Beware of Hand Sanitizer Explosions in Your Vehicle [Photo]
This Facebook post is making the rounds and I had to take a double-take at the photo. Hand Sanitizer can explode if exposed to heat and put a hole right through your car or truck.
Public Information Officer David Tilley of Plano Police Department posted about the dangers of leaving your hand sanitizer in the side pockets of your vehicle.
Officer Tilley pointed out something that I wasn't even aware of and with the warmer weather on the way for the Tri-Cities, I don't want you to fall victim to an explosion in your car or truck.
Here is what Officer Tilley wrote:
Now, something you might not know or think about is hand sanitizer has a fairly low-temperature flash point (Ignition/Flame). This is really important because our temperatures are about to get hotter which means the inside of your car will also.
Hand sanitizer with 70% alcohol has a flashpoint of 69.8 deg F. The photo attached is from hand sanitizer igniting in a hot vehicle that reached 95 deg F. inside the vehicle.
If you have a leather steering wheel or interior, hand sanitizer is not recommended. The alcohol can dry out and damage the leather.
It can also break down the dyes in the leather and cause discoloration. It might be better to use diluted liquid dishwashing detergent and keep that in a spray bottle inside your vehicle for when you need it.
I never in a million years would have suspected that damage was caused by some hand sanitizer but it is good to know now.
I remember being a kid and finding my crayons melted because I left them in the car and in the sun --- I think an explosion would leave a lot more damage than that, I'm just saying so be careful.