If you’ve ever climbed into the car of a pet owner and noticed an unpleasant odor or messy interior, you may be looking for ways to prevent that from happening in your own car. You don’t have to stop transporting your furry friends; just follow a few easy tips to help keep your car clean.
Cover Your Seats
Both dogs and cats have sharp nails that can easily scratch leather or put a hole in your vehicle’s cloth upholstery. You can protect the seats with covers, available in a variety of colors, designs, and materials. There are several styles available, like a sheet option or a padded version that makes the seats more comfortable.
Invest in Heavy-Duty Floor Mats
One of the problems that pet owners often face within their vehicles is odors that sink into the upholstery. If your pup gets carsick and vomits on the floor or struggles to control his or her bladder on long trips, you’ll be glad that you have heavy-duty rubber mats protecting the upholstery. It’s hard to totally remove strong odors from carpeting, so keep the mats firmly in place whenever your pets are in the car.
Eliminate Odors
Animals tend to give off odors, so even a short ride with Fido can lead to a stinky car. Spritz a fabric refresher on the upholstery, then take another whiff. If it still smells like a wet dog, try sprinkling some baking soda on the carpet and allow it to sit for about 24 hours. Finish the cleaning process by vacuuming up the baking soda. You also may want to use an air freshener in your car to keep the air smelling sweet.
Get Rid of Hair
If your pet feels stressed during car rides, he or she might shed more than usual. Keep a lint roller handy so you can quickly clean off any fur left on the seats. A seat cover will keep the hair from sticking to your seats, but if you’d rather leave them uncovered, you can also apply a treatment of Scotchgard or another fabric coating. If bits of fur get trapped in the fibers of your carpet, use a fine-grain pumice stone to work them free.
Clean the Windows
When your dog gets excited on a car ride, he probably puts his paws up to get a better view and sticks his cold, wet nose against the window. This often results in mud streaks on the interior along with nose prints on the windows, so clean it up with products like Windex wipes and Armor All car interior cleaner. You may also want to keep a handheld vacuum in the car to immediately clean up any dirt or mud that’s tracked in on your dog’s paws.
Your car doesn’t have to smell like a litter box or wet, stinky dog, even if you transport your pets on a regular basis. Routinely cleaning your car’s interior will help prevent odors and keep it looking nice.
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