevent leather cracking I treat my seats/steering wheel with conditioners designed for vinyl since I think that our seats/steering-wheel are coated with a vinyl-like coating from the factory, so leather conditioner may not penetrate into the seats. I just wash my car exterior as normal and use the same Lysol wipes to clean my door handles.
I keep a few Lysol wipes and black rubber exam gloves in a couple zip-lock bags located in my glovebox.

 

[Nikhil Malhotra]

I just use Lysol wipes as well and let it dry.
To prevent leather cracking I treat my seats/steering wheel with conditioners designed for vinyl since I think that our seats/steering-wheel are coated with a vinyl-like coating from the factory, so leather conditioner may not penetrate into the seats. I just wash my car exterior as normal and use the same Lysol wipes to clean my door handles.
I keep a few Lysol wipes and black rubber exam gloves in a couple zip-lock bags located in my glovebox.

The covid-19 lasts a long time on a surface .
New coronavirus stable for hours on surfaces

From hours to days in certain cases.

I also use Lysol , because thats all i have as of now , but please keep in mind that covid-19 is a novel virus . Both Lysol and Purell have never tested their products against this virus. So one never knows . (source)

The only good part in all this is i have driven the car maybe 1 or 2 times in 2 weeks .

 

[Suburbazine]

The covid-19 lasts a long time on a surface .
New coronavirus stable for hours on surfaces

From hours to days in certain cases.

I also use Lysol , because thats all i have as of now , but please keep in mind that covid-19 is a novel virus . Both Lysol and Purell have never tested their products against this virus. So one never knows . (source)

The only good part in all this is i have driven the car maybe 1 or 2 times in 2 weeks .

High alcohol concentrations (70%+) mixed with hydrogen peroxide gives you a 45 second envelope breach which kills the virus. The downside is the short contact sterilization period, it evaporates rapidly and doesn't provide any degree of lasting contact sterilization.

The other compound that will breach the viral envelope is benzalkonium chloride, but it needs to be in significantly stronger percentages than the vast majority of the market sells (1%+, whereas normal products are 0.2% or less). This has a longer-lasting surface sterilization time and will also kill the virus in 60 seconds or less.

But all of the solutions require contact time- not spray and wipe.

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[GarnetTy1473]

Hyundai released a TSB on cleaning the interiors for this. Recommend to use isopropyl alcohol to clean, then once dry, treat with a good leather conditioner.

 

[carguy75]

The covid-19 lasts a long time on a surface .
New coronavirus stable for hours on surfaces

From hours to days in certain cases.

I also use Lysol , because thats all i have as of now , but please keep in mind that covid-19 is a novel virus . Both Lysol and Purell have never tested their products against this virus. So one never knows . (source)

The only good part in all this is i have driven the car maybe 1 or 2 times in 2 weeks .

Using the Lysol wipes and rubber gloves are better than nothing when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19 I believe. I use the Purell hand sanitizer at work when dealing with COVID-19 confirmed and suspected patients and it seems to be effective so far. From my understanding the virus can be easily "removed" from surfaces by most soap like cleaners; hence the hand washing guidelines. However, solutions with 70 percent or higher alcohol seems to be the best method to "kill" the virus.

Therefore, for everyday quick wiping when leaving the car if non-infected passengers was riding in the car I assume that the Lysol wipes will give a piece of mind by removing the germ at the least. If you are infected or think that someone riding in your car is infected then I would use a 70% or more alcohol based cleaner to be certain the virus is eliminated. However, this Novel virus is still being researched so the information is still evolving as the data on it grows.

I do not have any alcohol wipes for the car seats that I can carry in the glove box, so Lysol it is for me for a quick wipe of the interior when I go out.