Summer is upon us, and the streets are heating up. We know you've already performed your regular summer maintenance, but have you cleaned the car, checked tires, changed fluids, and made sure your AC is ready to deal with climbing temperatures? Don't worry if you haven't made it all the way down the checklist yet, we're here to help! Prepping and cleaning your interior is one of the easiest things you can do to make sure your ride is cool in the heat.
Clean Your Carpet and Swap Out Floor Mats | Getty Images
Clean your carpet and floor mats
With heat comes baked-in smells. Wet carpeting can be a breeding ground for mold and mildew and lead to mystery stinks in the heat of the summer. That coffee you spilled in the winter? You can almost guarantee that you’ll be faced with a spoiled-milk odor come summer. So how do you battle it? It’s time to do a deep carpet cleaning and get that stuff out before it becomes entrenched. Pick up a carpet cleaner and go to town on those grimy footwells.
Your floor mats will also need a bit of love and attention. After all, they do more than catch the grime and dirt you cart in each time you get in and out. They protect the interior from getting wet and smelly, too. Clean off your mats and consider investing in some all-weather mats. These not only catch ice and snow in the winter but also capture sand, dirt, and rocks that accumulate after, say, a trip to the beach or a hike in the mountains. A pair of them can be picked up for under $60, and they will help keep the interior of your car much cleaner this summer.
Protect Your Seats | JD Weiher
Treat your seats
If you have leather or leatherette seats, you know the torture of sitting in a sunbaked chair inside a car that’s been parked in the sun. Your seats are just absorbing all those UV rays, and that can be incredibly damaging for prolonged periods.
Your best bet is to invest in some good leather cleaner and conditioner. The chemicals in these cleaners will help keep your leather and leatherette supple and soft, even in the heat. Think of it like sunscreen for your seats.
We also recommend that you invest in seat covers for those super-hot days. They’ll protect your seats from the sun and your posterior from the inevitable burn of flesh on hot leather. There are a variety of styles, colors, and fits, available.
Cover your dash
Even if you park your car inside a garage, you could benefit from investing in a UV blanket or sunscreen to cover your front and rear decks. The sun beats down on these two spots relentlessly and can eventually crack, fade, or damage the plastic or leather in both those spots in short order. It’s best to invest in a windshield shade to protect the front dash and seats when you park in a sunny spot. If you want to just focus on protecting the dash, check out dash covers. Each vehicle’s dash is different, so be sure to put your vehicle make and model into the search box to find the right one for your car.
Get it made in the shade
One of the best protections for the interior of your car is also the lowest-tech: Try to park in the shade when you can. This will help your vehicle avoid the sun’s harmful rays and keep things much cooler for when you climb back in.
What are your summer-car-care rituals? Tell us your tips in the comments.
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About the Author(s)
Abigail Bassett is a freelance journalist whose fascination with vehicles began in high school, when she learned to change the oil on her 1987 Volvo. Her bylines appear on Motor Trend, Automobile, Autoblog, and Yahoo! Autos.
