Start here · Essential guide
A Guide to Car Storage: How to Keep Your Vehicle Safe
How to prepare a car for short and long storage: choosing a location, handling fuel, the battery and tires, protecting against moisture and pests, and security.
Care and Safety
Cleaning and Storage
Washing, waxing and protecting a car in storage.
A Review of the Best Car Air Fresheners for a Fresh Smell
Compare the main kinds of car air fresheners, learn why finding and fixing the source of an odor comes first, and what to look for when choosing one.
A Review of the Best Car Covers for Protection
What to look for in a car cover: fit, breathability, indoor versus outdoor use, and how to put one on and care for it without harming the paint.
A Review of the Best Car Dehumidifiers for Storage
How moisture builds up inside a stored car, why it matters, and which kinds of moisture absorbers and dehumidifiers help, with criteria for choosing one.
Detailing a Car Interior at Home
A step-by-step approach to cleaning a car interior at home: vacuuming, upholstery, plastics, leather, glass and odors, with safe-product tips and common mistakes.
The Benefits of Car Waxing: Why You Should Do It
What car wax does for paint, how often people typically apply it, how to wax a car step by step, and the common mistakes that cause streaks or wasted effort.
The Benefits of Regular Car Washes: Why You Should Do It
Why regular washing protects paint and metal, how salt and grime cause damage, why the underside matters, and how hand washing compares with automatic washes.
Related topics
More in care and safety
Maintenance and Repairs Routine upkeep, batteries and what repairs involve. Car Safety Safety features, child protection and crash ratings. Tires and Wheels How tires and wheels work, wear and get maintained. Warning Lights and Diagnostics Understanding dashboard signals, noises and basic diagnostics. Engine, Fluids and Under the Hood What the main fluids and components do and how they are checked.