This Is How to Keep Your Car Clean at the Beach
There’s nothing quite as relaxing as a day at the beach. That is until you get home and discover you somehow tracked most of the beach back with you in your upholstery. Fortunately, there are plenty of simple precautions you can take to keep your car spick and span and dune free no matter how much time you spend laying around in the sand.
Getting ready to take a trip to the shore, but don’t want to spend the next year vacuuming sand out of your car? We’re here to help!
Here’s everything you need to know about how to keep your car clean while at the beach.
Sheet Your Seats
Laying a beach towel over your designated car seat is pretty standard practice when it comes to driving home from a day at the beach. But this old school method is not all that effective when it comes to keeping sand, sweat, and saltwater from soaking into your upholstery.
If you want to protect your car seats from feeling the wrath of Davey Jones, you’re going to need to take things a step further.
Before you ever leave your house, cover all of your car seats with a protective sheet to help keep them clean and dry. By covering them with a sheet ahead of time, you won’t have to worry about anything slipping through the cracks on your ride home.
Protect Your Floors
If you don’t already have all-weather floor mats in your car, now is the perfect time to order yourself a set — especially if you’re planning a trip to the beach,
Floor mats don’t just protect your car’s carpeting from debris, like sand, all-weather mats are super easy to clean, so no matter what you track into your vehicle, you won’t have to worry about any significant or long term damage.
Sand and dirt aside, all-weather mats will also help protect your car from saltwater. So, you won’t have to worry about your vehicle’s carpeting soaking up any extra moisture and leaving you with the ever-present musty tide pool smell.
One Last Rinse
Beach showers are arguably the most revitalizing part of any day at the beach. After a full day of fun in the sun, rinsing off all of the sand and sticky dried saltwater under a nice cold shower can feel fantastic — but that’s not the only benefit of rinsing off at the beach.
Showering and rinsing off your belongings, like beach chairs, is an excellent way to protect your car from extra dirt, sand, or debris.
That said, you should stop at a beach shower. Before heading out to the beach, pack an extra gallon or so of water you can use to give everything one more quick rinse before packing up and getting back into your car. One last quick rinse will help ensure you track as little sand or debris into your vehicle as possible, keeping it fresh and clean longer.
Pull a Costume Change
No matter how long you sit out on the beach before getting back into your car, there’s a good chance your bathing suit won’t have time to dry out all the way. So, no matter how well you plan out your swims, you could still wind up saturating your car seats with seawater.
One of the easiest ways to bypass this potential issue and keep your car’s interior clean and dry is by packing a change of clothes for the ride home.
Bag It!
No matter how well you shake out your beach towel, it’s almost impossible to get all of the sand out before it’s time to head home. Fortunately, there’s an easy way to tote home even the sandiest towels without leaving a single grain inside your car.
Before you head to the beach, throw a large plastic big (with a lid!) or a trash bag into the back of your car. Then, when it’s time to head home, carefully pack all of your sandy and dirty towels, bathing suits, and other beachgoing items up in your sand proof case.
When you get home, you can take the garbage bag or plastic bin out and clean up your mess without getting any sand in your car seats.
Use Your Visor
Part of the appeal of a day at the beach is spending time out in the sun. That said, the sun’s harsh UV rays can wreak havoc on the interior of your car if you aren’t careful.
Putting a sunshade up in your car’s windshield won’t just help keep your car nice and cold, but it will also protect your interior from even the harshest rays.
Park Smart
Finally, one of the best ways to protect your car during a day at the beach is by choosing the right parking spot.
While your first instinct may be to find the nearest spot to the water, parking too close could expose your car to a lot of damaging salt spray and seagulls. By parking a little further away at a contactless beach parking spot or finding a shaded garage, you can help keep your car safe from beach hazards and crowds, all at the cost of walking a little bit further.
How to Keep Your Car Clean at the Beach
While there’s nothing quite like spending a day at the beach, winding up with a car-full of sand can put a damper on the entire experience. Sand is coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. So, no matter how little you track into your vehicle, you can expect to be dealing with long after your tan fades.
Now that you know a bit more about how to keep your car clean while at the beach, you can better prepare yourself and your ride. So the car you drive home is just as clean and sand-free as the one you left in.
Are you looking for more tips on how to keep your car looking and feeling it’s best? We’ve got you covered! Check out the rest of our blog for more must-have car maintenance and cleaning tips today!