Have you ever tried to add up the hours you spend in your car? It’s a lot, isn’t it? Commutes, errand runs and road trips can have you sitting in those bucket seats for hours on end, and during that time, you and your passengers are actually living in the interior. This may often result in smudges on the windows, scratches on the dash and food in the seat crevices that accumulate and leave you wondering what happened to the spotless interior you had when you first bought the car.

Squeaky Clean

For many motorists, a car is not just a means of getting from Point A to Point B. It’s your badge of pride, an extension of your personality and as you sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic, it’s the place where you plan your next big adventure with your friends and loved ones.

So, keeping it clean is extremely important and is a form of respect to your car. Luckily, it’s not difficult to keep your car clean and the interior looking as good as new in the hot South African summer.

How to protect your car’s interior this summer

Simply follow these few tips and tricks to keep your car in tip-top condition:

  • First things first, get something to stuff your trash into. Just use a plastic bag or a container you don’t use around the house and throw it in the backseat. You can even affix a temporary hook to the door or seat to keep things even neater. Every once and awhile, take it out and relish in the fact that you haven’t spent an hour cleaning up. Keeping trash off the floor also preserves your carpets and keeps stains at bay.
  • The idea of taking a rag to your dash and leather seats is made easier if you have them on-hand. The key here is to just use a little bit of soapy water to wipe the surfaces of your car – some cleaning products contain alcohols that prematurely dry and age the materials by reducing the flexibility in the vinyl. Store a small spray bottle of your homemade cleaning fluid and a rag under your seat or in a storage bin for access when you’re waiting for your kids to get out of school or sitting in that crazy-long drive-through line. This will also come in handy when an emergency spill happens.

 

Weather Resistant

 

  • You can’t discount the impact weather has on your vehicle. In summer, little feet made dirty by sand, mud and rain can quickly soil your car’s interior. If you spend a lot of time ducking in and out of the elements, all-weather floor mats are the answer. They’re easy to clean and do a great job of keeping any dirt in one place.
  • The sun’s rays can also wreak havoc on your car’s surfaces, causing vinyl to crack over time and materials to fade. A simple solution is to regularly put a sunshade on the windshield. They’re inexpensive and help to keep your interior looking new.

Saving money on repair work and cleaning comes more easily when you take the time to make preventative care a priority. Not only will these tricks make your car a nicer place to be, keeping grime out but it will cut down on large maintenance costs in the future and help retain its value over time.