[jitin]

I think the concern is real. I plan on getting a couple of these or similar activated charcoal bags whenever I buy a new car next, and put them somewhere cool like under the seats.

In my experience two of these 500g bags are good for removing strong odours and VOCs from a 100 square feet room, so should definitely make a difference with a new car. Any air purifier with an activated charcoal filter should also help with removing VOCs.

[josesiju96]

I've heard my friends say that when we park our cars directly under sunlight, the cabin temperature gets pretty high leading to release of harmful toxins inside. So as a rule I always pull down all 4 windows on start up, there's no harm in being a bit cautious :P

[gururajrv]

Basically we humans have polluted almost everything we touch / even breathe nowadays! I won’t be surprised if we bring upon the Stone Age era upon us soon. Nothings safe outside simply put! Heck, cars too now

[Panzera]

My car is parked in the basement but I always roll down the windows and switch on the option to pull outside air in the cabin for 5-10 mins whenever I take the car out.

I’ve tried 500gm charcoal bag but that doesn’t seem to make any difference in removing odour. It is difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the charcoal bags as I also keep them at home but the experience will differ from individual to individual.

[Herschey]

For a car which is parked under direct sun, it's always better to just leave all of its four doors open for about 2 minutes before taking seat in the car. Not only does it bring down the cabin temperature instantly, it also helps in venting out any gasses which might have built up owing to high cabin temperatures.

An added benefit is that the air conditioner is able to cool up the cabin much faster thereby positively impacting the overall fuel efficiency.

[RavSam]

Originally Posted by Herschey

For a car which is parked under direct sun, it's always better to just leave all of its four doors open for about 2 minutes before taking seat in the car.

I turn on the fan mode only and keep windows down for 30 seconds or a minute depending upon situations and then roll up the windows and turn on the AC. Is that the correct way too?

[AutoDowntowner]

A very important post, thanks a lot wheelguy.

As I said in my introduction, I work in Car design industry. For a while I was heading a department in my company related to Chemicals in Cars. I realized from my juniors Chemical engineers about VOCs & its side effects on us. They are dangerous.

To avoid ill effects:
1) Try not to park your car under sunlight.
2) If parked, the plastic (Instrument panel, door panels, steering wheel) should be covered with a cloth (preferably white).
3) Before starting a journey, open all the Car windows, let the blower throw the bad air out at highest speed for at least 2 min. Also open the sunroof as we all know that hot air always goes up naturally. Sunroof really helps in this case.
(I personally feel that there should be a feature in every car that will operate this all by just one click/touch).

[Herschey]

Originally Posted by RavSam

I turn on the fan mode only and keep windows down for 30 seconds or a minute depending upon situations and then roll up the windows and turn on the AC. Is that the correct way too?

Yes it would! The idea is to let all the trapped hot air inside the cabin escape and let fresh air get circulated inside the cabin. This also helps the air conditioning cool down the cabin faster. Rolling down all the windows while driving at slow speeds would also do the job just right. However, in case one is driving on a road that witnesses heavy traffic or where the conditions are dusty, this might not work out to be the best option. The air conditioner may also be kept on fresh air mode initially for a few minutes as an additional aid.

[airguitar]

For some reason, this thread doesn't seem to have gotten the attention it deserved. Some comments and questions.

Car Perfumes
Surely avoidable. As most tbhpians have recommended, activated charcoal is the best option. Leaves a neutral smell in the car and lasts long - you can just reactivate the charcoal by putting it out in the sun for an hour or so periodically. Most such charcoal bags last a year or more. Next best would be pure plant extracts - essential oils bought from trusted stores ? Dab a few drops on to a cloth or a pad and keep it.

Car mats
Those that use fabric seem the best option. Those that use PVC or PP ( Polypropylene ) while safe, there are enough references on how they are generally safe but not totally. Are you particular about what material your mats are made of ? Would you buy a PP mat for your car ? https://www.healthline.com/health/is...other-plastics

Car Plastic
Polypropylene (PP), Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), Styrene maleic anhydride (SMA), Polyphenylene Ether (PPE), and Polycarbonate (PC) are used for dash plastics. Of course in India that we have been using PVC for ages for distributing drinking water or general consumption too. Are these materials safe ? Some plastics also seem to be more flammable than the others.

Hardtops of vehicles and those that need durability use Fiber Reinforced Plastic ( FRP ). These are generally known to be non hazardous under normal operations / when using finished products made of those. However, people that work on fabrications using these materials may need to be protecting themselves from the dust etc. Ref: https://inspectapedia.com/Fiberglass...cs_Hazards.php

Car Seats
Generally made of Leather, Leatherette/Vinyl, Nylon or Polyesters. Polyesters and Nylons are used regularly otherwise too. Any hazard with Leathereette/Vinyl materials?

What other hazards are we dealing with unknowingly in the car ? It's important to know what we are exposed to all the time. Most of us when working from home during the covid period took calls on our headphones or earphones - one of the doctors at a clinic I visit told me that quite a few people have developed NIHL ( Noise Induced Hearing Loss ) due to constantly being plugged into earphones and most didn't realize it until they spoke to people face to face - many had developed a hearing loss at the frequency corresponding human voice range - terrible! So it's important to "Know thy Hazards"