Clean car, peace of mind...

I've been reading the papers and notice all the concerns with regards to the recent Influenza A, otherwise known as swine flu or H1N1. And it's scary how fast the infection is spreading around Asia.

Suddenly that made me think - wouldn't the stuffiness of our cars harbour any growing infections? As much as we love our cars, I guess it wouldn't hurt to give it a good cleaning every once in a while. You do want yourself and your family safe from these destructive viruses, right?

Well, in light of the current situation, I made up a little list that should benefit:

Go out and get facemasks and surgical gloves to minimize exposure to the micro-organisms floating around. Disinfect parts of your car supermarkets where it usually has human contact - namely door handles, steering wheel, signal and wiper stalks, gear knob, seats, interior door handles, gas tank cover and boot.

There are tons of disinfectant products available at the supermarket.

Refrain from allowing just anyone to hitch a ride - you wouldn't want people to contaminate the air of your painstakingly sanitized car, right?

But if you really have no choice, simply do the following procedures: Take the temperature of every passenger that wants a ride. If their temperature is just acceptable, stare them in the eye accusingly until they break down crying under the stress, admitting they have been to Mexico within the past 30 days...and think they might be infected.

Should there be any strong ones left, provide masks and surgical gloves to each of them - I think collecting a dollar per glove and per mask should be quite reasonable.

But be vigilant - any cough or sneeze, and the passenger has to be evacuated immediately. Yes, even if you're car is on the move, just slow down and throw them out of the car. Remember: you have to protect yourself and the other occupants first.

Open the car doors, and I mean ALL of them, including the boot and bonnet - preferably on a nice sunny afternoon in an open space with plenty of wind. Allow the fresh air to go through your vehicle and get rid of the staleness and germs that might be lurking in the nooks and crannies.

Proceed to spray disinfectant and dust the seats and mats, then arm yourself with a vacuum cleaner and get to those hard to reach corners. You can also hold the working vacuum in the car for a few minutes to suck up whatever dust there is within the cabin.

Follow these instructions and hope for the best. We should keep safe and healthy, all the more to be able to live longer and enjoy the technology that is being invented...

Credits: Story by Melissa Cheng, pictures courtesy of Oneshift.com archive