3 Reasons to Use an Indoor Car Cover on Your Garaged Car

Writer John Linden

Many of us are lucky enough to have an enclosed area or structure set aside for storing our vehicles. However, many wrongfully assume that these storage spaces offer all the protection a car will need. The truth is that while a garage can protect your vehicle from the worst of the wear and tear caused by nature, it can’t fully stop the elements (or fate) from taking its toll.

If you want to truly protect your car to the best of your ability, you will need to look into various types of car covers. Even when utilizing a garage for storage, these covers will help to increase the lifespan of your vehicle. To bring home this point, we are going to cover the 3 major hazards your car will still likely be subjected to in your garage (or any indoor location) and thus why a car cover should be used in almost all storage situations. In the end, you should not only understand the importance of a car cover, but you should also better understand what to look out for when storing your car.

Moisture

Moisture will find its way into your garage one way or another. Any metal or chrome surfaces on your vehicle will handle moisture poorly and the build up of moisture will very quickly cause rust or discoloration. While keeping the area dry and spot checking your car helps, it's nearly impossible to catch all spots where moisture may be gathering.

This problem is exponentially worse for those who live near salt water. The salt will do all kinds of damage to every exposed surface of your vehicle. A combination of occasional sun and salt will eradicate your car’s finish in no time. The same goes for general corrosion. Salt helps to accelerate the corrosion caused by the pooling of water in the same areas typically at risk.

While keeping the vehicle indoors will stop most water from collecting and the paint from absorbing a good amount of the salt water moisture -it cannot prevent all of it. Getting yourself a nice breathable indoor car cover will ensure that moisture is prevented from building up on your vehicle, and is allowed to dissipate when it does get inside.

Pollen, Dust, and Dirt

Unless your garage exists outside Earth’s atmosphere -you are going to have to deal with dirt and dust (plus, the other nearby planets are quite dusty themselves). Anytime, you have a windy day or someone turns on a leaf blower there is going to be obvious debris in the air; but even on a perfectly calm day, your car will be collecting dust.

In many regions certain seasons mean that pollen may pile up in every exposed nook and cranny of your home and car. This pollen will finds its way indoors, even in only the smallest amounts.

Kids, pets, and even careful adults all carry dirt around with them. Touching the car or even picking up a nearby towel can leave trace amounts of dirt on the windows and paint.

So what? You ask. It’s only dirt and dust. Right? Well all of these tiny particles covering your vehicle will not only look gross and dim your car’s colors, they are also abrasive. All of these pieces of dirt and dust will get smudged and pushed around which will rub away the sheen and more quickly deteriorate most surfaces on your vehicle. It’s a game of inches, but when you are talking storage policies over multiple years, these little micro-abrasions add up.

An indoor car cover will help shield your vehicle from the build up of dust and pollen -greatly enhancing the longevity of your vehicles exterior surfaces.

Damage from Items and Activities in your Garage

It is unlikely that bird droppings or Frisbees will damage your vehicle while it sits snugly in your garage. But what about those items up on the shelves? The people walking through the garage, carrying tools or groceries? Any items that may be accidentally leaned up or brushed up against the car? If you live or work anywhere near the inside of your garage the chances of you occasionally brushing up against or bumping the car are great.

The potential for hazard is even worse, if you use your garage as a workspace. Woodchips, sparks, and -let’s say- dropped hammers can all take their unique toll on your car.

A cover made to protect your vehicle from bumps and scratches may negate a huge percentage of this type of damage.

Turn Using a Car Cover into a Habit

The point is that it doesn’t matter whether you are storing your vehicle inside or outdoors, you should use a cover designed to prevent the most likely sources of damage for your climate and circumstances.

The more you make it a habit, the more natural it will feel. The more natural it feels, the more often you will do it and the longer your vehicles will stay looking beautiful and undamaged.

Image Credits: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2011-01-30_Covered_car_in_parking_deck_(far).jpg
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/395797