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This is an info-graphic showing that how can a car seat expire

‘’Everything comes to an end there is nothing eternal in this life’’

Have you ever looked at your car seats and thought for a while how can a car seat expire ? but just like an old plastic chair, at last, comes to an expiration date your car seats also expire.

Thinking about it isn’t a big deal for a car seat to expire we can use it? expiry date doesn’t matter?

Yes, your car seats also have an expiration date and using the car seats exceeding these date can be dangerous for your infant life. It’s the matter of life of your loved one. This could be very dangerous if an expired car seat is used.

Car seats have reduced the number of injuries caused by accidents in which your babies lives are at risk. using a car seat is the best way to protect your kid and provide safety but seats Do expire.

In this article we will highlight the main points of car seat expiration:

Why car seats expire?
How can we check whether our car seat is expired or not?
How long car seats are valid for?
How to dispose of old car seats or which organization recycle them?

Table of Contents

Why car seats expire?

You might be thinking of keeping the car seat of your first child or buy a second-hand car seat for your baby but wait there is an expiration date following this you can’t use an old car seat if it exceeds the time period mentioned.

The child safety car seats are made up of polypropylene tough plastic that flexes under pressure it doesn’t crack easily like other plastics do but as long as it reaches the expiry date the plastic becomes brittle and can be dangerous.

Car seats expire due to the following reasons:

Environmental factors :

Car seats basically stay in cars all day whether it’s hot or cold. During summers as the car become hot the car seats also become hot in a closed window and same in winter the car seats become too cold. These factors also make the plastic brittle and decrease its life. All this happening to car seats can’t be seen by us in the first look we have to focus on the parts which are slowly decreasing the life of car seats. In case of an accident, these types of car seats bear more damage.

Dampness :

There is a source of Dampness somewhere in your car as the car seat stay all day long somehow day by day it is affected by Humidity and can cause rust. Dampness cause rust in unseen metal parts which can affect how the car seat performs in case of an accident.

Advancements in technology and standards :

The technology is improved and standard is changed. The recent advancement in new car seats are much more advanced than old car seat so why not take advantage of this evolution which ensures more protection to your child. These advancements make sure to meet the updated safety standard.

Misplacement :

The older car seat could have missing parts they are used every day and over the years the car seat faces considerable ups and downs. The pads get washed as the time passes the product loses its integrity and tiny components are often misplaced which can reduce the seating efficiency.

How can we check whether our car seat is expired or not?

Before checking whether your car seat is expired or not make sure you know all the history about car seat because sometimes the expiry date label is not mentioned there.
Most car seats expire six years after their validation date, they vary by models or brand but only a little bit different is seen.
In most cases, you will find a sticker or label

Underneath the seat.
Below the seat cushion.
Or just turn over the seat you will find on its back.

How long car seats are valid for?

Most of the car seats are valid up to 4-8 years they vary by their manufacturer. the expiration date is printed on the car seat if not you can see the car seat manual to ensure the time period. These are some of the brands their expiry date is mentioned below:

Manufacturing brands	Validity
Brita	6 years for infant car seats, 9 years for booster seats
Chico	6 years
Cusco	6 years
Dione	8 years for the car seat, 10 years for booster seats
Evenfall	6 years
Evenfall Symphony	8 years
Evenfall Sarema	10 years
Greco	Usually, 7 or 10 years, depending on the model
Safety 1st	6 to 8 years, depending on the model

In case you can’t find label call the manufacturer and ask about the expiry date.

Did you know it’s illegal to sell an old outdated car seat which does not meet the required standard? If some second thoughts come in your mind to use an old second car, then let me tell you are in trouble. For example, in Canada, the use of these car seats are illegal if they don’t meet the requirements of transportation safety standard.

How to dispose of old car seats or which organization recycle them?

How to dispose of an expired car seat?

An expired seat should be disposed of in a way that it won’t be re-used by anyone. To help ensure a car seat won’t be used after expiration

Firstly, it is a good idea to remove the cover
cut or remove the harness straps
write on it don’t use its expired
place it into a black garbage bag before taking it to be recycled or disposed of.

If your car seat is expired or damaged in a crash so it’s time to get rid of it and buy a new one but before you proceed first of all ensure that your old car seat is properly disposed of or its time to prepare your car seat for the recycling center of trash.

