[Samba65]

Hi All, I am new here and have a question I am not sure anyone has asked yet this question. Here is the situation. I just bought a 2020 chevy Bolt premier and its in transit to my state. Hopefully this coronavirus situation doesnt delay its delivery to me, hoping for the end of the month. The question is this. The vehicle is traveling from the factory to me on the west coast, many people there at the factory and my dealership are going to to be touching the car. My wife is concerned about everyone touching the inside of the car and with the coronavirus going on it is a problem. How do I clean the interior of this car? I dont really want to use harsh chemicals(bleach) on the dashboard, steering column, and leather seats. Any advice on how to proceed to get the car, clean it and drive it home? I have a chemical guys interior cleaner but it is not for viruses. Hope someone here can advise me. Thanks in advance.

 

[XJ12]

Welcome to the forum @Samba65. According to NIH, if you let it sit for three days, it might be enough if their assumptions are correct. Even though the UV from the sun are weak, letting it sit outside in the daylight might help a little.

 

[Pike Bishop]

Congratulations on the new 2020 BOLT EV Premier; may you have health to enjoy it.

To that end, please refer to the CDC list of approved disinfectants with an Emerging Viral Pathogens validated claim. List N, that contains the latest products, is at this link. Then, follow the directions for norovirus or rotavirus. For example:

• Lysol Max Cover Disinfectant Mist (it's on the list, has an Emerging Viral Pathogens claim, and we had it around the house.)
• Mist the area and let air dry for 30 minutes.

The active ingredient is a QAC (quaternary ammonium compound) that is well tolerated on surfaces. Do your due diligence. Not all Lysol brands or QACs have been tested for Emerging Viral Pathogens.

Now, the presumption that everyone touching the inside of the car and with the coronavirus going on is a greater risk than your current environment is questionable. Why would a closed vehicle in transit be more risky than groceries, mail, or a can of Lysol Max Cover Disinfectant (if you can find it...) on a shelf in your local store? Any of these is handled multiple times, exposed to many people who may be COVID positive but asymptomatic, or spittled upon in a panic by someone squinting over their tri-focals to read "Alkyl (50% C14, 40% C12, 10% C16) di..."

Why the vehicle is more dangerous is not clear....

Even if the vehicle were fully coated with fomites, the half life of the SARS-COV-2 virus on plastic surfaces is about 7 hours. Two days in transit (48 hours) is 7 half-lives. That is a 99.3% reduction in viable virus, just about the same as spraying the car with a CDC approved disinfectant. See the NEJM recent review.

These are interior lab results. @XJ12 noted that under UV the half-life would be assumed shorter.

Remember, the most important step in the infection chain depends on us bringing a mindless, sightless, wingless lump of RNA from a surface on our unwashed hand to our noses, eyes or mouth.

Wash your hands, put them both on the wheel, roll up the windows, and drive! Then wipe down the car interior for cleanliness regularly...

 

[ricardocabesa]

And during assembly, not many interior parts are touched. Also,when was it assembled? Before the outbreak? Welcome.

 

[Bearsden]

How You Can Kill Coronavirus in Your Car Without Damaging Interior Surfaces

 

[redpoint5]

As I still understand, the question is when, not if we'll get exposed. That's not to say we shouldn't take precautions, but pathogens aren't viable days later generally speaking. A quick wipe down of the commonly touched surfaces is all the effort I'd be willing to do.

 

[ButchAZ]

As I still understand, the question is when, not if we'll get exposed. That's not to say we shouldn't take precautions, but pathogens aren't viable days later generally speaking. A quick wipe down of the commonly touched surfaces is all the effort I'd be willing to do.

Exactly. The CDC estimates that eventually over 250 million Americans will be infected with this virus. That's out of a little over 330 million. Fortunately many will never have any symptoms, or only mild symptoms. But a lot will have severe and/or deadly symptoms.

This is nothing to be trifled with.

 

[ricardocabesa]

Leaving the house for the 1st time in a week today. Needed some groceries! Wrapped shopping cart handle with paper towel. I was the only shopper who did that. Brought cart to car and back to store where I washed my hands before getting in car.

 

[ricardocabesa]

Exactly. The CDC estimates that eventually over 250 million Americans will be infected with this virus. That's out of a little over 330 million. Fortunately many will never have any symptoms, or only mild symptoms. But a lot will have severe and/or deadly symptoms.

This is nothing to be trifled with.

And sadly like other countries, NY may reach the point where they must make the decision on who lives and dies.

 

[Mivo]

Every time I get into my car I consider that I am contaminating it and it is contaminating me. I deliver mail in it and go from a pretty filthy depot with a variety of packages and plastic trays of mail. At the end of the shift I wipe down the steering wheel, shifter, door handle and radio knob with an alcohol wipe. That's probably over 95% of what I touch on a regular basis. But I still never consider the car to be clean or anything close to sanitized. There are too many ways of introducing pathogens on a daily basis with shopping, touching door handles, etc. I doubt that anything that happened during the building, transport, or dealer prep is likely to up your risk more than daily life.

Once you get home the first thing to do is a thorough handwashing and changing your clothes depending on what you've been doing. Then at least you have a relatively safe environment to relax in.

 

[ricardocabesa]

Here's 1 option:

How To Properly Clean And Disinfect Car Interiors Amid Coronavirus Pandemic: Video

For starters, have some disinfectant wipes handy.

gmauthority.com

 

[p7wang]

Can I upgrade the blue LED light to emit UV-C?

 

[shocker]

Exactly. The CDC estimates that eventually over 250 million Americans will be infected with this virus. That's out of a little over 330 million. Fortunately many will never have any symptoms, or only mild symptoms. But a lot will have severe and/or deadly symptoms.

This is nothing to be trifled with.

Assuming no mitigation, no vaccine, and 3 seasonal cycles. IOW, do nothing and let herd immunity solve the problem.