Does Your Car Have A Face Mask?
Protecting Yourself and Your Car From Coronavirus
Summary
- You don't need to wear a mask while driving in your car unless you have someone in the car with you that is not in your quarantined house. You should both wear masks if this is the case.
- Your cabin air filter cleans air from outside and inside the car. It captures dust, pollutant, mold, bacteria and viruses before the air is sucked into your heating and a/c vents and into the car.
- A fresh air cabin air clean is the perfect service to clean out your HVAC system for any lurking bad actors like COVID-19. Girls Auto Clinic Repair Center is offering this service with a FREE cabin air filter for $100. See more below!
What a hot topic today, huh? Should I wear one? Where do I wear one? When do I wear my mask? Where can I find a mask? What is the best mask to wear? Will a scarf work?I'm not an expert on face mask usage or allergies or respiratory illnesses. However, I have a few comments and suggestions for several face mask questions relating to our cars, I think will be very useful.
Should I wear a mask in my car? What should I do to protect myself while I'm in my car?
One place I see people wearing a mask is inside their car. Your mask is there to protect you when you cannot social distance from others. If you are in the car alone or with someone you are already quarantine-ing with, you do not need to wear your mask inside of your car. Have a face mask handy in case you need to run into a store or you're stopping for fast food!Whew! Finally, I can breathe! Speaking of breathing...Did you know your car has a "face mask" to trap and filter all the dirt from the outside air? No? Let's revisit some information from Does My Car Have Boogies - 1 and 2. You car has two main air filters. An engine air filter and a cabin air filter.Engine Air Filter. What makes gasoline powered cars go are these fast, mini explosions inside of your engine also called internal combustion. In order for these explosions to happen you basically need to start a fire. "...and what are the three things needed to start a fire, Girl Scouts?" Fuel, AIR, and Heat.We know were we get fuel; from our gas tanks. The spark plugs generate heat with spark; kind of a like a lighter. The air comes from the outside air around us! Now, the outside air around us is rather dirty, depending on where you live. It's filled with dust, bugs, dirt, pollutants, and bacteria. We don't want that air going into our lungs and we don't want it in our engines either. A filter or air mask is placed before the engine and the outside dirty air is passed through this filter and clean air comes out the other side. This air then gets sucked inside the engine to start an explosion! Clogged air filters are just like boogies. They will cause the engine to sneeze and the car to shake. Sometimes, if its really bad and your car won't start. Yikes! Tip: Get your engine air filter changed every other oil change.Cabin Air Filter. Your cabin (cabin is a fancy word for the car interior) air filter is not as crucial as an engine air filter, normally. But in Time of Corona, they are stepping up. The cabin air filter works similar to the engine air filter in that it blocks all the gross stuff in the air and prevents it from getting inside of our cars when we use our A/C and Heat. When you normally turn on the A/C inside your car, I'm sure you're not thinking about the nice clean air the blasts through the vents to cool you down. Where did that air come from? The same place it comes from for the engine air filter. Outside. Before the outside air goes through our vents into our cars, it passes through a filter or air mask to get rid of all of the gross stuff. Here is why this is important during coronavirus. The air we inhale and exhale INSIDE our cars is re-circulating throughout the car as well. Your cabin air filter not only filters air from outside your car but air from INSIDE your car. Bad actors like, dirt you pick up on shoes, kids cooties, dog hair, mold, bacteria, and you guessed it, viruses are filtered through before the air is sucked into your heating and a/c vents and into the car again. To ensure your cabin air filter and HVAC is clean and clear of any respiratory bad actors we suggest a fresh air clean. These bad actors can rapidly grow inside your vehicle’s ventilation system and passenger cabin if left untreated.
Fresh Air Clean – This 30-minute process uses chemicals from Run-Rite to disinfect, clean dirt, debris, and all the bad actors from inside of your vehicle's ventilation system. We are offering this service at Girls Auto Clinic with a FREE cabin air filter for $100 (normally $125). Call 484-461-4693 to set up your appointment today!