Whether you travel with your pets regularly or only give them a ride to the vet, it’s important to know how to pet-proof your vehicle. Equally important is knowing how to clean up after your furry friend has joined you for a road trip. Here’s some guidance on how to adapt and clean your car so that you and your beloved animal are comfortable during and after the ride.
Make Sure You Properly Restrain Your Pet
Allowing a pet to roam in your vehicle creates a serious distraction for the driver and puts your pet’s life at risk. Even if you aren’t in a crash, but stop suddenly, an unrestrained dog or cat could go hurtling in the cabin, potentially breaking bones. In addition, a crate or other animal restraint system confines any messes your animal might make. It also limits the amount of hair and dander that gets spread around your vehicle. It’s a good idea to put a towel, sheet, or blanket underneath the pet carrier to further protect your seat.
Don’t Delay Clean Up
While it might be tempting to let vomit, spilled food, or other messes sit after transporting your pet, it’s important to clean up stains and soils immediately. Caked on and dried soils become much more challenging to remove.
A small, handheld vacuum works well to remove hair left behind in the car. If you don’t have a vacuum handy, put on a rubber glove you wear to do dishes. Pull it across the seat in one direction, collecting hair as you go. This is a quick, cheap, and effective way to remove hair from your car.
Protect Your Windows
When dogs sit by car windows, they want to look out. This results in moisture from their nose and mouth smudging onto the glass. To protect your clean windows, apply a single sheet of plastic wrap to the glass. After you remove your pet, remove the wrap to reveal a shiny, smudge-free window.
Get Rid of the Smell
One of the biggest challenges for pet owners is dealing with an odor that lingers in your car after the animal has been in it. You can shake out some baking soda onto your seat and floor mats, let it sit overnight, and then vacuum it out the following day. Another idea is to place charcoal briquettes in tin foil and leave them in your car overnight. Because of their chemical properties, the briquettes absorb odors. If you feel heavy duty cleaning is necessary, you can use a steam cleaner to remove scents and debris from your car’s cloth upholstery.
Invest in Durable Floor Mats
The liquid in a car runs downhill, so the floor mats bear the brunt of many pet messes. To pet-proof your floorboards, get rubber mats. Durable, if not fashionable, these mats are ideal for catching liquids before they reach the carpet. The mats are especially valuable on longer trips when an animal might get carsick or need to have access to food and water in the car.
With the right steps to pet-proof your vehicle, you and your furry companion can both enjoy a pleasant ride.
Image via Flickr by John M under use of CC BY-SA 2.0
Connect with us
