I really love how a light interior makes a car feel more open and bright, but we’ve got three young kids (7, 5, and 3). We’re thinking of getting a Palisade and keeping it for the next 10 years.
I take care of my cars and clean the interior regularly.
Is black the only way to go when you have little kids, or can a light interior survive?
Just use unscented baby wipes. Works like a charm and keeps everything looking fresh. Light interiors make the car feel so much bigger too.
BobReuben said:
Just use unscented baby wipes. Works like a charm and keeps everything looking fresh. Light interiors make the car feel so much bigger too.
Baby wipes are seriously the MVP for quick cleanups.
BobReuben said:
Just use unscented baby wipes. Works like a charm and keeps everything looking fresh. Light interiors make the car feel so much bigger too.
I do the same, keeps everything looking nice.
Blue jeans + rain = blue seats. It does clean off, but it’s a bit annoying.
Had light leather seats once, and they were a pain to keep clean. My biggest issue was dark jeans leaving stains. I never found a great way to get rid of them completely.
Auto said:
Had light leather seats once, and they were a pain to keep clean. My biggest issue was dark jeans leaving stains. I never found a great way to get rid of them completely.
At this point, I just call it ‘character’ and move on.
We’ve had a white interior for over a year with a 3-year-old and a 6-year-old. Seat protectors under the car seats help a lot, and we just try to be careful with messy stuff like red slushies. So far, everything has wiped off just fine.
@GermanicExpert
Make sure the seat protector covers the front of the seat too. Dirty shoes are the real enemy.
Lucas said:
@GermanicExpert
Make sure the seat protector covers the front of the seat too. Dirty shoes are the real enemy.
The front seats in the Palisade have a hard plastic back, so they’re easier to clean no matter what color you go with.
@GermanicExpert
Our seat protectors actually left stains on the leather. Trying to figure out how to clean it up now. Might have been better off without them.
@GermanicExpert
Just a heads-up—most seat protectors aren’t recommended for safety reasons. Here’s a link with more info: Seat Protectors - Car Seats For The Littles
Lighter leather is usually fine with stains, but the rest of the interior (door panels, armrests, etc.) can be harder to keep clean.
Just throw some seat covers on the back seats and you’ll be fine.
We have the white/beige interior in our 2020 Palisade with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old (both rear-facing). We use seat covers, and I haven’t had a single issue. Everything cleans up super easily.
I did stain my driver’s seat with dark blue jeans, but Meguiar’s D101 APC took it off with no problem. A basic leather cleaner/conditioner should also keep everything looking fresh.
@DolphGabbana
D101 mixed 10:1 is my go-to for most interior cleaning.
Had a loaner car with white interior for two weeks. Looked awful by the end of it thanks to my 4-year-old and 2-year-old.
Went to check out a new Ascent with white interior. Brought my kids along, and my youngest (7-8 at the time) climbed in and grabbed the front passenger headrest for support. Left a nice rainbow-colored imprint from the Skittles she was holding. Pulled them out of the car and left before anyone could make me clean it.
Got a Palisade with black interior right after that.
So yeah… light interiors and kids don’t mix.
I have two boys (2 and 4) and live in Colorado, so we deal with a lot of dust and snow. I actually love my ivory interior. The boys take their shoes off in the car and leave them on the all-weather mats. I keep a microfiber mitt with some all-purpose cleaner in the dash and some leather wipes for quick touch-ups. It stays way cooler in the summer compared to black interiors.
