Summer is fully here. There’s not deny it. May’s weather was touch and go there for a bit, but now in June the sun has fully settled into place, turning us all to ash. We have all had that terrible experience of entering our cars to have our backs seared to a nice crisp.

Did that picture give you the willies like it did for us? It’s awful, right?

Now, you gotta imagine, that kind of heat cannot be good on the leather… can it? As the temp heats up and the sun spends more time beating down it’s important to take a few precautionary steps for the wellbeing of your car’s interiors!

Shade Above All Else

The biggest thing you can do to help your interiors is to keep them out of the sun! If you usually park in your driveway, its time to clean out the garage and make space. When parking at work find the shade. Of course, any Arizona local knows that! But it’s for more than just preventing your car from turning into an oven when you come back. That excess heat and sunlight can cause the leather to crack.

Get Covered

Putting in seat covers will work in two ways. The cover will protect the seats from damaging sunlight and they absorb less heat so when you return to your car you won’t be burned on that hot leather.

Time to Tint

Tinting your windows will go a long way to limiting the amount of sun that cooks your car. Make sure it’s legal in your city.

Clean Consistently

Heat and light aren’t the only things that can damage your seats, leather or otherwise. Debris, dirt, grime, food. Any of these, left to cook into your seats over the summer, will do long lasting damage and become so much more ingrained in the fabric and surface. It might become a much larger project to fix, with complete reupholstery rather then a good, stern brushing.

The seats aren’t the only spots needing cleaning too! Make sure you swap out the floor mats if they’ve been used and abused and clean that carpet!

All vehicles spend more time parked than they do on the road so decreasing the wear and tear it has to endure by just existing is crucial. Just like our own health and an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Follow these tips and guidelines to make your interiors shine through the din and beat the heat for another year.

If your vehicle has seen a few too many summers as is, don’t hesitate to reach out to the interior experts here at VIP! We can get your leather refreshed and your carpets looking (and better yet smelling) brand new!