How to Protect Leather Car Seats... From Dirt, Spills, Scratches & Fur
Over the years, leather is becoming more popular for the interior design of vehicles. From the dashboard to the luxurious heated seats, leather is a great way to showcase a certain sense of achievement in your life.
Unfortunately, leather seats also come with a lot more responsibility. You will quickly learn that leather needs to be taken care of to stay in good condition. With proper conditioning and protection from UV rays, you’ll have bright, long-lasting leather for years to come.
What many people don’t consider is that this also includes keeping your dogs away from the sensitive material, as their claws can puncture the fabric, and dirt stains can rub away at the color over time.
In this article, you will learn how to protect leather car seats from your dog, and why it matters. Even if your seats are already damaged, there’s always time to learn and prevent any more mishaps and maintain the value of your vehicle.
How to Protect Leather Car Seats
It’s no secret that leather is quickly becoming one of the top choices for seat materials. (1) As one of the fastest growing markets, it’s important that users go into the deal with knowledge about how to take care of the material.
“Auto makers tripled their use of leather from 1982 to 1992, according to a trade group, Leather Industries of America. Demand doubled again in the next five years, and the trend is accelerating.” -NYTimes.com
One of the best ways you can protect your leather car seats from pets is to cover them with a layer of padded defense, such as the truck seat cover or hammock from 4Knines. Multi-layer quilted construction is not only comfortable for your dog, but it also protects your seats from spills, wear and tear, sharp claws, and harmful UV rays.
Is Covering Leather Seats Safe?
Yes, covering leather seats with either blankets or seat covers is safe. These materials won’t harm the leather, and it provides an extra layer of defense against anxious four-legged passengers that might be tempted to paw at the cushioning.
What Can Damage Leather Car Seats?
There are a lot of things that can damage leather car seats over time. Everything from the wrong cleaning solution to dirt and dust can add a noticeable amount of wear. You should also avoid exposing your leather seats to excessive sunlight or heat, as the UV rays and high temperature can break down the seat and make it peel or feel brittle to the touch.
The biggest factor of them all, however, is pets and children. All kinds of mishaps can happen when mixing these and leather, which is why it is so important to learn how to protect leather car seats properly.
What Material Is Best for Leather Seats?
When covering leather seats with another material, it’s important to ensure the material doesn’t stick. You want a fabric with just enough grip to allow comfortable seating without it sticking and damaging the material. It is also important to choose colorfast material that will not bleed color on to the seats. Polyester blends tend to be the most popular choice, like 4Knines’ durable seat covers.
What’s the Best Dog Seat Cover for Leather Seats?
Largely because of the rising cost of doggy daycare, as well as a growing desire to bring Fido along on the upcoming family vacation, a lot of pet owners are turning away from boarding their furry friends when they travel. (2) Because of the growing number of dog-friendly businesses, many people are beginning to take their dogs to work for a little companionship while they go about their day.
“While an exact number of pets on business trips isn't tracked, the American Pet Products Association says that almost a quarter of pet owners take their dog along when traveling for two nights or more.”
- Entrepreneur
For many dogs (and dog owners) however, the trip to and from work can be a difficult one. Full of anxiety and travel worries, dogs tend to scratch and paw nervously or they may pace back and forth due to excitement. Protect your leather car seats with 4Knines’ seat covers that include multiple designs fit for many major makes and models.
4Knines Truck Seat Covers Protect Against Dirt, Spills, Scratches, and Fur
Finding the perfect truck seat covers to accommodate both you and your pet doesn’t have to be difficult. With 4Knines, you can travel easily knowing the durable, multi-layer construction will keep your truck in great condition no matter what your dog brings into your life. These pet products are made for dogs, by dog lovers.
Whether it's mud, accidents, nervous scratching, or excessive shedding, 4Knines’ truck seat covers are the most durable - yet affordable - pet-approved truck seat covers on the market. There’s something for all your truck needs, from crew cab bench covers to bucket seat front covers and the Floor Hammock™ covers.
Choosing Universal VS. Custom Seat Covers
Custom seat covers have become more popular in recent years as car owners try to make their seat covers look like the real deal. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to make your seat covers look like the seats themselves. It can also be pricey, as the seats must be measured and made to order, rather than pumped out on a mass-production scale.
Once you get custom seat covers, you may also find that they don’t stand up to wear and tear from your pets as well, especially if you have a rambunctious dog or one that is prone to anxiety during travel.
Overall, there are many seat covers with a universal fit that can protect your leather seat covers far better than a custom fit just because of the materials used and the multi-layer construction.
The materials and construction create a more durable and pleasing appearance than the overall fit, so it is better to go with a universal seat cover that is known to fit your vehicle’s make and model.
