What’s the first chore you tackle when spring cleaning? Is it your closet, your kitchen, your garage? Don’t forget about another space that can be easy to leave out of the mix: your car!
Interior Cleaning
If you’re a member of a carpool, you want to make sure your vehicle is a clean space for your coworkers. Especially as we continue to protect ourselves and others against COVID-19, keeping your car disinfected and tidy is an important step to take.
Spring cleaning in your vehicle can start with an in-depth interior wash: Vacuum the floors and seats, dusting your radio and consoles, detail cleaning the small spaces like cupholders, and disinfecting door handles and buttons.
Get Your Windows Squeaky Clean
Winter can take a toll on your windows and mirrors. Sand and salt can be a pain for those who deal with snow where they live. Spray and wipe your windshield, windows, and side-view mirrors with a microfiber cloth. This is also a good time to replace your wipers to make sure they are ready for the April showers to come!
Two Words: Car Wash!
Whether you do it yourself or make your way to the car wash, cleaning your car’s exterior is one of the most important steps to keeping your vehicle in tip-top condition. Washing the car can be a fun activity on a warm day, or a quick errand if you would rather get it professionally done. Be thorough; don’t forget to wash your tires or headlights, and even finish with a wax if you’re up to it.
Let's Get To It!
Spring cleaning is a time to get parts of our daily life back in order after the winter months. Our vehicles play a major role in our day-to-day functions, and a messy car can leave you frazzled. Keeping your car clean is great for any commuter, especially members of a carpool. Who doesn’t love clean car compliments when you pick up a coworker?
With vaccine rollouts and back-to-work plans getting ramped up, we’d like to share some tips from the CDC on how to keep yourself and your colleagues safe while in a carpool!
Wear Masks!
The most obvious one: Play it safe and stay masked up in your carpool. It’s a simple and effective tactic to prevent the spread of COVID-19 while in a shared vehicle with your coworkers and friends. Make sure you’re taking proper care of your face masks, too. Ideally, wash your reusable masks and replace disposable masks after each use.
Get the Fresh Air Flowing
Get some fresh air on your way to the office by having the windows cracked on your ride. This keeps the air circulating in and out of the vehicle. If it’s cold, rainy, or just not realistic to have any windows down, the air vents in the vehicle will work as a helpful circulation system, too.
Keep Your Carpool Crew Close
Consistently having the same riders in your carpool reduces the amount of people you are in close quarters with. Keeping your carpool circle smaller helps with contact tracing, and reduces some of the risk from sharing a ride with a group that changes throughout the week.
What Else Can We Do?
There are little things to work into your carpool routine to keep you and your coworkers safe. Use proper hand hygiene, clean and disinfect surfaces in the vehicle often, and don’t overcrowd the vehicle you ride in.
Want to discuss ways to keep your carpools as safe as possible? Check out the CDC factsheet we have provided below. You can also contact us for our expertise and consulting services. Let’s talk!
Winter brings commuting challenges our way—Potholes, tire pressure fluctuation, and increased fuel consumption. Luckily, with how common telecommuting has been this winter, many people were able to cut down the wear-and-tear on their vehicles by working from home.
Even if your commuting has been minimal, there are still important steps to take to make sure your car is in good shape. Here are a few tips to get your vehicle ready for spring.
Check Your Battery
Colder weather can take a toll on your car’s battery. Some warning signs of an overworked battery are dimming headlights, slow-moving power windows, and dim interior lights. It may be time for a check-up. Brakes, engine, and tires could always benefit from an inspection, too. If you’re in a carpool, you don’t want your vehicle to have any unpredictable issues.
Replace Windshield Wiper Blades
If you’re on the West Coast, you were likely fortunate enough to not have to shovel your car out of the snow as much as New Englanders did this winter. Even still, it’s a good idea to swap your windshield wiper blades for new ones at the end of each season, as mud and grime from the road can weaken the blades over time.
A Much-Needed Cleaning
Washing your car’s body can be a lot of fun, and doing it yourself can save you money instead of going to a car wash. If you’re a member of a carpool, having a clean car and neat interior may be one of your priorities. Now is the time to do it as we prepare for spring cleaning around the house!
Treating Your Car with Care
Cars are a huge investment, and issues can be inconvenient and even dangerous. If you are a member of a carpool, it is worth checking out your Department of Transportation website to see what Guaranteed Ride Home Programs they have for employees who use green commute options.
Welcome in longer days and warmer weather by treating your vehicle to some spring maintenance!
