How is everyone disinfecting their interior?

[hydro 481]

My girlfriend works as an ICU pharmacist at a hospital where there are Covid patients being treated. I wanna know what is a quick and safe way to clean and disinfect my interior? I say quick because this is something I’m gonna have to do 4 or 5 times a week. Don’t want to use disinfecting wipes since they’ll likely be too harsh. Can I spray 70% isopropyl alcohol on most of the car’s interior and wipe it off? I know it’s safe on the seats and the screen. I also have Lysol spray I could use on the floors and trunk/frunk. I usually use Car Guys’s Super Cleaner but that’s obviously not a disinfectant.

 

[jkoya]

I have a hand held sanitizing wand with a 12" UV-C lamp. Owner's manual claims it was Laboratory proven to eliminate up to 99% of MRSA and H1N1 in just 1 second. I have no idea if that claim is true or not. I may have been suckered in to buying it after watching an episode of Dr. Oz, but can't remember why I bought it. I used it a couple of times on my old phone and a cutting board. Haven't tried it in a car though....

 

[ralph142]

The alcohol has worked for me without any obvious ill effects so far. I avoided chlorine based wipes.

 

[hydro 481]

I have a hand held sanitizing wand with a 12" UV-C lamp. Owner's manual claims it was Laboratory proven to eliminate up to 99% of MRSA and H1N1 in just 1 second. I have no idea if that claim is true or not. I may have been suckered in to buying it after watching an episode of Dr. Oz, but can't remember why I bought it. I used it a couple of times on my old phone and a cutting board. Haven't tried it in a car though....

I've thought about using one of those UV lights to disinfect but I am still skeptical of them actually working. Hopefully someone conducts a study on how effective it is against Covid 19. That would be the simplest method to clean the car

 

[hydro 481]

The alcohol has worked for me without any obvious ill effects so far. I avoided chlorine based wipes.

Did you use it on the dash and trims and stuff?

 

[ralph142]

Yep, everything so far. I had a thread started asking about damage, but no one really responded seriously.

 

[ralph142]

I have the black seats by the way, no obvious effects

 

[XLR82XS]

I'm not - I'm cleaning my hands. I've carried anti-bacterial sauce in my cars for years.

 

[hydro 481]

Yep, everything so far. I had a thread started asking about damage, but no one really responded seriously.

Thanks. I've read some articles where car manufacturers and the CDC are recommending to clean your interior with isopropyl so I assume it's fairly safe. I do know alcohol can strip away certain materials though so I want to make sure.

 

[jkoya]

I've thought about using one of those UV lights to disinfect but I am still skeptical of them actually working. Hopefully someone conducts a study on how effective it is against Covid 19. That would be the simplest method to clean the car

We used the UV-C lamps in our Biological Safety Cabinets at work. The area to be sanitized must be directly under the light source for it to work properly. When cleaning/disinfecting surfaces in Molecular labs, it was common practice for us to soak the surface with the disinfectant (sodium hypochlorite, bleach, DNAaway, RNAaway, etc) before rinsing with water. My question with using 70% IPA or similar is, does it denature the RNA of SARS-CoV-2 on initial contact or do you have to let it sit for a while.

I guess one way to really know is to perform a "wipe test" after cleaning/disinfecting and test that sample for SARS-CoV-2...

I've had to clean/disinfect many Molecular lab contaminations in the past and even with soaking followed by surveillance wipe tests, it is hard to to eliminate unwanted RNA and DNA.

Sorry - I'm probably over thinking this....

 

[hydro 481]

I'm not - I'm cleaning my hands. I've carried anti-bacterial sauce in my cars for years.

I think for most people sanitizer would be fine but I'm just paranoid that she'll get her clothes contaminated so it'll be all over the seats and stuff. Her aunt just passed away from Covid so we're even more on edge now about this whole situation.

 

[hydro 481]

We used the UV-C lamps in our Biological Safety Cabinets at work. The area to be sanitized must be directly under the light source for it to work properly. When cleaning/disinfecting surfaces in Molecular labs, it was common practice for us to soak the surface with the disinfectant (sodium hypochlorite, bleach, DNAaway, RNAaway, etc) before rinsing with water. My question with using 70% IPA or similar is, does it denature the RNA of SARS-CoV-2 on initial contact or do you have to let it sit for a while.

I guess one way to really know is to perform a "wipe test" after cleaning/disinfecting and test that sample for SARS-CoV-2...

I've had to clean/disinfect many Molecular lab contaminations in the past and even with soaking followed by surveillance wipe tests, it is hard to to eliminate unwanted RNA and DNA.

Sorry - I'm probably over thinking this....