Seat Covers Don’t Just Protect the Leather
A lot of people believe that the only purpose of seat covers is to protect the leather underneath the cover from punctures and scratches. Seat covers provide protection for a wide range of problems in the vehicle from crumbs to stains, spills, and dog fur.
Many seat covers are also chosen for their padding, as it adds a layer of comfort to the seat that might not have been present from the standard seat mold. Added padding to the seat is especially beneficial for long car trips with extended periods of driving, or if you commute to work every day.
Besides protecting the seat itself, seat covers also help keep the vehicle looking put-together and appealing. You will also find that they protect your skin during extreme weather, keeping a layer between the hot and cold leather. Furthermore, covers are easier to clean than the bare seat, and if you are using a seat cover meant for dogs, chances are you can throw it in the wash without any trouble.
Protecting Your Leather Seats from Your Dog Is No Small Task
Especially if you have a rambunctious or anxious dog on your hands, it can be a difficult task to protect your leather seats. If you like to take your dog out on vacation with you, or out on hikes, you know how difficult it can be to let them in after they’ve taken a dive into the nearby bog or gotten sprayed by a skunk. That smell – not to mention any stains that come along with it – are impossible to get out of the seat.
While leather is more impervious to collecting odors than fabric, it is much more difficult to repair if you find any accidental claw marks or punctures. Leather also tends to dry out when it receives a lot of wear, which means you should be conditioning the leather twice as much as a dog owner as you were before. If the seats aren’t conditioned enough, they can become brittle and crack.
Not Certain of the Seat Cover Fit for Your Vehicle?
There are a lot of universal seat covers out there that all look different, so how do you know which one is the right choice for your seat?
First, it’s important to take a look at your vehicle and understand the different seat types. Once you know the types of seats you have, you can better search for a seat cover.
There are three main types of seats that you will find in any vehicle. The first is a bucket seat, which is the standard single seat found in cars and other vehicles with a two-passenger front cab with a console in the center.
The second is a full crew cab back that many newer models of trucks have available. Depending on your vehicle’s model, you can lift the back seats to accommodate a truck hammock.
The most common type of rear seat in cars, trucks, and SUVs is a bench seat. A straight bench rear seat does not have seats that can raise. In some SUVs these seat backs can fold down in a 60/40 split and some seats have a middle armrest that can fold down.
Best of all, there are even temporary seat covers and hammocks that can fit your vehicle without giving up functionality. 4Knines’ patented design comes in a range of styles to fit most vehicles, and still allows the seat belt buckle to thread through the waterproof mat so that passengers can buckle in quickly without removing the entire hammock.
3 Other Simple Ways to Protect Your Leather Seats from Pets
By far, the best way to protect your leather seats from your dog is to cover it up with a heavy-duty dog-resistant seat cover. There are so many ways you can protect your leather car seats that doesn’t involve covering up the luxurious leather and hiding it from view.
First, depending on the type of vehicle you are traveling in, you can always place your dog’s crate in the cargo area and let them sleep the drive away in their crate. Confining your pooch to the crate is one of the safest ways to keep them preoccupied during the drive. This ensures you stay distraction-free and they don’t move around too much during the drive. Dogs all have their individual preferences, however, and it’s important to make sure they feel comfortable and safe in their crate before doing this.
Secondly, you may also consider providing them with their own car seat. This is best for small dogs, as it can be difficult to find a large enough car seat for a larger breed. Once they are in their car seat, they should be leashed in a way that allows them freedom of movement but limits their access to the seats.
Finally, another way you can protect your leather seats from pets if you have a crew cab truck is to lift the seats and install a pet hammock, allowing them to roam around on the protected floorboard of the vehicle, rather than be in contact with any of the seats. It is also important to keep your leather conditioned and polished to ensure it stays moist enough and doesn’t begin cracking or peeling.
4Knines Protects Your Leather Car Seats from Scratching and Pawing
The durable construction of 4Knines’ car seats helps keep your leather seats protected and scratch-free. Best of all, it’s easy to install and clean, keeping maintenance and chores down to a minimum.
No matter difficult the trip seems at first, an anxious dog is known to cause a ruckus trying to get that energy out of their system. For most dogs, this gets directed to anything they can sink their teeth into or paw at, which most often is the seat they are standing on.
4Knines’ range of seats covers for cars, trucks and SUVs take this into consideration and help provide your vehicle with a durable layer that your dogs won’t be as likely to chew through in a fit of hysteria.
References:
- NYTimes.com, Leather For the Car, A Rising Tide of Hides, https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/23/automobiles/leather-for-the-car-a-rising-tide-of-hides.html
- Entrepeneur, Fido Takes a Business Trip, https://www.entrepreneur.com/living/fido-takes-a-business-trip/230199
