Keeping your car’s interior in good condition will decrease wear and damage over time. This will increase the value of your car and provide a more luxurious experience for everyone driving with you.
Vacuum the interior regularly.
Food, rubbish, leaves, dust and dirt will find their way into your vehicle overtime. To keep your car’s interior free of these things, you should vacuum it once every six weeks (or as needed).
Be sure to vacuum under the seats and either side of the center console. This is where dust will build up the most.
Cover interior surfaces.
Use floor mats to reduce the buildup of mud and dirt beneath your feet.
Seat covers will protect your seats from spillages, heat damage and rips or tears. When you wish to sell your car, you can either include the seat covers as an extra item or remove them and show off you nice, clean seats.
Take precautions with pets.
It is always fun to have an animal companion to drive with. However, you should take precautions to avoid the damage they may cause to you car’s interior.
Driving with your dog or other pet will result in lots of fur on your seats. Avoid this by laying a blanket down where your pet will be sitting. This will make the trip a little more comfortable for your pet as well as keep your car’s interior clean.
Park in the shade.
Avoid the sun’s rays by keeping your car away from them. Parking your car in the shade will reduce the drying out of your interior over time, as well as prevent your vehicle’s paint, dash, fabrics and other items from fading.
Keep your windows slightly open in summer.
Condensed hot air can dry and damage your car’s interior. During hot summer days, you should leave a window slightly open. Be sure that the window is high enough that nobody can reach inside. Leaving a window slightly open will also reduce the initial blast of heat when you return to your car.
Keep a rubbish bag in your car.
Keeping a rubbish bag in your car allows you and your passengers to dispose of all your rubbish in one place. This makes the process of cleaning up much less time-consuming. It will also stop people from putting their rubbish on your floor, causing stains.
Limit eating, drinking and smoking in your car.
This guideline can be hard to enforce if you have friends or family who are used to doing these things in your vehicle. However, you will notice that your car is much cleaner if you follow this rule. Eating results in crumbs and rubbish around your car, drinks may spill, causing stains and cigarettes may burn your interior or produce a hard to remove smell.
Does your car already smell like cigarettes? Use an air freshener to help hide the smell.
Clean stains quickly.
A stain on your car’s interior isn’t the end of the world, especially if you clean it quickly. Use fabric cleaner and a brush to easily remove stains before the become ingrained in the surface.
It is a good idea to keep fabric cleaner in your car, especially if you have kids or particularly clumsy friends. This way, you can remove a stain as soon as it appears.