9 Easy Ways To Stay Cool This Summer

Unfortunately, the long-anticipated summer sun can have the ill effect of turning our cars into saunas. Here are a few ways to help you beat the heat, and reduce the load on your AC.

A classic expression of freedom is the spontaneous road trip, especially in the summer when the roads are dry and I can stop along the way, get out of my car and explore. The only drawback to summertime road trips is the blast of painfully uncomfortable heat that hits me whenever I have to get into my car after it’s been parked in the sun for any amount of time. Not only does the heat transform every surface into a potential hazard (scalds, burns, too-hot-to-touch) but UV rays will eventually damage my car’s interior.

The thing about a car in summer is that it acts exactly the same way a greenhouse does. Solar rays easily pass through the windows and warm up your vehicle’s interior, and the heat given off by your upholstery and furnishings is known as “radiant” heat. These radiant heat waves are longer wavelengths than the solar rays you started with, so they do not easily pass through the glass to escape. This “greenhouse effect” causes your interior to get hotter and hotter the longer you keep it in the sun. If you opt for a simple shoulders back window tint, you get heat reduction and increased comfort for pennies on the dollar.

Check out our full price list right here. Ready for an appointment? Just give us a shout.

A fabric or upholstered dash cover is easy to store in your trunk, and will protect your cars interior from the heat, making the environment more comfortable. Folding dash covers are inexpensive and will block much of the sunlight from getting through the windshield, vinyl from cracking and fading due to sun damage.

This trick is low tech, and I’ve used this many times at an impromptu stop. Covering up your steering wheel with a towel will prevent your steering wheel from becoming a burn station. There’s nothing worse than getting into a hot car, and not being able to drive the car into some shade, because the wheel is too hot to touch.

This is obvious, but whenever possible, park in a shady area. If you’re going to be somewhere for an extended period of time, it’s a reasonable trade to park a bit further out of your way and accept the walk than it is to park in the full blast of the sun.

As your cars interior heats up, you risk melting or irreversibly damaging items like CDs, electronic devices, makeup, or snacks. These items are best beneath a seat, in the trunk or glove box. The towel trick also works to protect these things from some of the heat.

If you have a garage at home, use it. When you’re in town, it’s sometimes worth the extra few dollars to take advantage of public garage parking. Additionally, most garages have security, so your car will stay cool- and safe.

Ventilating your car is a sure-fire way to lower the inside temperature on a hot day. If you’re out in public, you don’t want to leave your windows all the way open, so crack all of your windows a bit for cross-ventilation and check to make sure that you can’t fit an arm inside.

This handy invention keeps your car cool on those hot days, especially when paired with cracked windows, a solar-powered fan creates circulation and air movement, which lowers the interior temperature of your car.

Preventing the discomfort of sitting on a vinyl or leather seat after it’s baked in direct sunlight is worth the minor inconvenience of touting a towel or blanket around. After you’ve parked, throw a blanket over the driver’s seat, protecting it from direct sunlight, then when you’re ready to go, simply store the blanket under the seat.

Hopefully, this article has shown you a few ways to keep cool and comfortable this summer. If you have any questions about how automotive window films will work for you, or would like a free quote, just give us a shout – we’d love to chat.