5 Tips to Keep Sand Out of Your Car

Everybody loves summertime trips to the beach, but no one loves the accompanying sandy mess that descends on your car’s interior once you start the trek back home.

Here are five ways to keep sand out of your car and back where it belongs — on the beach.

1. Do The Shake

Traditional beach blankets are too big and bulky to easily shake out. Instead, use oversized beach towels, which shake out much easier. Better yet, use a beach chair and relax in style, while collecting much less sand than your towel would. Before you get into the car, shake out any clothing that was worn on the beach, empty out pockets and comb that hair. If you want to keep sand out of your car, you’ve got to get it out of whatever you bring into the car, so don’t be afraid to shake hard!

2. Line The Trunk

Cut open a large plastic bag and use it to line the trunk. It’s so easy to gather it up and toss the whole thing into the trash when you get home. Or, line the trunk with an old sheet and just shake it out and wash it when you’re done.

3. Rethink Your Beach Bag

Most of us tote our beach gear in big canvas bags, which unfortunately, have lots of nooks and crannies to trap beach sand. Keep sand out of your car by switching to a mesh bag that can be rinsed at the outdoor showers or with your own water jug. You can also enclose your tote in a plastic garbage bag before setting it down to protect it from collecting sand to begin with.

4. Just Brush It Off

While it’s easy to line the trunk, you can’t line every surface of the interior. Here are a few ways to remove sand from your body before you get in to the car.

Use a soft bristle brush to remove sand from crevices in the soles of your shoes and to scrub off stubborn sand from your feet.

Keep a spare jug of water and fresh towels in the car to wash off sand that accumulated on your legs and feet during the return from the beach. Or you can sprinkle common corn starch or talcum powder generously on sandy skin, then wipe gently with a fresh towel to help remove the sand from more sensitive spots. Do-it-yourselfers can even cut a 6 x 6-inch square from an old flannel shirt to use as an applicator: put a dollop of corn starch in the center of the square, gather the material up around the cornstarch and secure with a string or rubber band. Keep the pouch in the car, and then brush skin with the cornstarch pouch before getting in.

Baby wipes are also a convenient way to wipe off sticky hands and feet, especially if you’re worried about tar or other goo that can really latch onto the sand.

5. Don’t Forget The Extra-Large Plastic Garbage Bags

Use trash bags to hold any wet sandy items, clothing or towels. They have multiple uses, and you can even stash your beach chair in one. Try tucking one between the seats and wet towels to keep moist bathing suits off the upholstery.

Check out all the interior products available on NAPA Online or trust one of our 17,000 NAPA AutoCare locations for routine maintenance and repairs. If you have questions about how to keep sand out of your car chat with a knowledgeable expert at your local NAPA AUTO PARTS store.

Photo courtesy of morgueFile.