As winter rolls on and public safety measures once again grow strict, it can be easy to fall into a routine and get complacent. Though some people may spend their days working from home and staying indoors, many must still travel to and from work, keeping essential businesses open and running to provide us with the services we all rely on every day. This includes health care providers, service professionals, and delivery drivers.

While many businesses are already taking the right precautions to keep employees safe at work and customers happy at home, there is still one other place we spend a lot of time that shouldn’t be overlooked: vehicles.

Between commuting to essential workplaces and venturing out for essential supplies, vehicles are small, cramped spaces where germs and pathogens can remain for long periods of time. What special cleaning techniques should be used to protect your passengers, your loved ones, and yourself?

Here are the 4 best ways to disinfect your vehicle and keep it germ-free this season.

Clean Out the Car Seats

A vehicle’s cabin can be difficult to keep spotless as time goes on, and its seats are the best example of that. In fact, seats can be a hotspot for germ activity, due to how frequently they come into contact with passengers on a regular basis. And particularly for families with young children, where coughing, sneezing, and old food crumbs are common, a vehicle’s seats can often attract pathogens.

One way to protect yourself and your passengers from this type of germ build-up is vigilance. Wiping down each seat with soap and water regularly, and cleaning out old crumbs and discarded wrappers from leftover snacks can help prevent this, contributing to a better travel environment.

Speaking of which…

Vacuum the Interior Regularly

This is a great routine that will help pick up those crumbs, along with dust and debris that may have fallen into the more difficult to reach places of your vehicle. While vacuuming itself may not disinfect or sterilize any surfaces inside your car, it can reduce the build up of germs and give your vehicle an overall cleaner environment.

Pro Tip: Keep a small, hand-held vacuum cleaner in your vehicle at all times so you’re ready to clean up a spill no matter when it happens.

Replace the Air Filters

Over time, a vehicle’s ventilation system can build up a degree of dirt, dust, and pollutants. Particularly during the winter months, having hot air blown around the vehicle by the vent system can stir up and spread germs across the cabin, increasing the risk of infection in the process. Owners can avoid this however, by ensuring the vehicle’s air filtration is replaced when required. Doing this will combat the pollution and irritants that can lead to future problems. 

Disinfect Your Vehicle with SteraMist®

Of course, while these are helpful steps you can take on a regular basis to keep your vehicle clean, the fact is every surface you come into contact with through simple daily activity can eventually be home to germs and pathogens. And with frequent, sometimes long commutes from home to work and back again, it is crucial to ensure that your vehicle is completely disinfected for the health, safety, and well-being of yourself and your passengers.

This is precisely why STER-OL opened its vehicle disinfection centre. Using the power of SteraMist®, our trained specialists are able to completely disinfect any vehicle, usually in just a few minutes, without any odour or residue left behind. This process can eliminate dangerous germs and pathogens while still being 100% eco-friendly, meaning you’ll be back on the road in a sterilized environment in no time. STER-OL’s vehicle disinfection services have even been called in to service First Responders, who depend on their vehicles not only to get across town, but to provide life-saving services across our communities.

It is crucial we protect our loved ones by safeguarding all the spaces we spend time in the most – that includes our cars.

Click below to get a free quote and see how easily you can have your vehicle disinfected with SteraMist® today.