Unless you live in the heart of Manhattan and can get around on public transportation, you probably spend a lot of time behind the wheel of your automobile. Besides commuting to work, you're running errands, shuttling the kids to mime lessons, and making the occasional weekend getaway. But every time you settle into the driver's seat, you run the risk of wreaking havoc on your pearly upholstery and floorboards. When you add passengers (whippersnappers, especially), the threat grows exponentially. If you want to preserve the factory-fresh condition of your car, truck or SUV, you need to be proactive about protection. Just as the kings of yore built moats around their castles to stop marauding Visigoths from sacking their keeps, you need to add some fortifications to your auto to shield against harm. Luckily, the top two lines of defense are simple to add and incredibly effective.
First Line of Defense: Car Seat Covers
Guess what: every time you sit down in your car, shift in your seat, and climb out, your tuchus is actually wearing out your seats through friction. Can't remember your high school physics lessons on bodies in motion? Here's a quick refresher course - Friction is a force that creates resistance when two objects move over each other. When you're sitting in your seat, your clothes act like a very fine grit sandpaper slowly chewing away at the fibers in your upholstery (cloth, leather and vinyl). The best way to protect against this steady degradation is by installing a set of car seat covers to bear the brunt of your back and butt.
Seat covers come in myriad styles, fabrics and colors. When shopping for them, you'll first want to decide on whether to go with semi-custom or custom seat covers. A semi-custom cover isn't going to cost as much, but a custom cover fits and looks like a bespoke suit. Once you've nailed that choice down, it's fabric-picking time, and there are lots of fish in this fabric-y sea. Like the look and smell of leather? Get leather seat covers. Got a thing for J Lo track suits? Go with velour seat covers. And, seat covers come in a range of colors, from solid shades to camouflage.
Second Line of Defense: Car Mats
The only part of your car that's more vulnerable than the seats is the carpeting under your feet. If you thought Nixon's enemies list was long, your car's carpet's list is longer and filled with scarier characters than Allard Lowenstein and Paul Newman. Muddy shoes, spilt coffee, tracked in gum - just about anything you bring into your auto is a potential threat, kids included. Not only do their grassy cleats puncture your flooring, but their dropped jelly toast slices leave behind nasty, sticky stains that no cleaner can cut through.
Are your carpets doomed to ruin? Not if you install a set of car mats into your auto. Just as car seat covers shield against friction, car floor mats take the blows so your carpets don't have to. For maximum protection, all-weather car mats are the best choice. Because they're made from rubber and other space-age polymers, they form an almost impenetrable barrier against mud, moisture and muck. You can also go with carpet car mats, but they don't offer as much protection. Both styles, though, are available in universal and custom sizes.
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