Picture this: You’re gearing up for a summertime road trip to the lake. You’ve packed your weekend bag and your cooler, loaded up the whole family, and maybe even brought the dog along for the ride. But little do you know that you’re traveling with thousands, maybe even millions, of unwanted passengers: germs. The truth is that you’re probably driving around with a car full of bacteria – but is your car germier than your house? Find out why the answer may be “yes,” and what you can do about it.
Is Your Car Germier Than Your House?
Exactly How Germy Is Your Car, Anyway?
Short answer: much germier than you think. According to a survey conducted by CarRentals.com, about 32 percent of people in the U.S. only clean the inside of their car once a year. Interestingly enough, about 12 percent of respondents admitted to never having cleaned the inside of their car. But what if you’re one of the rare drivers who regularly cleans their car? Even then, you could be surrounded by germs from gas stations, restaurants, supermarkets, dog parks – anywhere you drive your car. So, is your car germier than your house? It might be. Let’s explore the germiest areas in your car, and some things you can do to minimize germs in those spots.
The Germiest Areas in Your Car
What do you think the germiest area in your car is? You touch your steering wheel and door handle pretty frequently, which could make those areas germy contenders. But, according to research from CloroxPro, there are a few other areas in your car that could be crawling with even more bacteria. The study involved a swab test for bacteria, yeast, and mold, revealing that the following areas are the germiest zones in your car:
- Driver’s Side Floor Mats: According to the swab test, the absolute germiest spot in your car is the floor mat on the driver’s side. This makes sense – after all, you’re placing your feet on the mat after traipsing through gas stations, grocery stores, and other high-traffic areas.
- Trunk: The trunk of the car showed the second-highest concentration of germs in the study, which is bad news if that’s where you typically store groceries on the ride home from the grocery store or when transporting food to a cookout or party.
- Front seat cup holder: This one might not come as a surprise. From spilled coffee to dog hair and general dirt and grime, the front seat cup holder is downright filthy. According to the CloroxPro study, the cup holder came in a close third for the germiest spot in the car. Plus, many people use their car’s cup holders as storage areas. If you, like many people, often tuck your cell phone into a cup holder while driving, you’re allowing germs to transfer from the cup holder to your cell phone, where they might then transfer onto your hands or your face. Yuck!
- Dashboard air vent: Finally, the dashboard air vent was found to be the fourth-germiest spot in the car. This is concerning, because you certainly don’t want to be circulating and breathing in germs when you turn on your car’s air conditioner.
Fighting Germs in Your Car
If you’re worried about germs in your car, it might be time to rethink your cleaning routine. While there’s no substitute for regular cleaning and disinfecting, SafeSpace has a few tools you can use to eliminate germs between cleanings. First, the EPA-approved SafeSpace® Auto Disinfectant & Deodorizing Mist can help tackle germs and odors. This innovative product generates an ultra-fine, contact disinfectant mist without leaving behind unsightly spots, stains, or residue. The mist works against all kinds of odors, including those from pets, smoke, food, sweat, and even mold. You can also check out the new SafeSpace® Travel-Size – Germ Fighter Kit®, which includes everything you need to stay germ-free during your next road trip. The kit includes two Mini Mists for hard surface disinfecting, a container of hand sanitizer, and 10 Hard Surface Individual Sani-Wipes to help you clean out those germy cup holders.
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So, is your car germier than your house? Probably – but there are plenty of tools you can use to clean things up. Just keep in mind that SafeSpace products are meant to supplement, not replace, your regular cleaning routine.
The SafeSpace Company is a family-owned small business proudly selling American-made products to keep your family safe and healthy. For more information about SafeSpace, visit our website or contact us online.
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