Detailing & other tips to keep kids from ruining car interior?

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techman41973

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In preperation of having a baby and wanting to preserve (as much as possible) the interior of my new car,
what tips can you provide, protective accessories, detailing tips to help keep babies, smaller & older kids from destroying the interior of your car?
Aside from sarcastic remarks about not having children :)
Also any way to keep car seat from scuffing and ruining the leather of the rear leather?

Some tips I've already compiled:
* Keep a set of cloths in trunk with a kit of spray bottles of cleaners (like leather cleaner, plastic surface cleaner etc.)
* Rubber floor liner instead of floormats for the back seats
* Scotchguard on carpets & cloth seats
 
No children here, but I have a 70 lb. chow chow that I let destroy the leather of my Lexus ES. It was mostly my own fault, for not regularly cleaning the leather to keep it supple. My new (previously owned) vehicle has cloth seats, but I put on neoprene covers as insurance. I vacuum and wipe them; shampoo when they're really soiled. The floor of my Element is vinyl, and I have rubber mats over it. Again, just vacuuming and wiping is all I need to do.
 
Just the usual, vacuum, wipe down the inside doors, plastics and windows with a good ONR (I use Megs D114, works great), Pinnacle rubber and vinyl cleaner is also good to wipe doors and plastics after you've done the ONR. Pinnacle Leather & Vinyl cleaner on the seats... If it's a newer car, odds are you won't need to condition the leather. Perhaps some scotch guard for the fabrics & carpets to keep them protected against spills. (Not a bad idea anyway if you drink coffee in the car like me!)

I suspect after you have your bundle of joy, your concerns will greatly drift from the cleanliness of car's the interior and probably turn more towards how to obtain 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. :-)

Congratulations by the way!
 
They make pads for under the car seats to reduce the pressure points on the seat. you can go as far as putting the sticky back plastic sheets they use for carpet under the back seats.

there is one well known fact amoung parents, kids will make a mess regardless of how hard you try and prevent it. my son is 7 and is a "car kid" and he sill mananges to make a mess.

just stay on top of the messes, especially formula and milk!!
 
If you got fabric seats look into "wet okole" neoprene seat covers. They are pain to get on but very well made and can prevent a lot of accidents. Not to mention fully customizable so you can get any color with any color piping to match you vehicle. And weather techs is also a good idea.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
For a kid:

Find a paint coating you like, and get it on there ASAP, you're about to run out of time to keep up the car. I'd suggest Carpro Dlux for the trim too.

303 fabric protection ANYWHERE there is cloth, carpet, fabric.

Acquire a Bissell spot bot or little green machine for the inevitable fabric mishaps. It works for the house, too.

Folex fabric cleaner is a great pair with that machine as well. Cleans stains and doesn't re-attract dirt.

DIONO makes a great seat cover that is plush but firm enough to prevent the car seat from permanently marring and stretching the leather in the seats. They also make a great back of seat cover to prevent kick scuff marks on the seat directly in front of your child.

Take the seat out once a month to vacuum under it, and relax the leather on the seats and allow the foam to return to normal.

If the car seat and car has the LATCH system, use it. Less stress on the seat belt, and a more uniform compression of the vehicle's seat.

Get a good plastic, leather and vinyl coating from AG. Lots of options. Use it early and often.

Set the car seat into the vehicle's seat, adjust the vehicle's seat back and forth until it's set where you want it, then use some tape to cover the track grooves of the seat to keep the crumbs out of the tracks and grease. Clear packing tape works well and doesn't leave too much residue.

Buy aftermarket floor mats that you don't mind washing to cover the real mats. Those rubber weather mats are great for that.

Take the kid's shoes off in the car. It's a beating, no doubt, but shoes are the number one thing that my daughter tears up mom's car with.

Train your child that the car is not a kitchen on wheels. My wife let's ours eat in her car. Cheddar Goldfish and animal crackers are the bane of my existence. There is no eating in my car.

Get the a vacuum with the strongest suction you can afford, with a crevice tool (long thin suction attachment) and use it weekly. The cleaner you keep the car, the less mental fatigue you'll encounter and you'll be less likely to say, "screw it, good enough".

Keep toys in a cloth bin, and keep them soft. All toys can become projectiles. Hard plastic bins can get debris trapped underneath them and scuff up the leather.

