Now That It’s Heating Up, Don’t Leave Hand Sanitizer In Your Car

We're looking at highs in the 90's the next few days and it's going to get even hotter so, watch where you leave that hand sanitizer.

Just about all of us have hand sanitizer on or near us all the time these days. They have become a necessity but, remember ... hand sanitizers are mostly alcohol which is very flammable. That high alcohol content, a tightly closed container and the El Paso heat are not a good combination. (See a pic of what is believed to be damage caused by such an event here.)

Obviously, you shouldn't leave anything flammable in your vehicle at all but, little things like hand sanitizer or even lighters may not seem dangerous to some. (I'm guilty of the lighter one...I never thought about how high heat might affect it being that it's really kind of a little bomb.) All flammable items are a danger so, DON'T leave them in your car. If you just bought something flammable, drive straight home with it and unload it right away.

Other tips to help avoid a vehicle fire include keeping up with the annual safety inspections, watching for fluid leaking from your vehicle and looking for bad or broken electrical connections. You should also avoid smoking in your car and, if you do, use the ashtray ... don't just flip your butts out the window. They could be blown back into the car and start a fire or, start a fire elsewhere if they land in dry brush or some other combustible.