If you have managed to rent a car from Enterprise, you should ask whether the car has been sanitized before it was handed over to you. But you shouldn’t take their word for it or leave the sanitization in their hands! You have to take the extra precaution of sanitizing the car’s interior, a task that takes just under 30 minutes.
Why go to the extra trouble? Keep in mind that you will be inside the car for hours at a time and handling its surfaces. You don’t want to be exposed to whatever pathogens, particularly the coronavirus causing Covid-19, the previous drivers and passengers left behind.
What Areas Should be Sanitized?
Everything that can be touched should be sanitized! While it means sanitizing nearly every surface, it will be worth it considering the deadly quality of the coronavirus. You don’t have to scrub every surface until it shines till kingdom come – just a few swipes and you’re done with a particular surface.
If sanitizing the entire rental car’s interiors is too much for you, you can start with the high touch surfaces. These include but aren’t limited to the following:
- Key or remote of the car
- Door handles, both inside and exterior
- Steering wheel including the tilt/telescope adjustment, buttons and other areas
- Trunk release handle
- Engine start button
- Dashboard and every control on it
- Center console controls, overhead controls and grab handles
- Seat adjustment controls including the seat memory buttons
- Rearview and side view mirrors
- Seatbelts and buckles, tongues and receptacle
- Glove box, vents and other surrounding areas
- Shifter
- Seats
You may also want to spray sanitizer on the entire area including the floors and ceiling for good measure. While it may seem like something a germaphobe will do, it’s for your own protection, too. Even if you’re the only one who will be using the rental car for any length of time, you should sanitize it regularly.
What Should You Do?
You should always wear a face mask and gloves whenever you’re sanitizing a vehicle, whether it’s your car or a rental car. The mask will serve as a protection against inhalation of respiratory droplets that may be carrying the coronavirus. The gloves also serves the same purpose for your hands.
But avoid touching your gloved hands to your face and mask. You don’t want to transfer pathogens from your gloved hands to your nose, mouth and eyes.
Afterwards, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. If necessary, you should dispose properly the mask and gloves.