Use only cups with lids that kids have to suck to get liquid out of, or you'll be sorry.

Wash your car as often as you can. Kids will touch the paint, try as you might to stop it, if they touch dirty paint, you've got scratches.

Lift your kids into their seat until you can't lift them any more, my 2 1/2 YO likes to climb in by herself, I cringe each time, and it's mommas car.

Whenever possible, use momma's car.

Expect some wear and tear, but defend against it with all your might.
 
aim4squirrels said:
For a kid:

Find a paint coating you like, and get it on there ASAP, you're about to run out of time to keep up the car. I'd suggest Carpro Dlux for the trim too.

303 fabric protection ANYWHERE there is cloth, carpet, fabric.

Acquire a Bissell spot bot or little green machine for the inevitable fabric mishaps. It works for the house, too.

Folex fabric cleaner is a great pair with that machine as well. Cleans stains and doesn't re-attract dirt.

DIONO makes a great seat cover that is plush but firm enough to prevent the car seat from permanently marring and stretching the leather in the seats. They also make a great back of seat cover to prevent kick scuff marks on the seat directly in front of your child.

Take the seat out once a month to vacuum under it, and relax the leather on the seats and allow the foam to return to normal.

If the car seat and car has the LATCH system, use it. Less stress on the seat belt, and a more uniform compression of the vehicle's seat.

Get a good plastic, leather and vinyl coating from AG. Lots of options. Use it early and often.

Set the car seat into the vehicle's seat, adjust the vehicle's seat back and forth until it's set where you want it, then use some tape to cover the track grooves of the seat to keep the crumbs out of the tracks and grease. Clear packing tape works well and doesn't leave too much residue.

Buy aftermarket floor mats that you don't mind washing to cover the real mats. Those rubber weather mats are great for that.

Take the kid's shoes off in the car. It's a beating, no doubt, but shoes are the number one thing that my daughter tears up mom's car with.

Train your child that the car is not a kitchen on wheels. My wife let's ours eat in her car. Cheddar Goldfish and animal crackers are the bane of my existence. There is no eating in my car.

Get the a vacuum with the strongest suction you can afford, with a crevice tool (long thin suction attachment) and use it weekly. The cleaner you keep the car, the less mental fatigue you'll encounter and you'll be less likely to say, "screw it, good enough".

Keep toys in a cloth bin, and keep them soft. All toys can become projectiles. Hard plastic bins can get debris trapped underneath them and scuff up the leather.

Use only cups with lids that kids have to suck to get liquid out of, or you'll be sorry.

Wash your car as often as you can. Kids will touch the paint, try as you might to stop it, if they touch dirty paint, you've got scratches.

Lift your kids into their seat until you can't lift them any more, my 2 1/2 YO likes to climb in by herself, I cringe each time, and it's mommas car.

Whenever possible, use momma's car.

Expect some wear and tear, but defend against it with all your might.
Click to expand...


You hit the nail on the head. Try not to let food get in because all you need is one roach then you have a million. I tried to not allow food but some roaches got into my truck and now it is a constant struggle to get rid of them. Most of those thing you mention makes me feel like I'm not alone in the struggle.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
In my experience, the little one won't be causing messes until they are toddlers. I have an 11-month old boy and a 10 year old girl. The 11-month old doesn't eat/drink in the car, but the 10 yr. old is very messy. Aim4 had some really good tips, although--for me--realistically you can't control everything. This is especially true if your wife isn't particular about it like you are. I highlighted some of the best ones I have implemented or will be in the near future:

aim4squirrels said:
-303 fabric protection ANYWHERE there is cloth, carpet, fabric.
-Folex fabric cleaner is a great pair with that machine as well. Cleans stains and doesn't re-attract dirt.
-If the car seat and car has the LATCH system, use it. Less stress on the seat belt, and a more uniform compression of the vehicle's seat.
-Get a good plastic, leather and vinyl coating from AG. Lots of options. Use it early and often.
-**Set the car seat into the vehicle's seat, adjust the vehicle's seat back and forth until it's set where you want it, then use some tape to cover the track grooves of the seat to keep the crumbs out of the tracks and grease. Clear packing tape works well and doesn't leave too much residue.
-Buy aftermarket floor mats that you don't mind washing to cover the real mats. Those rubber weather mats are great for that.
-Get the a vacuum with the strongest suction you can afford, with a crevice tool (long thin suction attachment) and use it weekly.
-Use only cups with lids that kids have to suck to get liquid out of, or you'll be sorry.
-Wash your car as often as you can. Kids will touch the paint, try as you might to stop it, if they touch dirty paint, you've got scratches.
Click to expand...