Recycling :

Contact a local car seat trade-in program to recycle your intact car seat:

Call the store where your car seat came from and ask whether they need an old car seat or they recycle its parts if it is in good condition.
Some stores even offer discounts on a new car seat if you return the old one

Use an evaluation form to donate used car seats.

If your car seat is not expired, has never been in an accident then you can donate it to your friend or organization providing family services.

for example, websites like

https://westsidebaby.org/ and many more will help you to donate the car seats easily.

I can understand that you Love your car and you would love to do anything to save your car and if you are on this then this surely you want to know of How to save your car from sun and rain. you will surely find the answer here. You may have come to know that UV rays damage the human skin but it has also been found that these UV rays also damage your car paint. You may have seen some not so old cars paint getting oxidized or fades before their expected time most of the time the reason is parking car under direct sunlight.

Another thing that can cause harm to your car is Rain. Rainwater is not one of those things you want your Vehicle to be exposed to, but the thing is you do not have any control over weather Conditions neither you could stop traveling. you may also think will rain affect new car paint? and the answer is YES it will. You may not find the damage rain can cause in the short term but in the long term, you will see the effect such corrosion or rust.

I would like to inform you that if you live nearby any industrial area the chances are that you might experience acid rain on cars. Acidic rain can cause more damage to your car paint then it may cause of regular as regular rain contains PH level of 5 Acidic Rain is more worse than this. You can see the PH scale Below.

now in the next info-graphic we will show what kind of damage sun and rain cause.

Damage Sun & and rain causes to a car — Damage Sun & Rain can cause to a Car

Now we will discuss one by one of How to protect car from sun and rain.

Table of Contents

How to protect your car from sun:

• Park in the Shade :

The best way to Save your car is to park your car under a shade best it it’s under a tree but make sure the tree is perfectly fit on the ground as you may not want to damage your precious car.

This thing will not only help your car paint last longer but also save your car dashboard from getting fade & cracked.

• Using a Windshield protection Cover :

If you are not able to find any shade to park your car then another option is to go for a windshield protection cover, this cover will help in preventing any damage that may cause to your car dashboard and to keep your car a little cool you can open your car window for about 1 to 2 cm down.

• Wash Your car often :

The benefit of washing your car often is that it helps reducing heat and oxidization from the car but you need to make sure that while washing your car is not parked under direct sunlight try to find a shady place better under a tree or in a garage or from a good car wash.

The main purpose of washing your car is to ensure that there is no dirt or grime left on the car a the dirt sitting for the long period of time would make them difficult to remove and also when removing would take extra effort that in that case may cause swirl marks on your paint.

You can use snow foam lance or hose pipe water and give your vehicle a wash without scrubbing anything and when all the mud gets soaked then try to remove all the dirt.

If there is bird poop try not to use water as water may not be beneficial instead try to use an automotive cleaner. If your car is standing for a week Outside then you should at least wash your car twice and if not possible then once a week will be enough to lessen the impact of sun rays on the car.

• Hand Drying car exterior :

Exposing your car to the weather elements will make your car paint worn out faster than it should that is why you should make some effort to save it.

After washing your car try to dry your car exterior as the water would evaporate and leave marks on your car when the sun rays touch your car paint. As the rainwater may contain some chemicals that would effect your car paint.

Try to use a cotton Rag or a dry microfiber cloth to dry, yes I can understand it’s time taking task but it’s worth the effort. It not only gives a cleaner look to your car but also saves your car from chemical and water when exposed to sunrays.

How to protect your car from rain?

• Don’t let rainwater to sit for a long time:

when ever there is rain in your area. Do make it compulsory to not let the water sit on your car, as when the water sits there for a long time as it would evaporate and would leave marks on your car.

The best way to remove water from your car is to wash your car after it has rained, don’t ever think that rain would wash your car and if you think that it won’t affect your car as I have told above that rain some PH level and if it has higher PH level in your area it might affect more to your car more than the regular rain.

• Cover Your car:

The best way to save your car from rain is to cover your car. Just but a decent car cover this cover would help your car from rain and rain spots when water evaporates. It would also stop your vehicle from scratches and debris.

• Remove Door plugs

Most of the cars do have drain plugs in doors, these plugs come in handy after rain as if the rain passes through the door rubbers then you can use these plugs to remove water from them. If you won’t care about these things this would eventually cause rust to your vehicle and you don’t want the vehicle to rust.

How can a car seat expire?