Regardless of personal stance on COVID-19 and the world's response, no one can deny that this epidemic has changed our world forever. In an address on May 4th our Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said; "Physical distancing, it has made a difference. It has allowed us to put the brakes on COVID-19, but we haven’t stopped the car and it’s very unlikely that we’re going to be able to, at least in the coming months" and that measures including disinfecting common surfaces will have to continue.

While people tend to be prudent enough about cleaning their homes and workspaces on a regular basis, a recent study suggested that most people aren’t as on top of cleaning their vehicles. The study was conducted by an Expedia-Group website and showed that one third of drivers only clean their vehicle once per year, and a further 12% never clean their vehicle.

In the same survey it was found that the average steering wheel is four times dirtier than a public restroom toilet seat, and six times dirtier than the average phone screen. Part of the problem is the absolutely shocking level of grossness at the gas pump. The average gas pump handle was found to be 11, 835x dirtier than that average public toilet seat. To read more from the survey click here.

Part of the problem may be that we don’t perceive all the nastiness that exists in our vehicles because most people tend not to do very much but drive in their vehicles. However, what we miss is that everything you’ve touched during your day, from that disgusting gas pump to all the door handles at your workplace, can stay on your hands when it’s time to drive home from work.

Of course, personal hygiene can help prevent this. However, there’s always elements that are difficult to control. Children tend to be one of those elements, and despite even the best parenting in the world, they can be some of the most efficient germ spreaders. Other factors include the many foreign items transferred in and out of people’s cars on a daily basis; your work bag, your groceries, your friends.

To exacerbate the dirtiness problem, automakers have become very good at insulating vehicles. Solid vehicle insulation is great for reducing road noise and vibrations, but not great for airflow. Airflow is very much a factor in helping an area stay clean (think how dusty rooms get when the windows are never opened).

Even if we ourselves tend to be cleanly people, there’s only so much we can control. The fact that vehicles are havens for bacteria, germs, and even virus is almost unavoidable.

There are some small things you can do daily to help limit your exposure to not only COVID-19, but all the other bacteria and germs in your vehicle.

• Regularly wipe the most commonly touched areas, such as the steering wheel, cup holders, door handles and shift knob
• Vacuum your vehicle at least once per week. Although it may not appear dirty, there can be all kinds of invisible nastiness that a good vacuum can suck up
• If you must drive other people in your vehicle, ask them to wear a mask even if they don’t show any symptoms. Wearing a mask is better than doing nothing to prevent the germs and bacteria from the mouth from landing all over your interior
• Keep a small bottle of hand sanitizer in your vehicle. Hand sanitizer is becoming easier to come by since supplies have increased, and keeping a bottle in your vehicle will allow you to use it before touching anything in your interior

No matter how often or how thoroughly we home-sanitize our vehicles, there are many very hard to reach areas that are often missed. That’s why at Splashes we stock and preform DECON 7 sanitization. DECON 7 is one of the most powerful but safe disinfectants around. The company originally began with a formula that is now used for fighting bioterrorism, so you know this stuff works. The formula for use in vehicle interiors is food-safe, so it isn’t harmful for you or your family, and won’t harm your interior. We deploy the solution through a fogger, which fills the entire interior of the vehicle and ensures that every microscopic corner of the vehicle is sanitized.

Normally we charge $175 for DECON 7 as a standalone service due to the set up and aftercare time (the vehicle must remain on our lot for 6 hours). However, during these unprecedented times, we felt it our duty to do what we can to help stop the spread of COVID-19. So for through the end of May 2020, we are offering DECON 7 for free with any detailing service, and charging just $50 for the service by itself. Generally, we do recommend getting at least a Mini Detail with the service, as the window cleaning and prep work we do in a Mini helps DECON 7 do its job. Plus, our Mini starts at only $70, just $20 more than D7 by itself.