How to Protect the Interior of Your Car

Keeping your car's interior looking and feeling great doesn't have to be complicated. Here are a few tips about your car's natural enemies and some great ways to keep them at bay.

Sun Damage
The sun is a pretty formidable foe when it comes to the interior of your car. Depending on your parking situation, your car could be exposed to sunlight anywhere from a few minutes to several hours each day. Over the life of your car, that exposure really adds up and can eventually lead to faded upholstery, a dry, cracked dashboard and even warping of the vinyl and plastic used on door panels and handles. So what can you do?

Tinted Windows
Tinting your windows isn't always cheap, but it certainly goes a long way in protecting the interior of your car. Window tinting film has come a long way since it first became popular, and is now pretty reliable in terms of lifespan and durability. In fact, a great tint job can last you between five and ten years, and if it starts to show signs of wear you can just replace it. There are limits to how dark you can tint your windows, though, so even with a good tint job your car's interior is still exposed to some sunlight.

Window shades
Tinted windows are great for when you're driving around, but when you're parked, why not block out all of the sunlight? Window shades are a cheap and easy way to accomplish just that. With folding or collapsing window shades for your windshield starting at just a few dollars, and roll-up shades for your passenger windows starting at just a little more, there's no reason not to go all out in your defense against the sun. With your car's interior protected from the majority of the sun's damaging rays, it's likely to stay in great shape throughout the life of the car.

Dirt, grime, scratches and tears
Another enemy of your car's interior is its passengers. Passengers track dirt, mud, oil and who knows what else into your car, which can leave stains on its upholstery and carpeting. In addition to tracking in dirt and grime, you and your passengers constitute a pretty considerable amount of routine wear and tear. Through loading and unloading cargo, spilling drinks or just being careless your passengers can quickly rack up quite a few stains, tears and scratches on your interior.

Floor Mats
Floor mats are a great ally in protecting the carpeting of your car. While most cars come with floor mats, many stock mats are significantly smaller than the surface of your car's floor. Luckily, floor mats are pretty affordable. It wouldn't hurt to get some quick measurements of your car's floor before looking for mats, that way you can make sure to get the biggest ones that will fit comfortably in the space. Remember, bigger mats mean smaller portions of unprotected carpet.

Seat Covers
Seat covers are a great investment too, and go a long way in protecting your car's upholstery from spills, scratches, and the wear and tear of normal use. Even if your seat covers see some hard times, it's much cheaper to replace them than reupholster your car or even pay for regular shampooing or steam cleaning.

As you can see it's not all that tough to protect your car from yourself, your passengers, and the elements. With a little bit of an upfront investment, you can keep the interior of your car in great shape for years to come.