Skip to Content
chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up chevron-right chevron-left arrow-back star phone quote checkbox-checked search wrench info shield play connection mobile coin-dollar spoon-knife ticket pushpin location gift fire feed bubbles home heart calendar price-tag credit-card clock envelop facebook instagram twitter youtube pinterest yelp google reddit linkedin envelope bbb pinterest homeadvisor angies

One day you’re returning to your car after a grocery only to find out that the temperature within is hot and uncomfortable. One day it’s 70°F, and when sunlight gets trapped inside it can be over 120 °F. These temperatures are harmful to the human body and also can be detrimental to the car. Fortunately, with the proper precautions, there are many ways to keep your car fresh.

Keeping Your Car Cool While It’s Parked

One of the handiest methods is leaving the blanket on the seat of the car. The seat will be shielded, while the blanket will be directly exposed. Of course, the blanket will be hot when the driver, but it can be just tossed on the floor or into the trunk! An alternative to the blanket is using a sunshade. Sunshades are sometimes metallic and look almost like aluminum foil stretched across the inside of a windshield. Friendly sunshades with the Favorite cartoon character of your kid can come in handy when you’re getting your sunshades for the backseat.

Their use is obvious, like any other sunshades- they keep the sun from reaching the interior of the car and heating the seats. For cars without the sunshade, or when you forget them in a hurry, try to park your car facing away from the sun. Parking in the shade or a garage is also highly effective and recommended whenever possible.

When returning to a car on a hot day, the driver or the passenger may want to take the time to wipe down the steering wheel, gear shift and safety buckles with water. The water will evaporate quickly due to the heat, and with it, some of the temperatures will be carried away. Another simple way is to leave down your windows. Leaving the small crack- less than the width of a person’s arm – can help ventilate the inside of the vehicle.

Keeping the Car Cool When It’s in Motion

Front windows shades and windshield shades cannot be used while driving. To prevent the heat while the vehicle is in motion, many cars have tinted windows. Tinted windows allow light to pass through but bounce some off. The amount that is reflected is dependent upon how dark tint is. We advise you at least 70% (30% of the tint) of light needs to pass through the tint for it to be legal in the United States. Be sure to keep your vehicle cool. People often misled the term antifreeze. Antifreeze got the name because of the low point. However, it is designed for use in cars because it also has a high boiling point. Always, keep an extra jug of antifreeze in the trunk in case of emergencies. Tires need to be kept from getting hot too. The friction creates heat. Tire spins quickly against the scorching pavement. The best way to prevent the heat from getting too high is to make sure that tires are correctly inflated. Many “Green” organizations discourage the use of air condition, but using a small portion of AC will help to keep the engine cool!