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Category: Car Seats

  • Are Car Seat Covers Safe

    Are car seat covers safe to be used? There are many types of custom car seat covers and car seat protectors available in the market. Some of them are available at very cheap price while some of them come with a high price tag. Regardless of the quality and durability, you should really consider about the safety when it comes to buying a car seat cover or strap covers.

    Car Seat Cover Safety Considerations

    infant car seat covers safe
    Generally, any aftermarket products sold separately from your infant car seat are not recommended to be used. Whether a seat cover or strap cover, it may affect the safety of your infant seat during a crash. Although many products come with a label saying crash tested, there is no way to tell how a car seat cover will change how the seat performs during a crash. It could be safe if it is a minor crash but it could be dangerous if the car crash is serious.

    Non-regulated inserts

    Non-regulated inserts such as head rest, pillows, and other comfort items are not recommended to be used with infant seats. Many of these items will affect the passenger. These items could push the passenger out of safe position and may cause serious injury. In a nutshell, use rolled up blankets other than non-regulated inserts to give extra support in an infant car seat if it is necessary.

    Car Seat Protectors

    Most of the car seats come with gripe texture. Often, they are very firm and the gripe may loose if an aftermarket car seat covers is installed. Normally a good infant car seat will not damage your vehicle seat because they are well made. However, a think blanket or towel can be safe to use if you are concerned about spills and dirt. Double check your owner’s manual or call your manufacturer to confirm what is allowed. Usually a think towel or blanket will not affect the safety of your infant seat.

    Custom Car Seat Covers

    Custom car seat covers might look cute but often they are not safe to be used except those made by the manufacturer. Custom car seat covers may interfere with harness fit and change the distance and speed the head and chest travel in crash. Therefore, they are not recommended to be used. Call the manufacturer or check online to see if they are selling seat covers for your model. Also, do not forget to check with the manufacturer if the car seat covers safe for airbags vehicles.

    Other than safety concerns, there are advantages of using car seat covers. For example, it protects your seat from spills and grime. Whether or not a car seat is good depends on your specific situation. In conclusion, are car seat covers safe? The answer is very much depends on your specific situation.

  • How to Get Cigarette Smell out of a Car

    Do you know how to get cigarette smell out of a car without spending any money? It is important to know this if you are a used car dealer. Nobody wants to buy a car with cigarette smell or tobacco odors. It is vital to get rid of it before a potential buyer view the car. It is also important to know this tip if you hate the cigarette smell in your car or you have just quit smoking. Whether you are a smoker or non-smoker, it has nothing to lose learn these ways to get the smell of smoke out of your car. Most of these are cheap ways to get rid of cigarette smell in your car. You can Do-It-Yourself (DIY) easily. So, get rid of that smell today!

    10 Ways to Completely Get Cigarette Smell out of Your Car

    cigarette smoke

    1. Throw away the source of cigarette smell

    If there are tobacco odors, cigarette butts or cigarette ashes left on your car seat or carpet, cigarette smell will stay in your car regardless of how many times you clean your car. Throw all the unwanted rubbish and never leave an ashtray in your car. Vacuum your carpet and entire interior include underneath of both front car seat. Make sure there is no cigarette ashes left.

    2. Wipe your dashboard

    Smoke is easy to settle on your dashboard. Use shampoo with wet towel to wipe your dashboard. Apply dashboard dresser once the dashboard is completely clean. Do not forget about washing the door panels, air-conditioning vents and all buttons on your car. Alternatively, you can wipe your dashboard with vinegar and water if you like the natural way.
    car dashboard

    3. Brush your seats and carpets

    Remove the carpets out of your car and brush them with shampoo. Put it back to your car when you make sure there is no cigarette odor left on it. As for the seats, it will be perfect if you can remove it and wash them completely. See also: Types of car windows tinting.

    4. Clean the seat with baking soda

    Baking soda is a very useful thing when it comes to cleaning the fabric interiors. It is cheap to buy and available almost everywhere. You can use it with rag or toothbrush to clean your seat, door panels, or carpets.
    baking soda

    5. Leave your car under sun for a day

    Once you have cleaned up everything inside your car. Leave all the car doors open and park the car under hot sun for a day. Alternatively, leave the window open and let the air circulate inside your car.
    Car under hot sun to get rid of cigarette smell

    6. Buy a new air freshener

    Air fresheners definitely help to get rid of cigarette smell from your car. Once everything is cleaned, place an air freshener near to your A/C vents. See also: Where can I virtually customize my car.

    7. Use Charcoal

    If you don’t like the word “Buy”, get a few pieces of charcoal and place them under your seats. Charcoal absorbs unpleasant odors and moisture naturally. It is very good to place one or two at places that don’t get much air circulation and car is one to be mentioned. They are cheap and can be found almost everywhere.

    8. Use natural flowers, leaves or coffee bean

    Place an adequate amount of coffee grounds inside your car for a few days and the cigarette smell will definitely gone. Try natural flowers or leaves if you don’t like the smell of ground coffee. Pandan leaves, Lavender, lemongrass, Buddleia and Daphne are few great example of natural way to get cigarette smell out of a car.
    Panda Leaves eliminate cigarette smell out of car

    9. Replace cabin air filter

    It is recommended to replace the cabin air filter every 12,000-15,000 miles (19,000-24,000km). Replace a new one and you will smell the difference. There are many aftermarket manufacturer offers charcoal cabin air filter, you can consider changing it.

    10. Replace your carpet or floor mat

    It will be good to replace your car mats if they are too old. A set or brand new car mats will not have any tobacco smells. Last but not least, not to forget to see what your car says about you.

    Although there are many ready-made products to eliminate cigarette smell out of a car, we still support the natural ways. Natural ways are cheap (or even free) and available almost everywhere. That’s how to get cigarette smell out of a car for free.