Give Your Car a Face Lift With New Carpeting
Many people are mindful of how tidy they keep their vehicles. From floor mates to custom car carpet and leather seats, there are many features inside vehicles that tend to attract dust and other debris. That doesn’t even include the air pollution drifting in through the windows, infecting the air inside a car or truck. But did you know that vehicles are actually typically dirtier than homes, or that the lane you drive in could impact the quality of air in your car or truck? What about the carpet in your vehicle? Did you know you can purchase replacement carpet to keep your ride looking brand new?
Let’s start with air quality. There’s nothing worse than getting stuck behind a mammoth of a truck spewing thick clouds of smelly black smoke. You know the kind we’re talking about. Not only does it linger, but it can drastically impact the quality of the air in your car. In fact, studies have found that the environment inside cars and trucks can actually be two to 10 times more polluted that casual breezes over the freeway. That’s why many experts recommend avoiding driving behind diesel trucks or cars. To be safe, it’s best to drive in the carpool lane whenever possible because the air is actually 30 to 50 percent cleaner.
Next, it’s no secret that the inside of a car or truck is a hotbed for dust and other debris, especially for families with children. For one reason or another, vehicles just don’t tend to get cleaned out as often as, say, a living room or bedroom. Because of this, one study by the GAP Enviromicribial Services found that vehicles are consistently dirtier than homes, and often have 17,000 times more bacteria. Unsurprisingly, vehicles that regularly transported children were found to be dirtier and have more bacteria. Also, vehicles with a lot of food crumbs and drink spills were also dirtier and had greater numbers of bacteria. When you consider the fact that an estimated 70 percent of drivers in America eat or drink while driving, this shouldn’t be too surprising. Seems a simple way to boost the cleanliness of a vehicle would be to cease consuming food or beverages while driving.
Lastly, there’s no way to avoid getting debris on interior carpets. Just the everyday act of climbing in and out of a car can track unwanted dirt and debris inside. Over time, all that debris gets ground into the carpets. Because of this, many automobile experts recommend splurging on replacement carpet every 10 years.
What do you think? Do you have any useful tips on maintaining a vehicle? Is new flooring or replacement carpet worthwhile? What about truck mats or floor mats?