5 Tips for Keeping Your Vehicle Clean
Having a clean and well organized vehicle is something that I struggle to maintain. Between the children, car seats, booster seats, and all the stuff we have to carry around..yeah I am good to get the vehicle cleaned out once a week. Now this is a BIG PET PEEVE of my hubster so I do try to at least cull the mess on Friday so when he uses my vehicle on the weekends he doesn’t get all stressed out over the mess. And yes, I do mean mess! We have started using the following 5 Tips for Keeping Your Vehicle Clean and it is helping.
We live in our vehicle some days. Between errands, meetings with clients and just the normal running around things just stack up. By the time I get home the last thing I want to do is crawl in the back and gather up stuff.
So while I admit I do still struggle, these 5 Tips for Keeping Your Vehicle Clean are making a difference.
#1 Keep Items Together
Keep a container in the vehicle for things that need to be dropped off on your next outing. I have a clear tub (Aff link) that is stored in the back seat when we are home and I place all the things I need to drop off in the tub such as dry cleaning, my grocery bags, items for Goodwill, or for the senior center. That way when I get ready to leave, I move the tub to the back area if I have children or leave it in the seat behind the driver for easy access.
#2 Contain Trash
Garbage seems to grow and multiply when left in the vehicle. I now keep trash containers in both the front seat and in the back area. Just a little tub (we use a clear plastic shoe box style tub) (Aff link) will hold the small pieces of trash and keep them from getting all over the place. I really don’t like digging out tiny scraps of paper or straw sleeves from the track under the seats!
#3 Limit Eating
Sadly, this is a tough one for me. We eat on the run all too often and the vehicle looks and smells like it too! By limiting not only how often but what we eat has made a big difference. Now I think about snacks and meals before heading out and have switched to fruits and disposable containers when possible. Limiting the cookies, chips and other crumbly food seems to keep the mess and clean up to a minimum.
#4 Protection is Important
If you haul your pet around or other dirty items, having a heavy duty cargo liner (Aff link) is a must for the back of your vehicle. We have a dog and a pig. Both like to ride with us but they both also shed. Especially the piglet..Madeline. Liners are easy to install and they cover the entire back area of our vehicle.
Liners are great for pets but they also really help in protecting your storage area from dirty yard tools, sports equipment and anything wet. Between stinky shoes and ski equipment to wet towels and sand covered toys, our liner is the one item on our list that I have really come to depend on in the challenge to maintain the vehicle.
#5 Everyone Helps
Make it a rule and NO ONE leaves the vehicle empty handed. First they need to take their personal items inside and then they need to help get in everything else. Even our four year old can carry in several bags from the store. In fact, they love helping more than the older crew members.
We have all heard that many hands make for light work and this is true when it comes to keeping your vehicle clean and organized. That is unless you ride around all day by yourself and you are the only one responsible for the mess! Then I would suggest hiring one your driving crew members to clean it out and get it washed once a week. Short of that, make keeping your vehicle clean which is also so much safer because if you have an accident, all those loose items will be flying projectiles!
Do you struggle with keeping your vehicle clean and organized? What ideas in addition to these 5 Tips for Keeping Your Vehicle Clean have your found helpful?
Great content and tips that everyone can follow through it on maintaining their car clean.
Twice a year I take it to one of those car washes where they also vacuum out the inside of the car and wipe down the inside of the windows. (Some people go every week!) I know they aren’t in all cities and neighborhoods, so you could do what you’ve suggested and hire someone to do that. But it really helps me to then keep it clean because it’s been cleaned. I have also hired someone to do detailing. For me, it was a lot of money to spend at first. But after doing it I feel like it was well worth it because it felt like my car was brand new. They really did a good job getting down into every little crevice.
Another tip I have is to get a box of baking soda and put it under the seats. They make boxes now that have these parts you can rip off and then there is still a cover on it so it doesn’t fall out. They are made just for this sort of thing. It will soak up the nasty smells and clear the air a bit. Plus you can just throw it away and get new one when it starts to smell again. They are under $1 so it’s very inexpensive, too.
And lastly, I have one of those organizers that folds up. (Here’s an example: https://amzn.to/2dcAI2e sorry it’s an affiliate link!) I keep that in my car all of the time. Since I shop at Aldi, I don’t use bags and I bring the groceries right out to the car and put them in that thing. Then I just bring the entire thing upstairs, unload my groceries, and then next time I go to the car I take that with me.