If Your Car Has Bumper Stickers, Remove Them Immediately

Bumper stickers on your car give away way more information than you think! That custom sticker you made with your dog might show robbers that you’re pretty outdoorsy — and like to spend a lot of time away from your house or your car, leaving them exposed. Or that you have enough funds to buy a really expensive dog breed.

The fact that you have a sticker saying you have a kid on board could translate to: “I’m easily distracted, and I always have my hands full. It’s really easy to steal my car.” Those stickers that you bring from vacation and place on your car also show that you might be away for a couple of months at a time or that you like to travel long distances.

If you’re proud of your family’s activities, don’t use bumper stickers to show it, it might lure in unwanted people and give them unnecessary information: like the name of the college you go to or where you like to golf. It’s the same if you’re a part of a certain profession: thieves can easily assume how many valuables they can find in your car by the amount of money they presume you make. Parking decals can even show where you work or live, which is something you should never share with strangers. The more your car is personalized, the more you’ll be remembered. It’s not always a bad thing, but if you ever offend someone in traffic, they’ll be more inclined to report you to authorities if you have a custom license plate, a quirky color on your car, or a lot of stickers.

If you don’t intend to keep your car forever, you should consider what it will be like before selling it. A lot of bumper stickers on a car can steer buyers away. Not to mention it’s a real hustle to remove those decals, since they leave a lot of sticky residues behind. They can also damage the car’s paint layer.

However, one sticker that can keep thieves away is one suggesting you have an alarm or tracking system set up in your car. You should never keep electronics in your car for longer periods of time. First, they can attract unwanted attention from people looking for easy money. Not to mention leaving your phone or your charger at extreme temperatures can damage them permanently.

The fact that you use sunscreen every day is really praiseworthy, just remember not to leave the bottle in the car. Leaving sunscreen exposed to the sun can reduce its effects, since overheating causes the chemicals to “de-activate”. Specialists recommend that sunscreen be stored at temperatures below 77º Fahrenheit.

You should even keep those driving glasses of yours away from direct sunlight. Make sure you place them in your glove box or take them with you when exiting the vehicle. Exposure to direct sunlight can damage the lenses and the plastic or metal frame, damaging their fit and efficiency against sun rays.

If you’ve ever bought hairspray, spray paint, or deodorant you’ve probably noticed all these cans have storage temperature recommendations printed on them. That’s why you should never leave them exposed to extreme temperatures in your car. These bottles can rapidly expand and explode. Not to mention their contents can be highly flammable.

Try not to leave a plastic water bottle in your car either. If it’s been sitting in the heat, you could end up consuming harmful substances like BPA — a chemical compound used in manufacturing various types of plastics. They can transfer from the plastic into the water after some time. That’s why bottled water even has an expiry date on it.

It’s not like water can expire, it’s written there, so you know the date up until the water is safe to consume, safe from the chemicals in the plastic. More so, a water bottle left on the seat of a car in direct sunlight, can act as a magnifying glass for the sun’s rays and become flammable.

If you want to make sure your groceries are safe to consume, never leave them out at an unsafe temperature. Whenever you have to buy perishable groceries, leave them in temperatures above 40º Fahrenheit for no longer than two hours, or just one hour when the temperature is above 90º Fahrenheit. Best if you buy meats or dairy last from your grocery list, that way you get home faster and rapidly store them in your fridge.

Even in the colder season, you should never let beverages unattended in your car. Water, juice, or soda can expand in their containers if frozen and cause a huge mess.

I know it’s way more comfortable to throw your damp clothes in a bag after leaving the sauna or the swimming pool. Just make sure not to leave them for way too long in your car. Those clothes can easily gather mold or bacteria that can get stuck inside tiny places in your car. Not to mention you won’t be able to wear them again. Hang them up to dry as soon as you get home to avoid damaging them.

Hey, having fresh breath is something that I always worry about too, especially when I’m on the road. But I always skip the usual pack of gum, since it can become gooey and stick to things in my car, especially when left in the scorching heat. It’s not good in the winter either, since it can become frozen solid, making it flavorless and dangerous to your pearly whites. Best to opt for gumdrops if you really need to keep something minty in your car.

Your handbag is one of those things you should never leave unattended in your car either. We often store valuables in our bags, like the keys to our houses or our wallets, so it’s best to make sure you never leave them in your car to potentially attract thieves. If you need to leave it there, place it in the trunk, it’s less visible for most cars.

Your car shouldn’t be a safe place for your important documents. Either shred or mail them as soon as you can. If your car were to be broken into, your contracts or tax forms might expose vulnerable information about your life. Most people leave documents facing up on their passenger seat, which makes them even more readable for curious people. Wax crayons are useful during longer trips to keep youngsters entertained, but it’s safer to remove them from the car or place them in an airtight box as soon as you arrive at the destination. These art supplies melt easily and can stain your seats.

Always plan your trip in advance if you intend to buy houseplants. If you know you won’t be heading home straight after, make sure you purchase sturdy plants. Even mild temperatures of 45°F-50°F can wilt away delicate plants within the hour.

More so, if its leaves touch the windows, the cold glass might ruin the foliage. Even if it’s a bigger plant, don’t transport it in the trunk or let them stick outside the window. And if it’s really cold outside, make sure you warm up your vehicle before placing the plants in.

Always make sure to drive with your shoes on, no matter how short the distance is — or how hot it is outside. You might have to brake rapidly and find yourself unable to apply enough force with a bare foot. More so, if there’s an emergency, and you need to step out of the car, you might hurt your feet or waste time putting your shoes back on.

If you like to travel with your bike or your scooter attached to your vehicle, you need to take special care of those pneumatic tires — those that are air-filled and need a pump to inflate. They’re also on the list of things not to leave in the car on a sunny day.

That’s because the extreme heat can cause the air inside the tires to expand, at times even resulting in a blowout. Those high temperatures can also weaken the rubber, making you more exposed to a flat tire.