If You Kept a Plastic Bottle in Your Car, Don’t Drink from It

Leaving your valuables or a chocolate bar in a car is a no-brainer, but there are other things people often overlook. Here’s what to watch out for before leaving your car.

Number one is aerosol cans: hairspray, deodorant, spray paint, household cleaner, and sorts. On the back of these cans, you might notice a storage temperature recommendation. Well, stick to that. Here’s what can happen. Since these cans are pressurized, they become more sensitive to temperature. What’s inside the aerosol may expand, and this may result in a crack. And then, the can can blow up. Temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit are already alarming. And it can easily get as hot as that in your car on a warm summer day.

Researchers from the USA have figured out how long it takes a car to turn into a “sweat factory” on a hot day. Within 1 hour, the insides of a car parked in the sun reaches 95 degrees Fahrenheit or hotter, with an average of 116 degrees Fahrenheit. So, if you want your car in one piece and running, take aerosol cans with you.

The second item is sunscreen. Sunscreen is vital for your skin since it decreases the risk of skin complications and prevents skin aging caused by the sun. This includes wrinkles, sagging, and age spots. But when you leave sunscreen in your car, it gets exposed to high temperatures, and it can ultimately shorten its shelf life. If you end up finding a spoilt sunscreen, you might notice a funny smell when you open the cap. Plus, the heat might cause the cap to open, and the sticky substance will get all over the car. The same rule applies to lipsticks and other cosmetics as well.

The next one is plastic bottles. There are two reasons why you shouldn’t leave them inside your car. Firstly, a plastic water bottle can act as a lens, magnifying the sun’s rays and starting a fire. A Fire Department in Oklahoma conducted an experiment and confirmed that the danger of fire was real. David Richardson from that department says that it can happen if the beam of light is focused enough. The second reason is related to your health. Many plastic bottles contain bisphenol, a potentially toxic compound. The BPA levels can increase at high temperatures, and that can be harmful to your body. There’s a chance that this chemical can get into your drink after you leave the bottle inside the vehicle.

Oh, and batteries! They can lose their capacity to work at full power when they are left abandoned in the car. You can buy a new pair and fix this problem, but it won’t be as easy to solve the problem of leakage or a rupture. It can be bad for your health because battery acid is dangerous when inhaled and highly corrosive. The reason for leakage is again related to high temperatures. Battery manufacturers recommend keeping their products at room temperature.

This fact is partially related to batteries: it’s about electronics. Have you ever realized how hot your phone can get when it’s exposed to the sun? You’re driving and, let’s say, looking at the GPS on your phone. Even in this situation, your phone can heat up. What will happen to it after hours of sun exposure? Phone companies are strongly against customers leaving their devices in vehicles because they might shut down, get damaged, or — you know, boom!

Personal belongings are another priority on the list. A wallet or a handbag may come to one’s mind first. Yet, a passport or even some change you leave near the passenger seat is sometimes enough to attract a thief. Better to keep such stuff out of sight — for example, by storing it in the trunk instead of leaving it in the backseat.

Number 7 is also related to theft. Life can be too hectic sometimes, and it’s understandable if you can’t clean your car frequently. But leaving garbage in the car is another mistake. Thieves tend to search for messy-looking cars. They think that the owner doesn’t use such a vehicle frequently.

How about plants? I know it isn’t that common to keep plants in the car on a daily basis, but sometimes you need to move them. The heat inside the vehicle can easily dehydrate the poor thing.

Medications are another thing you shouldn’t keep in the car for too long. The constantly changing temperatures inside the vehicle can decrease the effectiveness of your pills. Authorities recommend keeping most medications at 59 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit in a cool and dry place.

Important documents that contain your personal data shouldn’t be left in the vehicle either. Some examples of such documents are tax forms, financial statements, and school transcripts. A thief could commit fraud or identity theft using this valuable information.

...And there’s also food and drinks. Experts recommend not leaving groceries or leftovers in a warm car for more than two hours — or only an hour when it’s over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The same rule applies in the winter too.

Canned foods, for example, have a high risk of going bad. If a can of sweet peas, let’s say, gets frozen in the car, the effect will be similar to what would happen to a soda. Let it thaw in the refrigerator instead of leaving it at room temperature. If the product doesn’t look or smell normal, throw it away in a place where not even an animal can find it. Don’t try to taste it; just trust your other senses. If the item seems rusted or there are some cracks in the can, it should end up in the trash too.

Eggs are another example. Normally, eggs shouldn’t be frozen. But let’s suppose you forgot one grocery bag in the trunk of the car, and the weather was so cold at night that the eggs got frozen. Keep the eggs in the refrigerator before use. They should be hard-cooked — it’s your only option. You see, freezing causes the yolk to become thick and syrup-like. It loses that natural flow and doesn’t mix well with other ingredients.

You shouldn’t leave your pets alone in the car — obviously. And not just because of a potential rise in temperature! They will feel uncomfortable without you, their best friend, accompanying them. In their frustration, they might do something to get noticed, which can be, for example, ruining the interior of the vehicle.

Now let’s return to the winter season again. If possible, keep the gas tank of your car over half full. This can prevent the petrol lines from freezing. It also makes it easier to start the engine and hit the road in the morning. While keeping an eye on the fuel bar, it might be a good idea to glance at the tire pressure too. The cold can result in tire pressure drops.

Not only high but also low temperatures can damage some items. A good example is paint cans. They should be quickly taken out of the vehicle in the winter. The ingredients in the paint can experience expansion, separation, and clumping due to the cold. In other words, you won’t be able to use this paint anymore.

Weather also affects wooden musical instruments, like violins or guitars. Changes in temperature and humidity can cause wooden instruments to warp, crack, or split.

Glasses get affected by fluctuating temperatures too. In a hot car, plastic frames can bend. Or plastic can become brittle when it’s very cold. This makes glasses more prone to breaking.

Don’t leave house keys and garage door openers inside the car. This is an everyday practice for many people, but it’s risky. They can get into the wrong hands.

To listen to music, most people connect their phones to the car or listen to the radio. CDs are getting less and less used these days. But don’t leave them in the car anyway. They might get warped, and you won’t be able to use them anymore. Can you think of any other item you shouldn’t leave in the car?