**What's even better is to use a good seat protector that's fairly stiff, the thin ones will not protect your leather from stretching. They cost $25-30. Switch sides every now and then as well**

I find that training your kids to treat the car with "respect" when they get old enough is best, you will have to reiterate though. The theme here is mitigation, not total prevention. Having kids you will not have the time you had in the past to maintain the car, so try to be efficient :-)
 
Lots of great tips in here already. I clean my wife's car's interior and within a couple days it's close to trashed. I have a two year old and they're impossible to keep up with (in more ways than one). If you can convince your wife to not let food in the car, that would be best, but I haven't been that lucky.

To help preserve the seats, I got one of these seat protectors and would highly recommend it, best $20 toward the car I've probably ever spent.

http://m.target.com/p/summer-infant-elite-duomat-2-in-1-seat-protector-black/-/A-10650761

Good luck and congrats!
 
I'm strict when it comes to my kids in the car. Half of the time I make them take their shoes off or keep a spare pair in the car. That's because during winter or after going to the park they have a lot of dirt/slush on their shoes and it ends up getting in the rear AC/Heating vents.

My friend as a joke gave me a box of slippers from a hotel for people to wear when the get in my Jeep SRT8, LOL.

I also don't let them touch anything, and tell them if they want to touch stuff they can take the bus (public transit is very good in Montreal and is not regarded in the same way as it was in Phoenix).

Lastly, I don't let anyone eat drink or smoke in my Jeep SRT8, although I have broken this rule a handful of times when my kids aren't in the car and my wife and I are in a rush.

I've ever had any issues with my interior once I put these few rules into effect.
 
Drive them in a car you don't care about. You never want to get into a situation where there is stress caused by a child being a child. They will pick up that you're mental and care more about the car than them.
 
wait until they reach the age of sports... and you have to cart half of a muddy team around! You might have to give that sweet ride up for a mini-van and get the Corvette when they've graduated college.

In 1973 my dad bought one of the only two new cars in his life. A 1973 Ford Torino. Vinyl seats, vinyl floor, no power anything and no AC. It was easy to clean after the kids got out. And back then there was no such thing as child-seats... heck, the seat-belts never left the straps on the roof. (pre shoulder/lap belts.)
 
paul_g said:
wait until they reach the age of sports... and you have to cart half of a muddy team around! You might have to give that sweet ride up for a mini-van and get the Corvette when they've graduated college.

In 1973 my dad bought one of the only two new cars in his life. A 1973 Ford Torino. Vinyl seats, vinyl floor, no power anything and no AC. It was easy to clean after the kids got out. And back then there was no such thing as child-seats... heck, the seat-belts never left the straps on the roof. (pre shoulder/lap belts.)
Click to expand...

Ah yes, the good ole days before big brother took over our lives. I'm heading to Mexico in two weeks. We always laugh at the difference down there, they don't know the word lawyer, or sue or welfare. You're on your own to make your own decisions without a government telling you what's best for you.
 
trekkeruss said:
No children here, but I have a 70 lb. chow chow that I let destroy the leather of my Lexus ES. It was mostly my own fault, for not regularly cleaning the leather to keep it supple. My new (previously owned) vehicle has cloth seats, but I put on neoprene covers as insurance. I vacuum and wipe them; shampoo when they're really soiled. The floor of my Element is vinyl, and I have rubber mats over it. Again, just vacuuming and wiping is all I need to do.
Click to expand...

Can you post some pics of your chow! I love my chow chow but she's only 45lbs and keeps my car pretty clean other than all the hair!
 
With twins on the way and 2 Bernese Mountain Dogs I appreciate the tips listed. I am off to find a basic rear seat cover of some sort that will allow the two baby seats to be installed with the Latch system. Any suggestions?
 
Buy a used minivan. Ignore the finish and interior.

And never let the kids in anything else. It makes life much less stressful and insures the longevity of the kids.

Just buy a minivan new enough to have a DVD video system in it to keep them quiet on any length trip. Be prepared to listen to lots of "singing" along with the Disney DVD du jure.
 
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