Taking your pet along on trips in the vehicle can be incredibly fun for both of you. Whether you are taking a quick ride to the store or you want to spend your day hiking or at a dog park, your pet will offer you great companionship. However, your pet might leave some messes like hair, dirt, and odors in your car that require car interior cleaning. However, if you take a few minutes to prepare and then clean up after your trip, you can keep your vehicle clean at all times. Here are some amazing tips that will help you keep your car clean, especially when taking your pets along.
1. Keep your pet in a designated spot
One of the best ways to keep pet messes manageable is by creating a specific spot for your pet in your vehicle. You can either contain the pet in the cargo section within a pet crate or your rear seat using a harness that’s attached to one of the seat belts. Make sure you establish a traveling routine so that your pet knows where to go once you open the door of the car to prevent them from racing around.
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Protect your car seats
You can cover up the seats of your car to save you a lot of cleanup time. Invest in seat covers that are easy to take on and off, or you can use a large sheet or blanket to cover the entire surface. Either way, you can easily throw them in the wash at the end of the day. If you have a dog that is especially prone to wetting themselves when they get excited, you may also want to invest in some female dog diapers to help keep the car sanitary.
3. Leave critters and dirt behind
If you are out on a hiking trip, ensure that you clean your dog before getting back into the vehicle. You can brush off the loose dirt and rinse muddy paws using spare bottles of water and then towel off their hair to get rid of any excess water on the skin. If you have been hiking in a place where ticks and other insects are common, ensure to comb through your pet’s fur and also check it for any critters.
4. Remove pet hair from your vehicle
If your dog is a heavy shedder, you can clothe it in light t-shirts when traveling to contain the pet hair and also prevent a lot of it from flying around your vehicle. Regardless of how careful you are, your vehicle is likely to accumulate some pet fur if you carry your dog or cat along for rides regularly. Getting rid of pet hair can be challenging since it imbeds in the upholstery and coarse carpets. You can invest in the best car vacuum that gets to small crevices to give you an effective clean.
The pros at bestvacuumexpert recommend that you should run your vacuum over your pet’s designated area first to remove pet fur from your car. Next, put on some rubber gloves and then dip your hands in a bucket with water. Run your wet rubber gloves all over the spot, to collect every stubborn hair as you go. To clear the collected hair, you can dip your hands in the bucket and then repeat the process until the entire area is clean.
5. Get rid of pet odor
Apart from the challenge of combating pet hair in your vehicle, you should also deal with any pet odor. You can eliminate some odors by vacuuming the car or removing the pet fur from the floor mats and car’s interior, and cleaning the seat covers. If the smell doesn’t go away, you can sprinkle some baking soda on your cloth seats and the floor as well. Allow it to sit overnight and then vacuum it the next morning. Moreover, you can also use pet-safe carpet shampoos to clean the floor of your car. As an additional measure, think about getting aroma oil diffusers for the car which can incorporate a variety of fragrances, keeping your car smelling fresh and removing any unwanted odor. However, you might want to find out more at AromaTech or similar websites about which kinds of oils can be used without causing harm to your pet.
6. Clean your car after every ride
To keep pet smells out of your car, you should clean your vehicle once you get home. You will want to vacuum your vehicle, paying attention to the area your pet resided. Use a lint roller to help remove any pet fur left behind. Again, if you want to do any more scrubbing, then remember to use pet-friendly carpet cleaning products. You can also remove the seat covers or quilt and clean if necessary and ensure to ventilate the vehicle well if any parts got damp from your pet’s adventure.