Is it better to use alcohol or 84 for car disinfection? Which disinfectant is better for car disinfection?

We all know that disinfection is an effective way to avoid infection with the new coronavirus. Many people often disinfect and sterilize, and use various disinfectants to spray and wipe at home. The car also needs to be disinfected. So is it better to use alcohol or 84 for car disinfection? Let's take a closer look!

Is it better to use alcohol or 84 for car disinfection?

Both alcohol and 84 disinfectant can be used to disinfect the car, but 84 disinfectant must be diluted and alcohol must be kept away from fire.

The 84 disinfectant that most families have on hand is actually a very good choice and can play a very good disinfection role. However, we need to remind everyone that 84 disinfectant and medical alcohol must not be used directly, but should be diluted in a certain proportion before use.

84 Disinfectant

As we all know, 84 disinfectant has strong bleaching ability because it contains sodium hypochlorite, which is a regular bleach ingredient. Therefore, if 84 disinfectant is used directly to disinfect the car, the trim panels and fabrics in the interior will show irreversible fading signs, and some metal decorative parts may lose their luster or even corrode.

The correct way to use it is to dilute it with water at a ratio of 1:200, and then use spraying, wiping and other methods to disinfect these parts. Fabrics such as seat covers can also be removed and directly soaked for disinfection.

Medical alcohol

In addition to 84 disinfectant, medical alcohol can also effectively kill viruses. Therefore, many car owners use common 75% medical alcohol to disinfect the car. However, it is not recommended to use it directly, otherwise it will cause the leather seats or pure wood decorations in the car to fade and peel, and it cannot be repaired. In addition, you must be careful when using spray alcohol for disinfection, because the concentration of alcohol in a confined space exceeds 3%, static electricity may cause spontaneous combustion accidents. Therefore, while disinfecting, you must remember to ventilate effectively to avoid exceeding the concentration.

What disinfectant is good for car disinfection?

Private cars generally do not need to be disinfected, as long as ventilation is done. If you have carried relatives or friends whose health conditions are unknown, you can disinfect the surfaces of relevant objects in the car by using chlorine-containing disinfectants, chlorine dioxide, or disinfectant wipes.

There are two main types of disinfectants that are effective against coronaviruses in our daily lives: one is alcohol (ethanol) and the other is chlorine-containing disinfectant.

Alcohol is a solvent that can "corrode" the plastic and leather parts of a car's interior. Chlorine-containing disinfectants (common ones include 84 disinfectant, bleaching powder, and chlorine-containing effervescent tablets) can also cause "corrosion" and "bleaching" effects. For example, the instructions for use of some 84 disinfectants state: It cannot be used on surfaces such as metal, silk, wool, linen, and leather, and it can fade colored fabrics.

Nowadays, leather (including genuine leather and synthetic leather such as PU and microfiber) is used in large quantities in car interiors, such as seats, steering wheels, door panels, dashboards and other parts. If wiped with disinfectant, it may be "scratched", making the surface as ugly as "psoriasis"; plastic parts should not be taken lightly either. Some plastic parts have paint on the surface, and once wiped off, they will be "disfigured".

The interior of a private car generally does not need to be disinfected. If disinfection is really necessary, it is best to be cautious. Whether it is leather, plastic or metal parts, it is best to find an inconspicuous hidden part to do a small local test first, and then start after confirming that there is no problem. Some car brands' 4S stores provide special disinfectants for car interiors approved by the original manufacturer. If necessary, you can buy them and use them.

Professional method of disinfection in the car

In addition to disinfecting by ourselves, we can also find some professional disinfection personnel to clean up (under the epidemic, we still try to do it ourselves). Although professional disinfection is more expensive, it can indeed guarantee better disinfection and cleaning effects, and there are many types of disinfection.

Ozone disinfection

The so-called ozone disinfection is completed by using a car disinfection machine that can quickly produce a large amount of ozone. After the sterilization is completed, it can quickly decompose oxygen, so as not to cause secondary pollution in the car.

It should be noted that if the ozone concentration in the car is too high, it will not only cause gas pollution in the car, but also have a certain impact on human health while sterilizing.

Photocatalyst disinfection

The principle of photocatalyst disinfection is to use the reaction of photocatalyst coating and sunlight. It can quickly decompose harmful substances in our car into harmless and stable substances.

However, photocatalyst disinfection can only be effective under ultraviolet light, and ultraviolet rays can cause certain damage to our human health, so photocatalyst disinfection needs to be performed by professionals.

Ion disinfection

As the name suggests, ion disinfection uses a car oxygen bar to release ions in the car, but this disinfection method has great limitations. Since the overall volume of the car oxygen bar is relatively small, the ions it releases are also very limited, so the overall air purification process in our car is very slow, and the sterilization process is not thorough enough, so it is not worth recommending.

Steam sterilization

Before steam sterilization, we first need to conduct a simple cleaning and cleanup of the car, then sandblast the car with detergent, and then use high-temperature steam for sterilization.

The disadvantage of this disinfection method is that the disinfection time is relatively long and the efficiency is not high. In addition, long-term use of steam will cause adverse effects such as short circuits on the electronic equipment in our car.

How to prevent the new coronavirus in private cars

Open windows for ventilation

As we all know, the novel coronavirus is mainly transmitted through droplets, so the first thing to do is to ventilate the car. When your car is in an open space, you can open the windows for ventilation, but you need to be careful that the temperature difference between the inside and outside of the car is large in winter, so don't catch a cold.

When in an underground parking lot or a closed environment, it is recommended that you close the car windows and turn on the air conditioner for ventilation. Of course, before that, if your vehicle has not had its air conditioning filter replaced for more than a year or a long mileage, it is recommended that you replace it yourself or go to a 4S store or repair shop.

Car disinfection

When you drive back from a public place, you need to disinfect the car. Our car interiors are mostly made of leather, plastic, and fiber, so you can use disinfectants to spray and wipe the car, especially the steering wheel, door handles, central control screen, seats, etc. At this point, I must remind everyone to choose the right disinfectant for disinfection. Here, I recommend that you choose a disinfectant containing peracetic acid and chlorine dioxide.

First, let's talk about peracetic acid. We need to add peracetic acid stock solution to water and dilute it to 0.2%-0.5%. When preparing it, you must wear rubber gloves and do not touch it directly with your hands. Since peracetic acid is volatile, it is best to prepare it as needed. Also, ventilate the car for more than half an hour after spraying it. In addition, peracetic acid is corrosive to metals, so avoid metal surfaces and car bodies in the car.

Let's talk about the 84 disinfectant that is often used at home. The 84 disinfectant contains 5% chlorine and must be diluted with 200 times of water when used. If it is not diluted and directly wiped, the surface of the car body will fade, peel or turn white. Of course, some 4S stores can provide professional equipment and medicine for disinfection, and you can also call to consult.