The past few weeks around the country has been pretty brutal – the heat plus humidity is giving us temperatures well above 100 degrees. Now I love the summer, but this humidity has made enjoying it a bit difficult.
The worst part? Opening the door of your car to be met by a gust of heat that could nearly knock you down. But there are a few things you can do to help keep your car cool in the summer.
This post is sponsored by Reedman-Toll Subaru of Downingtown.
Block Car Windows from the Sun. As you know, cars trap heat which causes the inside temp to rise rather quickly. It takes less than a few minutes for the temperature to start increasing. In fact, cars can heat up to 200 degrees! You can reduce the amount of heat that enters your car with these few simple tricks:
Sun Shade: not only can they be cute, but they are super effective. A sun shade
helps block the direct rays from coming into your vehicle, which can
significantly decrease the temperature which helps the AC run a bit
more efficiently once its running.
Tinted Windows: A bit more expensive, but a nice constant way to block the suns rays. Just make sure you know the laws for your state before you get them done!
Cracked Windows: Since windows hold warm air, leaving them open slightly will
create air flow. Same way with a sunroof – just crack them enough (about an inch or so) to keep anybody from getting any ideas to break in.
Keep Your Seats Cool. HOT seats can be miserable to sit on – and can even cause burns! If you have leather seats, you may want to cover them with a towel or use cloth seat covers to help keep them cooler during the summer. Or even cooling gel covers or pads would work as well. If you are lucky enough to have air-conditioned seats – put them to work! That will definitely help with the cooling down of your vehicle.
Use that AC. If your cars AC isn’t working right or you don’t use it right – it will take longer to cool down. To be sure and maximize your car’s cooling ability, turn the AC on full blast for a few minutes as soon as you start driving and roll down your back windows. This will help push the hot air out as the cool air comes in -genius right? Once you get your car nice and cool, use the recirculating feature along with the AC to maintain the temperature.
Park in the Shade. Whenever possible park in the shade, or with your windshield facing away from the sun – this will help elevate some of the suns rays entering your car and causing the temperature to hike up as well. Even if I have to walk further, I always park under trees or tents when possible so that my car isn’t unbearable when we get in.
