3 Ways to Keep Your Car Cool

Recently, social media has been flooded with videos highlighting the inhumanity of leaving a child or pet inside a car during the summer. Until recently, some parents and pet owners could not see the harm in a 10-minute sauna-session within a car's interior. Research has shown that a car's temperature can rise by 19 degree Fahrenheit in only 10 minutes. Within an hour, a car's interior can exceed that of the outside by over 40 degrees! Though most people now understand the dangers this poses to their loved ones, temperatures can still rise enough to melt CD cases, discolour dashboards, and affect any electronics or valuables you may be storing within the car's interior. Read on for some strategies to help keep your car cool. 

Why do car interiors heat up so quickly?

Some people think of this effect as being a large-scale version of frying ants under a magnifying glass, but the reality is quite different. Sunlight enters the car through the windows as short-wave energy which is then absorbed by the vehicle's interior, before being bounced back as long-wave infrared radiation. While the sunlight's infrared light can pass through the glass on its way in, it cannot escape back the way it came. This heat, now trapped, causes the car's interior to rise drastically in what is essentially a greenhouse effect.

What can I do to decrease the temperature of my car's interior?

• Seek shade – This common-sense solution limits your car's direct exposure to sunlight, preventing its temperature from rising as a result of infrared rays.
  
• Make your own shade – If a shady parking spot is not an option, you can make your own with car shades. Foil-faced reflective shades can cool your car significantly because they reflect heat.
  
• Tint your windows – Many reputable tinting services exist that can provide you with a stylish and functional tint. Tinted windows alternately absorb or reflect UV light, keeping your car cool and your interior unaffected.