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Summer i s traditionally the best time to take a long-distance drive—whether you’re visiting family and friends, heading to a theme park or just getting away from it all, there’s nothing like a road trip . Even this year, as the summer approaches and states are beginning to lift travel restrictions, you might be thinking of escaping your home by car in the coming months. But what if you usually rent a car for your vacations ? Is renting a safe option right now ?

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What to ask before renting

There are a few questions you should ask your car rental company. You want to make sure that the cars are not only cleaned, but that they are cleaned after every use and possibly left to sit between customers—whether for days or weeks.

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John Marroni, the owner and president of National Restoration, told Business Insider what you should ask when renting a car:

What products do you use? Baby wipes aren’t going to cut it—the rental agency should be using products recommended by the CDC

Baby wipes aren’t going to cut it—the rental agency should be using products How often are the cars cleaned and disinfected? (The answer you’re looking for here is “after every customer.”)

(The answer you’re looking for here is “after every customer.”) When was the car last disinfected, and how frequently is it disinfected? Again, “constantly” would be a good answer.

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Rental car company cleaning policies

Each rental car company has their own policies, so it’s important to see what they have in place before renting. Here are the cleaning policies of three of the major rental car companies:

Avis’ policy states that they have enhanced the techniques used to clean each vehicle during the pandemic , specifically focusing on spots that customers touch the most, including seats, steering wheels, door handles and other hard surfaces. They don’t specify what cleaning products they’re using, but do state that they are using Environmental Protection Agency- recommended products. They also urge all of their employees to wash their hands and stay home if they are feeling ill.

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Enterprise

With their Complete Clean Pledge, Enterprise outlines how they’re keeping their cars sanitized. This pledge includes specific details about which parts of the car they focus on washing, vacuuming, wiping down and sanitizing.

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Hertz

Hertz has introduced something they’re calling the “Hertz Gold Standard Clean”. According to Hertz, this 15-point cleaning and sanitization process aligns with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines.

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Their cleaning regimen covers the car’s exterior, interior and compartments, as well as odor removal and disinfection. Any team member that cleans vehicles must be “certified” before they are allowed to clean.

Bleach Kills the Coronavirus, Too If you’ve braved the crowds at your local store only to find the disinfectant aisle picked clean,… Read more

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Choosing your car

When choosing the car you want to rent, ask when it was last rented out. Due to the low numbers of cars being rented ( and companies like Hertz filing for bankruptcy) , it may be much easier to rent a car that has not been used by another customer in 14 days.

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Be sure to communicate with the customer service representative if you prefer to use a vehicle that has not been rented in the recent past.

When in doubt, disinfect

Although your rental company may be using the cleaning practices listed above (or similar), it’s always good to sanitize the car yourself using products that are recommended by the CDC.

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You can also make your own disinfecting solution:

Use unexpired household bleach and dilute using 5 tablespoons (⅓ cup) per 1 gallon of water. Or: Use an alcohol solution that has 70% alcohol.

Here is a complete disinfection guide.

Use disinfectant wipes on all door handles, including the trunk latch.

Wipe down the steering wheel and seat belts (buckles, retractor, webbing).

Spray/wipe down dashboard, radio console, gear stick and glove compartment.

These are the areas that are most touched in the car and thus the best places to start. We also recommend vacuuming the interior of the vehi cl e and washing any rubber floor mats. While cleaning, w ear a mask and disposable gloves ( if you have them) and keep the windows rolled down.



Source: Lifehacker.com

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