Things You Should NEVER Leave in Your Car

With all this business, your car can become a catch-all for everything you need throughout the day. Using your car as a temporary storage space is a bad habit to get into. Not only can it leave you susceptible to a car break-in, but extreme temperatures (both hot and cold) can be bad for your stuff too.

To help you protect your vehicle (and the things inside it), here’s our list of 12 things you should never leave in your car.

Electronics. Not only are expensive electronics an invitation to thieves – but the information they store is often more valuable than the device itself.
Water bottles. On a hot day, the high temperatures in your car can cause chemicals from the plastic bottle to leach into the water. The biggest offender is bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to a range of health problems – including diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Medication. Did you know that fluctuating temperatures inside your car could impact the effectiveness of your prescription drugs?
Purse or wallet. Obviously, leaving a purse or wallet in a visible location can attract the wrong type of attention to your parked car. But even when stowed out of sight, it’s unwise to leave a purse or wallet in your car. Not only does it contain cash and credit cards, but a thief could also gain access to your driver’s license and other important personal data.
Canned beverages. Extreme hot and cold temperatures could cause the cans to explode. And trust us – your car will never be the same after cleaning up the sticky aftermath of that soda bomb.
Aerosol cans. A hot car is no place to leave an aerosol can. Whether it’s spray paint, deodorant, hairspray or a household cleaner, these pressurized cans can explode in temperatures above 480C – which is definitely possible to achieve inside your car on a warm summer day.
Lighters. Similar to aerosol cans, cigarette lighters can also leak or explode in high temperatures. The resulting explosion could even start a fire.
Cosmetics. You’ve invested a lot of money in that bag of makeup. So don’t ruin it by leaving it in your car. That new lipstick can melt into a waxy puddle in your hot car. And other cosmetics, like mascara, can become unusable if they freeze – even after they thaw back out.
Musical instruments. Storing a wooden instrument, like a guitar or violin, in your car could result in permanent damage. That’s because rapid changes in temperature and humidity can cause the delicate wood used in the instrument to warp, crack or split.
Glasses. Did you know high and low temperatures can affect the frames of your glasses and sunglasses? In a hot car, plastic frames can warp and bend. And when it’s freezing out, the plastic can become brittle – making it easier to accidentally break them.
Sunscreen. It’s nice to have some sunblock handy at a moment’s notice. Keeping your bottle of sunscreen in a hot car can cause the protective chemicals to break down – reducing its effectiveness.
Batteries. Extreme temperatures aren’t good for batteries, either. High temperatures can cause your sealed batteries to leak. And low temperatures can reduce the energy storage capacity of a battery.

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Things You Should NEVER Leave in Your Car

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