Experts advise against leaving items such as cell phones, sunscreen and medication in a hot vehicle for various reasons.
As the weather heats up, everyone is, rightfully, extra cautious about leaving children and pets in hot cars. But there are some other items that you may want to think twice about keeping in your vehicle. Though they’re far less precious, leaving them in a hot car can sometimes lead to disaster.
Natausha Furlong was still in shock when she posted a video on TikTok showing smoke coming from her child’s car seat.
“I just opened my car door to put my daughter in her seat and her car seat is on fire,” she says.
She was confused and nervous, unsure of what caused the car seat to catch fire. And then, her 9-year-old child figured out that a mirror in the car used to keep an eye on the baby while Furlong was driving was the root of the fire. Furlong, and parents like her, would have no way of knowing that such an item could potentially be a fire hazard.
So, what other items should you consider keeping out of your car as the temperatures rise?
“You may not know this, but when you leave water bottles in the car, the warm temperatures will transfer some of the chemicals from the plastic into the water,” car safety expert Lauren Fix says.
She also advises against leaving phones and tablets in the car.
“These phones get really hot sitting in the sun; remember this car can be over 100 degrees,” she says. “It can do damage to the battery of a phone. And don't leave tablets, either; the battery will overheat and shorten its life.”
Leaving a cigarette lighter on a car’s dashboard can also lead to a fire, Fix says.
“People leave lighters in their cars all the time but when the temperature is over 100 degrees, they can expand and catch fire; then you have a really bad problem,” she says.
Sunscreen should also be removed from vehicles, she says, as the heat can reduce a sunscreen’s SPF.
And never leave aerosol cans in the car.
“They can explode, and they are so flammable,” she says.
Leaving alcohol in the car can also pose a risk, as the heat can cause cans to explode, as well as change the taste of drinks.
“Put it in a cooler,” Fix says.
Experts also say to avoid leaving medication in a car in hot weather, as the rising temperatures can cause medicine to melt or weaken its effectiveness.
