The pride of working out should linger for hours. But the smell? You want that gone, pronto. After all, you may want a medal as a memento of your hard work, but you probably don’t want the reminder of it wafting up from your car seats. Here are a few tips for keeping your car fresh after even the sweatiest workout.
Hit the shower: If at all possible, take a shower (that’s a no-brainer). If you can’t shower, invest in some gym wipes and hit the hot spots. Don’t get into the car while you are still dripping with sweat. You can also change into dry clothes so the sweat doesn’t soak into your seats. Also consider sitting on a towel. If you want to get fancy, buy special seat covers designed just for keeping your car fresh when you aren’t so fresh yourself. Look for microfiber, moisture wicking designs that are machine washable. You can find a good selection in the $20 range. Get two if your budget allows.
Get to steppin’: Here is one way to keep the sweat off your car seat. Get home on your feet. If you live close enough, walk home and keep your car smelling fresh. You can also bike.
Wash often: Visit the car wash regularly. In between times, use seat wipes and don’t forget to wipe the belts while you’re at it. It may also be a good idea to keep dryer seats or Febreze on hand if you’ve let the problem get away from you. You may stop noticing the gym funk after a while, but your passengers will notice immediately.
Mind your gear as well: Avoid leaving your gym bag and sneakers in the car. At the very least remove sweaty clothes from the bag or keep them tightly wrapped in a plastic bag.
In the market for a new car? Next time make it leather seats if you can. Leather seats are a little easier to keep clean because you can wipe them off. If you have upholstery, use a bottle solution for regular cleaning and deodorizing. Scotchguard makes a number of products that protect, clean and freshen car seats and carpets.
Keeping the gym smell out of your car is easy with an extra step or two. Shower, or at least towel off, as often as possible after a workout. Walk home if you can, protect your seats with covers or clean them regularly and protect with scotchguard. Let them gym smell stay at the gym.
