Car Seat Covers & Other Ways to Protect Your Car’s Interior

Having a clean, tidy, and pleasant-smelling car interior makes car journeys a lot more enjoyable for everyone. It also helps to keep the interior of your car in good condition. This extends the useful life of components. It can also help to preserve its value.

With that in mind, here are some tips from Car Mats UK on how to protect your car’s interior.

Tips for protecting car interiors

The better you protect your car’s interior, the less cleaning and maintenance you will need to do. Here are the four key steps you need to take to protect your car’s interior.

Use car seat covers and floor mats

The main benefit of car seat covers, and floor mats is that they act as a protective barrier between your car’s interior and anything that could damage it. As a bonus, they make it a lot easier to clean and maintain your car.

Instead of having to clean the upholstery and carpeting directly, you can just remove the car seat covers and floor mats and clean them. Most car seat covers, and floor mats are designed to be easy to clean. Generally, you either just rinse them clean (e.g., with a hose) or put them in the washing machine.

Choosing the right car seat covers and floor mats

You’ll get the most benefit from your car seat covers and floor mats if you choose the right ones both for your car and for your lifestyle. Both car seat covers, and floor mats are generally available in model-specific and universal fits. If you go for the latter, it’s advisable to double-check the measurements just to be sure that it really will fit your car.

In addition to choosing the right fit, you need to think about the right material. Removable car seat covers are generally made out of polyester, neoprene, or microfiber. Polyester and neoprene both give a high level of protection against spills and stains. Microfiber is less protective, but it is both soft and durable. It’s also easy to wash and quick to dry.

Car floor mats are generally made out of rubber, vinyl, or carpet. Rubber and vinyl are durable and easy to wash. Carpet is more comfortable. Rubber and carpet both tend to give a better grip than vinyl.

You might want to have different car seat covers and floor mats for different times of the year. For example, you might use microfibre car seat covers and carpet floor mats during the warmer months. You might then switch to polyester car seat covers and rubber floor mats for the cooler ones.

Avoid direct sunlight and extreme temperatures

Prolonged exposure to direct sunlight tends to create fade and discolouration. If it’s accompanied by exposure to intense heat, it can also lead to cracking and warping. For completeness, extreme heat can also damage your car’s electronics.

In the UK, strong sunlight can be an issue all year round, even during the winter months. It’s therefore advisable to keep window shades in the car at all times. These are also useful for stopping people from being able to see into your car’s interior.

Excess heat is generally only an issue in peak summer. Ideally, you’ll avoid having your car outdoors at all when temperatures are searingly hot. If you must park it outside, try to leave it in shade. This could be under a tree or in the shadow of a building. If there’s no convenient shade, try to use a car cover. Just remember, that these need to be put on when the car is dry.

Be careful with your use of chemicals

When it comes to protecting your car’s interiors from chemicals, there are really only three rules you need to remember. Firstly, check what type of cleaner is right for each part of your car.

Your glass obviously needs glass cleaner. The hard areas on your console can usually be cleaned with a general household cleaner. Your upholstery and carpets, however, will need a specific cleaner that’s suitable for whatever material they’re made from. Alternatively, you can just use car seat covers and floor mats and clean them easily.

Secondly, make sure that your cleaning chemicals only touch the areas they’re meant to touch. For example, when you’re cleaning your glass, make sure that your glass cleaner stays on the glass. Do not let it drip or splash onto your upholstery or carpeting. Again, car seat covers, and floor mats can help to protect against this.

Thirdly, avoid using chemical air fresheners. These can damage your car’s interior. Instead use natural options such as charcoal, baking soda and/or essential oils. Please note, however, that some essential oils can have adverse effects on young children, dogs, and cats.

Be prepared for eating and drinking

In principle, if you really want to keep your car’s interior as clean as possible, you should avoid eating and drinking in it. In the real world, however, that’s just not a practical option for most people. In fact, for some people, it may not even be an option to avoid eating hot food in the car.

Instead, recognise this fact, own it, and prepare for it. For example, give yourself time to stop and eat your food when the car is stationary. Put it on a tray and use suitable cutlery. Have somewhere to put any rubbish. Keep a bottle with a spout and/or a travel mug in your car. This will allow you to drink with minimal risk of spills.

Using car seat covers and/or floor mats is particularly helpful if you regularly eat and/or drink in your car. They will do a lot to protect your car interior from crumbs, spills, stains, and odours.

Keep your car’s interior organised

It’s much easier to keep a car’s interior clean and well-maintained if it’s well-organised. Think about what you need and want on each journey. Then think about the best place to put it. Try to make as much use as possible out of all the storage at the front of your car. If you regularly carry passengers, use behind-the-seat organisers for extra storage and organisation.