Disinfecting interior

[nycts]

Here is a weird question.



Is there any way to disinfect my car`s interior without damaging materials?



Its FLU season in NYC and I have had several sick people in my car coughing, sneezing...the usual.



You read everywhere about washing your hands or spraying Lysol on door knobs in your home, etc etc...But what about your car?



Would spraying Lysol in my car damage the leather/rugs/headliner etc?



What about germs in the air filters to the cabin?



Yeah Im being a bit paranoid- I just don`t want my cars cabin becoming a petri dish for some bacteria.



THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY FEEDBACK.

[jimmybuffit]

ValuGard`s Odor Terminator. Enzymatically poisons the `food` that the bacteria eat. Very effective.



Don`t know nothin` about no virus, tho...



Jim

[mtwedt]

I would use any of the APC`s available for cleaning the interior and a mold/mildew cleaner for the vents if you really think they are contaiminated (which I kind of doubt). Then treat with any appropriate interior dressing. Flu virus really can`t live long on car surfaces, especially in winter, with the ambient temp so low. You were at more risk for flu by being in the same car as the person with flu coughing and then inhaling the infected respiratory droplets, which is how the bug spreads most aggressively. I don`t think the virus would survive in significant numbers after a wipe with a good APC. If you want more specific info though, I would suggest calling the local ambulence company to ask what they spray their rigs down with and the type of surfaces they them on. They probably use Virostat or something similar, which isn`t available to the general public. The stuff stinks and leaves a fine aerosol hanging in the air for a minute or two after spraying with a spray bottle. If you inhale that, be prepared for near bronchospasm, even if you don`t have COPD or asthma. The only way to use it is on a sponge. I personally don`t think there is that much risk of picking up flu virus from car surfaces after 24 hrs or so, but that is just my opinion, I haven`t read any literature about it. If I get a chance, I will ask my infectious disease colleagues about it and repost.

[Ben Kenobi]

I posed your question to my wife who is a RN. She said that any hard surface cleaner should do the job and good old hot water with a soap will kill just about anything. She recommends staying away from any of the heavy duty medical solutions as they are very hard on materials not to mention your skin and lungs. Hope this helps, as it was said most of the critters you`re worried about don`t live long on hard surfaces.



Paul

[salty]

Ozone works wonders. Also Lysol makes a fabric refresher if you can find it.