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Thrifty Mommy

Top 10 ways to keep that car clean

by kellys on March 17th, 2008

I will have to disclose at the outset that my car can stay pretty messy. But these are the tricks I use to keep it manageable. If I did all of them at once, I would have a beautiful car all the time. So here are my top 10 ways to keep your car clean and organized.

  1. Keep a trash bag hooked somewhere in the front of your car for trash. I keep mine hooked to the drink holder.
  2. I love keeping a swiffer in my car. when you are stopped at a red light or waiting on the kids, just whip it out and dust.
  3. Keep those traveling Armor-All wipes under the seat or in the glove box so you can take a quick swipe when you are sitting still.
  4. Keep a small bag or box for the toys. There is nothing more irritable than a toy rattling around under a seat. then you have to get that wide load (oh wait, that would be my butt in the air) visible to get it out.
  5. Keep a small tote or crate(you know… one of those plastic cubes with the holes in it) in your trunk or back seat for all the incidentals that find their way into your car. Shoes, diapers, toys, sippy cups…
  6. Use that same container for groceries. I hate it when I go to make something only to find that it fell out of the bag and is under a seat.
  7. Spoil yourself with a touchless car wash every once in a while. This will help the outside stay clean and encourage you to keep the inside even cleaner.
  8. Have one bag for nothing but mail. I am infamous for lugging the kids in with their individual bags plus my purse plus a cup or 2 and leaving the mail in the seat on accident. Put it in one place, like the center console, so that you won’t have it laying around everywhere.
  9. If you have a spare minute, go to a car wash only to throw out the trash. You know you have that coupon sitting there that you never got around to using. What about the McDonald’s cup you finished yesterday?
  10. Find a CD holder for all those CD’s rolling around.
  11. Do your 27 fling car boogy! (this was just a bonus)

I just find that none of these take a lot of time individually and they can add up to a great little car for you if you manage it on a regular basis.

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POSTED IN: Top 10 lists, cleaning, organization

9 opinions for Top 10 ways to keep that car clean

  • Karen
    Mar 17, 2008 at 7:36 pm

    When I’m pumping gas, I look inside to see what I can throw away. This helps out too. :)

  • Coral
    Mar 17, 2008 at 8:15 pm

    I am single, but I have never kept a trash bag in my car because when I do, I tend to let it get too full and it never gets emptied. By not having a trash bag, I am forced to take care of the trash as soon as I get home. If I do the drive through thing, I dispose of my trash at my next stop (most stores have trash cans conveniently located in the front). I realize this method wouldn’t work for everyone, but it does for me.

    I really like the Swiffer idea. My car badly needs dusted……..

  • Lindsey
    Mar 18, 2008 at 8:10 am

    27 fling boogie? Flybaby perhaps?

  • Thrifty Karen
    Mar 18, 2008 at 8:47 am

    We have a crate in our car for toys and such and I love it! The kids are getting older now and they know if they need to put down a toy that it needs to be put into the crate. Sometimes the toys don’t get put where they need to be and the crate makes for easy clean up.

  • Tara
    Mar 18, 2008 at 9:53 am

    Thanks for the advice. I’m soooo anal about our condo, but for some reason I let my car slide. It’s not usually a problem with keeping big objects in there, more like a granola bar or gum wrapper here, crumbs there (so I eat in my car!), and it’s ALWAYS dusty! I’m just lazy about cleaning the interior. I really like the swiffer and armor-all. THANKS for the ideas!

  • Malinda P
    Mar 18, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    The car is one of the biggest things I find difficult to keep clean. These tips are awesome! With two kids and a messy husband, my car is usually littered with trash and toys. (If DH takes the car for any amount of time, he always brings it back trashed. Grrrr…)

    Maybe there’s some hope when I put these tips into action!

  • kellys
    Mar 18, 2008 at 3:15 pm

    Definitely a flybaby!

    Good luck.

  • kellys
    Mar 18, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    I have a confession. My car used to be so messy that the trash would spill over into the front seat. That was BAD!

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