How to Buy and Use a Car Cover

By Glen Wilkinson
Photography by Glen Wilkinson, Kimberly-Clark

Car covers can be a misunderstood lot. There are those car enthusiast swho spend thousands on creating their dream car, devote countless hours researching and learning about their beloved autos, and then spendless than five minutes picking out the very product that can be most vital to its protection. We see it all the time: a pristine car trapped underneath a "shower cap" that a painter wouldn't use to cover a floor. When asked why one would even think of using such an unworthy roll of cloth over their car, the answer is invariably, "Eh, a car cover is a car cover, right?" Wrong.

Technology and chemistry have caught up with the car cover, making today's covers marvels of protection. The key is not so much choosing one particular brand over another, but taking the time to consider exactly what it is you want from a car cover. That may sound strange, considering the "a cover is a cover" mentality, but modern covers offer a variety of features and options tailored to the needs of you and your car. To investigate this, we spoke with Bruce Williamson, Director of Sales & Marketing, Nonwoven Fabrics, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, makers of BLOCK-IT(R) car cover fabrics, to learn about what car owners need to keep in mind when searching for the perfect cover.

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How To Clean a Car Cover

Car cover fabric performance can be severely affected by dirt that builds up on and within the material. It can cause the windshield and paint to become dirty “fogged” as well as create “wicking” where it actually helps pull water through the fabric, nullifying any water resistant properties the fabric may have had. Cleaning your cover will help to keep your vehicle clean and to increase the service life of the cover.


NEVER...Clean a car cover in a washer with a center agitator.
NEVER...Use fabric softener.
NEVER...Dry a non-woven or specialty type cover in a dryer. (WeatherShield®, WeatherShield®HP, WeatherShield®HD, Ultra’tect™ fabric & Form-Fit™ covers can be dried in a dryer with regular heat; polycotton, cotton and flannel can be dried on low heat.)


1 - Using a large commercial washer without agitator, wash the cover using 1/4 cup of Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner (some WeatherShield and WeatherShield HP covers are compact enough to be washed in a normal size washer). Put the cover in the washer and pour the cleaner in the tub after it’s filled with warm water or pour it directly in the machine (some wall mounted commercial units), then put in the cover and start the machine .
2 - Rinse the cover twice (2X) to remove all the cleaner.
3 - Air dry (unless it’s one of the covers noted above that can be dried in a dryer with regular or low heat).


A cover may also be cleaned by turning it inside-out on the vehicle.
1 - Mix one ounce Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner per quart of warm water.
2 - Spray or sponge onto cover.
3 - Rinse with plain water (until no suds) and allow to air dry.




Simple Green is available in most world markets. If you have any questions, contact them at 1-800-228-0709 (USA) or visit their web-site www.simplegreen.com


If you have additional questions regarding the use or cleaning of your car cover, contact Covercraft Customer Service at 1-800-426-8377 (USA) M-F, 8AM to 4PM CST, or email sales@covercraft.com

Photo Update From Hot August Nights