4 May 2020
While much of the world is currently locked down in an effort to suppress the spread of COVID-19, a significant number of us still have to use our cars daily. With this in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to provide you with a quick guide as to how you can safely sanitize your car and limit your exposure to the virus.
Knowing what cleaning substance to use
At Toyota, we make use of Ultra-Mist fumigation technology to sanitize every vehicle we work on. This has become an essential part of our aftersales services. While you may not have access to cleaning technology like this, several cleaning substances are useful in the fight against COVID-19. While soap and water are remarkably effective when used as part of your handwashing routine, they're not the most practical car disinfectant. Instead, you may want to consider one of the alternatives.
Whatever cleaner you use, make sure you read the label and wear appropriate protective equipment. If unsure whether a cleaner is suitable, first read the label. If still unsure, test the substance on a small patch of the material you’re cleaning.
Understanding where you should clean
The COVID-19 virus can survive on surfaces for a considerable amount of time and is spread when you come into contact with an infected surface and then touch your eyes, mouth or nose. Consequently, it’s a good idea to focus primarily on those areas that are most regularly touched by drivers and passengers. These include:
Some areas of the vehicle can be challenging to reach. If you're particularly worried about the heating and air ventilation system, you can always check your car in for our aftersales Kleenair service. This fumigation-style process ensures your vehicle is deep cleaned and sterilized, leaving you with total peace of mind.
Cleaning the right way
How you clean is almost as important as what you use to clean. To ensure you’re going about things in the right way, follow our step guide below.
If you’re unable to achieve a satisfactory clean, you can always leave it to the Toyota professionals and book in for one of our aftersales services, such as an engine flush or our rustproofing and undercoating service. All cars in our showrooms and any vehicles we work on at our service centers are disinfected using state-of-the-art air purification and Ultra-Mist fumigation technologies. They will also be home delivered to ensure your continued safety.
At our showrooms and service centers, we’ve taken several additional steps to ensure the safety of our customers and staff. For instance, we are taking measures to ensure safety at all our business sites. These include frequent disinfection of all sites and display vehicles, accessible hand sanitizer stations for customers and strengthening of hygiene and cleaning controls and training.
If you’d like any more information about Toyota products and services or have an enquiry to make, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.