So you're telling me I'm gonna have to spend an hour everyday scrubbing my interior with soap and a sponge to get rid of this virus?

I assume you would have to let the alcohol sit for a little on the surface to work effectively? All manufacturers (Lysol, Clorox, Purell) recommends this with their products. I wish my Model 3 was a convertible so I can just park it somewhere and let the UV from the sun do the work.

On another note, I wonder if most people are disinfecting their groceries items they buy from the supermakets and how? I have a friend who is spraying Lysol and everything he buys.

 

[jkoya]

I think for most people sanitizer would be fine but I'm just paranoid that she'll get her clothes contaminated so it'll be all over the seats and stuff. Her aunt just passed away from Covid so we're even more on edge now about this whole situation.

I totally get that concern. When I first started working in a hospital lab in the early 80's, I was so concerned with contaminating my clothes with HIV. When I worked at a Blood Bank research lab, my co-worker and I would change shoes before entering the lab and patient/donor areas. To this day, I still won't sit or touch anything when visiting someone in a hospital.

 

[jkoya]

On another note, I wonder if most people are disinfecting their groceries items they buy from the supermakets and how? I have a friend who is spraying Lysol and everything he buys.

I thought about that as well. I used the UV-C lamp one time on a package from Amazon when California started its shelter in place. Now, I just wash my hands after handling everything and try to remember not touch my face..

 

[bpjod]

UV radiation is extremely effective at disinfection. Also, after the lamp is turned off, there remains no risk to humans, unlike chemical disinfectants. It affects the bonds between adjacent nucleotides in RNA and DNA. Unfortunately it affects your DNA in the same way. Therefore if the UV lamp is effective at disinfection, it will also cause severe burns and cancer in you. Effective UV disinfection takes place either without the presence of humans or with very careful protection from the UV-C radiation for any humans that might be exposed.

What I'm saying is that any UV wand that isn't harmful to you is also ineffective for disinfection. Alternatively, any UV lamp that is effective at disinfection is a hazard to your health. Proceed with caution.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

What about cranking up the heat in the car to eliminate the virus. Based on the source article it dies at 60 degrees Celsius or 140 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Just park in direct sunlight and crank the heater...may need to augment with an electric space heater with a high BTU output.

source: Stability and inactivation of SARS coronavirus

 

[jkoya]

What I'm saying is that any UV wand that isn't harmful to you is also ineffective for disinfection. Alternatively, any UV lamp that is effective at disinfection is a hazard to your health. Proceed with caution.

Good point - Well said !! In fact, the UV wand I have will instantly shut off the lamp if it's even slightly tilted from its initial stating point. I sometimes forget what is common knowledge and what is learned from using it for so many years..Thanks !

 

[hydro 481]

I totally get that concern. When I first started working in a hospital lab in the early 80's, I was so concerned with contaminating my clothes with HIV. When I worked at a Blood Bank research lab, my co-worker and I would change shoes before entering the lab and patient/donor areas. To this day, I still won't sit or touch anything when visiting someone in a hospital.

Same here. I've always been a bit of germaphobe when it comes to certain things. Hospitals are near the top of my list of least favorite places to visit lol. I hate staying at hotels too. After watching that show Hotel Impossible, it really grossed me out! I also try my best to avoid using public restrooms. Had a few close calls because of it too

I don't blame you for being scared of HIV back then. It was basically a death sentence at the time. I remember hearing stories of people going around and sticking random strangers with HIV needles.

 

[hydro 481]

I thought about that as well. I used the UV-C lamp one time on a package from Amazon when California started its shelter in place. Now, I just wash my hands after handling everything and try to remember not touch my face..

Well packages are fairly easy to disinfect. Just spray with Lysol or let it sit a few days before you open it. But with groceries, you might have to put away your perishable as soon as you get home. The other day I was wiping down frozen vegetables in bags and I was thinking to myself "What kinda world do we live in that I have to be doing this?"

 

[hydro 481]

UV radiation is extremely effective at disinfection. Also, after the lamp is turned off, there remains no risk to humans, unlike chemical disinfectants. It affects the bonds between adjacent nucleotides in RNA and DNA. Unfortunately it affects your DNA in the same way. Therefore if the UV lamp is effective at disinfection, it will also cause severe burns and cancer in you. Effective UV disinfection takes place either without the presence of humans or with very careful protection from the UV-C radiation for any humans that might be exposed.

What I'm saying is that any UV wand that isn't harmful to you is also ineffective for disinfection. Alternatively, any UV lamp that is effective at disinfection is a hazard to your health. Proceed with caution.

Thank you for the heads up! I think I'll take my chances with the Covid if it came down to having to use a UV lamp