Got Pets? How To Keep Your Car Clean With Four-Legged Friends

Keep Your Car Cleaner When Traveling With Pets

Keeping your car clean before and after you travel with your faithful four-legged companion is important to keeping your car fresh and sanitary. If you start with a clean vehicle, it’s much easier to get the hair, spills and odors out after a long trip with your dog or cat. And cleaning it after your trip is the key to eliminating smells and other problems that may occur over time.

It’s important to protect your interior against pet fur, dirt and dander. Acura Factory Accessories can help. Scratches from Fido’s paws jumping into or out of your Acura with harnesses and leashes will no longer be a worry with transparent, urethane Door Edge Film.

You can help keep the floors in your vehicle cleaner with Acura All-Season Floor Mats that are made by Acura for a perfect fit. These floor mats protect your carpet from dirt, mud and moisture. Acura Rear Seat Covers also minimize hair and dander buildup on your seats and are easy to clean. They also provide protection from mud, spills, and other messes. Factory matched to your Acura, they cover the entire seat and headrests and are designed for access to the center armrest and child seat anchor latches. The durable wetsuit-like material is water-resistant and machine washable.

The Acura Factory Accessories Trunk Tray or Cargo Protector helps protect cargo area or trunk from sharp, wet, or soiled cargo. This is especially helpful when your dog is secured in the cargo area in a crate or carrier. The Cargo Protector also covers the sides and backs of the rear seats, while still allowing them to be independently positioned. Both accessories are made with high quality plastic for durability and easy clean up.

But no matter how well you prepare, accidents will happen. To clean up quickly, pack a small kit to keep in your Acura at all times. You can then use it when you are traveling to help keep your pet and your car clean. You may want to consider:

• Paper towels
• Pet wipes
• Old blanket
• Towels
• Lint roller
• Plastic bags
• Brush

The Acura Cargo Organizer is a great way to keep your pet cleaning kit stowed in your Acura. Sturdy canvas gives more rigid support and collapses when not in use, and the divider partitions keep items separate and secure.

The easiest way to keep clean-up to a minimum is to confine your pet to one area of the car. It will make clean up easier, keep your pet safer, and is less distracting while you are driving. You can use a crate or kennel secured in the cargo area of your SUV. If your pet prefers to look around or share a seat with the kids, there are seat belts that attach to your pet’s harness which will keep them in their seat and help protect them in an accident. Keeping your pet safe is more important than keeping your car clean!

After your trip, cleaning is key. Start with a thorough vacuuming to eliminate hair, dirt, dust and anything else that got tracked in. A top tip is to use a wet vacuum, which will also remove any moisture or spills from the fabric or carpets. This will help prevent the growth of mold and mildew and eliminate any potential musty odors.

A rubber-bristled brush is inexpensive and quickly removes crumbs, dander, dirt and even imbedded hair from upholstery and carpet. Use it vigorously after vacuuming to get any residual pet hair out of your fabric and carpets — especially in the corners.

Be sure to also clean the inside of the windows to get rid of all the nose art and smudges, and wipe everything down with a pet-safe cleaner.

No matter how well you clean, there’s always the challenge of some lingering odors. If some smell sticks around, you can use a carpet and upholstery cleaner that is specifically designed to remove pet odors. Many times, the spray on, let dry and vacuum type of foaming cleaners will do a great job. You can also put baking soda in the car and let it to sit for some time or use a cleaning spray made of equal parts water and white vinegar (this is also a great glass cleaner.)

Hopefully, you find these tips helpful in reducing the mess that your favorite furries create in your car. While prevention helps, there is no way to make your car 100% pet proof. But the battle of hair and dirt is part of the joy of pet ownership!

The perfect traveling companion shows what an Acura fan your family is! This 12” Acura stuffed teddy bear with embroidered eyes features an Acura T-shirt and is CPSIA safety compliant for children of all ages.

For more information or details on ordering or installation of any Acura accessories, reach out to Neil Huffman Acura at Oxmoor today! Call us at 502-209-7183 or fill out our online information form. And if your car needs extra cleaning, Neil Huffman Collision Center in Louisville also offers full detailing services!

Tags: car care, cars and pets, pets
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