Sanitizing Your Car: The Places You May Not Think About!

This post is sponsored by Autotrader; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

We spend so much time keeping our homes clean and sanitized, but when’s the last time you sanitized your car? You may think that wearing gloves in a store or washing your hands is enough, but taking the time to sanitize your car is something we all should do! Thankfully, Autotrader.com created an online resource with a ton of useful tips and links! You can check out the entire post by clicking here. They not only give tips and tricks to sanitize your vehicle, but also offer links to lists of cleaning products that are safe to use inside your vehicle, tips for spring cleaning your car and as always, offer a comprehensive and robust COVID-19 information hub for everything you need to know related to your vehicle and coronavirus news.

I’ve made it a weekly habit to sanitize my car. We haven’t been using it often now that we’ve been spending most of our time at home, but we still use it for groceries, doctor’s visits and the occasional trip to the pharmacy. I’m going to share the places that I sanitize when doing a quick weekly wipe down of my vehicle!

THE TRUNK + FLOOR

We don’t often think about sanitizing our trunk, but it’s one of the places that is the most likely to need cleaning! Strollers, bags, shoes and packages, all items that have been on the floor and put in grocery carts usually end up in our trunk! There are so many new products on the market that make sanitizing your trunk a breeze! I always chose an aerosol anti-bacterial spray. It doesn’t leave a residue, doesn’t need to be wiped off and is super easy to use and apply, even in large trunks!

I use this same antibacterial spray on the floor mats of my car! Think about how many germs are on the bottom of our shoes and how many places we walk with them. Yes, we may not spend time touching the floor mats of our cars, but if you have kids then I guarantee they drop a toy at least once a day on the floor of your car. A toy that they then pick up and hold and play with. So don’t forget to sanitize the floor mats!

THE FRONT OF THE CAR

Cleaning your touchscreen and temperature controls may seem obvious to most, but don’t forget the buttons and features that we don’t use as often! Take an antibacterial wipe and make sure to wipe down the sunroof buttons, vents and gear shift, middle console button and cup holders! We often put our phone, keys, snacks and take out drinks in our cup holders so they’re a perfect spot for germs! Visit Autotrader.com to see what else you can do with your vents to help keep your car cleaned!

Wiping down your steering wheel will seem like a no brainer but make sure to not forget the turning signals and windshield wiper controls too!

When you wipe down the door handle, don’t forget the inside, outside and any buttons you use for the windows and to lock the doors! They’re all things we use without thinking and are often overlooked when sanitizing!

SEATBELT BUCKLE AND SEATS

I bet you’ve never sanitized your seatbelt buckle! It was actually Autotrader.com’s article How to disinfect your car during coronavirus that reminded me to do this! You can read the whole article by clicking here. They also show a great tool in their video that can help to disinfect your seats! I’ve already ordered one and it’s being delivered next week!

If you have fabric seats, there are great antibacterial sprays that are safe to use and effective against bacteria.

Once you’ve finished sanitizing, why not give your car a good cleaning? There’s no better time, since we’re all at home anyways, to get your vacuum, get some wipes and use the 6 Simple Tips from Autotrader.com to do a great spring cleaning of your car!