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With all the time commuters are spending in their vehicles, with parents getting junior to soccer practice, piano lessons, and Boy Scouts, with old coffee spills on the console and rice cake snacks under the seat, your car is very likely an ecosystem for germs and bacteria.

The fact is, there's more bacteria inside your car than there is on your toilet, a lot more. Actually, a study found it can be as much as 330,000 times more.

People tend to be much cleaner in their homes or at the office. For example, your refrigerator is likely to be 2,000 times cleaner than your steering wheel in terms of bacteria.

The hottest germ spots in a car tend to be the driver footwells (although all the footwells can be particularly nasty, especially if transporting children), steering wheels, consoles and dashboards.

While you're less likely to spill on your steering wheel, it's a hot spot because you just took some change from your cupholder (you know, where you spilled some coffee a few weeks ago), got some bacteria on your fingers and transported it to the steering wheel. Oh, you just changed the station on the radio? Oops. Just rubbed your eye? Oops.

Yes, cars are one of the most hostile environments you face daily. And most of us don't really think about it.

But the remedy isn't all that difficult. Make sure you clean your vehicle's interior regularly with a disinfectant cleaner, especially carpets and cup holders. And have a box of disinfecting wipes handy for the steering wheel and dashboard to help keep your car clean. And make sure your cabin air filter is maintained as per the manufacturer's recommendations.

Joshua Rose is an Auto Broker at Auto-Broker-Magic.com. For information on negotiating a great car deal, please see his tips at Car Buying Advice.

// posted by wgvx @ 11:28 AM