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How to Protect the Interior of Your Car

Are your car seats starting to look a little grungy? Here’s everything you need to know about how to protect and maintain the interior of a car.

The average person spends 17,600 minutes in their car each year– that equates to 18 days each year!

Now, ask yourself this- Would you want to spend 18 days in a dirty space? Obviously not!

Since we spend so much time in our cars, we obviously want to do everything we can to keep them clean. 

 But, just what do you need to do to keep your car’s interior clean?

Check out this guide to learn how to protect the interior of a car. 

1. Keep it Clean 

First things first, you need to commit to keeping your car clean. If you want your car’s interior to last a long time, you need to get in the habit of not allowing clothes, papers, food wrappers, and soda cans to pile up. 

You can, of course, bring your car into a car wash to have it cleaned, or you can clean it yourself. Here are some tips to follow if you clean your car yourself:

  • Make sure to choose a cleaner that’s formulated for vehicles 
  • Don’t forget to polish: Polishing helps to remove small scratches and surface imperfections, and it helps to buff your car to a shine, so don’t skip this step 
  • Dust your car before you shampoo it
  • Don’t forget to slide the seats forward to clean out the junk from below 
  • Don’t forget to clean the top edges of the windows, as this is where a lot of grime builds up
  • Use a makeup brush to dust out the air vents
  • Mist your seats with water and then take a squeegee to it to pick up pet hair
  • Put a little olive oil on your dashboard to give it a nice shine 
  • Fill Mason jars with laundry scent balls to create a DIY air freshener 

2. Block the Sunlight 

Whether you have leather seats or cloth car seats, you’re going to want to do what you can to block out the sun. 

Not only will blocking out the sun keep your car cooler, but it’ll also extend the life of your car’s upholstery. 

When exposed to the sun, leather seats can dry out and crack. And, cloth seats can fade and tear from overexposure to the sun. 

To protect your car from the sun, you can invest in a sum blocker for car upholstery. You can buy this from your local superstore or from Amazon. 

Another way to protect leather seats from fading is to crack the windows open once in a while.

3. Invest in Rubber Floor Mats 

To keep your car’s carpet clean, you should invest in plastic or rubber floor mats. 

This will prevent dirt, mud, drinks, and other debris from causing permanent stains on the floor of your car. 

Plus, car mats are much easier to take out and clean if they accumulate dirt and debris. And, these mats are super easy to replace. If you need to replace your car mats, then check out these Husky liners floor mats

4. Use a Towel to Protect the Upholstery 

If you have a family with young children, then this tip is for you. 

Instead of just placing your child’s car seat directly on your car upholstery, put a towel down.  If you put a car seat directly on the Upholstery, then you leave the seat susceptible to rips and tears. 

Additionally, it can help protect your seat from the food crumbs that your kids are inevitably going to spill. 

5. Get Your Car Detailed

In addition to cleaning your car on a regular basis, you should also have your car detailed every so often. 

Detailing involves professionals going into your car and completely cleaning out the interior. These cleaners will use professional products to get out the toughest of stains. Basically, your car will come back looking like a million bucks. 

6. Replace the Seat Covers 

After just a few short years, your seat covers are going to start looking a little rough. 

Leather can easily scratch and unsightly stains can show up on the fabric. Covers can also rip rather easily, and if this happens, you leave the surfaces of your car’s interior susceptible to damage. 

Plus, replacing your car seat covers is super easy, so make sure to stay on top of this. 

7. Avoid Paper Towels

When many of us spill something in the car, we reach for a paper towel to clean up the mess. 

However, you shouldn’t do this, as paper towels can leave scratches and marks on your seat, especially if your seats are made from leather. 

Instead of using paper towels, grab an old t-shirt to clean up the mess. Cotton-based products are less abrasive and softer, meaning they won’t damage your car’s interior. 

8. Use Protective Leather Conditioners

Leather seats require unique maintenance and care. 

Therefore, you should only use leather conditioners to clean them. To apply the leather conditioner, place a small amount of the solution on the microfiber cloth and wipe down the seats. 

When doing this, a small amount of film might appear, but this is completely normal and will soak into the materiel. 

Allow the leather seats to dry before sitting on them.

9. Avoid Eating and Drinking in Your Car

Last but not least, you should avoid eating and drinking in your car as much as possible.

Of course, life happens, and sometimes we get really hungry and need to grab a quick bite. If this is the case, you should avoid eating foods that are going to stain your interior, like yogurt, sticky candy, and applesauce. 

Cleaning the Interior of a Car: Wrap Up 

By keeping these tips in mind, you’ll easily be able to extend the life of your car’s interior. 

If you liked this article about cleaning the interior of a car, be sure to check back in with our blog for more car-related tips and tricks. 

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