How Do You Keep Your Car Clean?! (Q&A Style)

I think one of the questions I get asked all the time is: How do you keep your car so clean?
Well, I have a few tips on how to keep your car as clean as mine. I know I've touched on this topic before so if you are interested in reading my past posts about car cleaning and organization, they are listed below.

Spring Cleaning The Car
Quick Car Cleanup

Now that we're all caught up...here we go!

Where's all the stuff in you car?!

The truth is my number one tip to keeping your car clean and organized is to not leave things in your car. Whatever I take in my car with me comes right back out when I get home. Your car is not a storage space, so don't use it like one! This includes trash, clothing, personal items, etc. If you don't need it today then take it out.

Where does all your trash go?

Simple. I throw it away. I am a regular at Dunkin Donuts so I get those pesky straw wrappers pretty regularly, but as soon as I pass a trash can in their drive-thru or as soon as I arrive home or at work those wrappers leave my car and get thrown in the first trash can I see. I don't recommend having a "trash bag" in your car because it will cause your car to smell. Get your trash out ASAP!

I don't have time to clean my car! You must clean it all the time!

Actually I don't! If you keep up with the cleanliness of your car you won't have to spend hours upon hours cleaning it every few weeks. I try to vacuum once a week (or at least every other week). I use lysol wipes to wipe down my steering wheel and other points of contact once a week (you won't believe how dirty they get!) Then I have a small duster that I use to quickly dust down the top of my dashboard. I've also been known to lint roll the seats from time to time, but I usually do this if I'm sitting in a parking lot waiting for someone or when I'm in line at the bank drive-thru or at my beloved Dunkin Donuts!

What tools do I need?

I recommend you keep a small duster (or rag) in your car as well as a lint roller. Lysol wipes are also great to keep in your car for wiping down consoles. I bring my Dyson out to the car once a week to vacuum, and from time to time use a window spray and rag to get the windows nice and shiny.

This is my Dyson with the attachment I regularly use to clean the car. However, they now make car vacuums which are meant solely for vacuuming your car. They even plug in right inside you car!

Your car is so small of course you can keep it clean! I drive a insert your car of choice here. Or.... Of course you can keep your car clean you don't have kids! Once you have kids your car will be a mess and you won't have time to clean it!

Yes, I drive a Toyota Corolla and it's definitely on the small side. However, before my corolla I had a Chevy Blazer and it was the size of an average SUV and I'm sure I can find several people to vouch for you that I also kept that car spick and span.

As for having kids, I don't think my personality will change much. I will always value a clean car and environment. If you have a messy environment, your life will become stressful where a clean environment promotes peace. Although I don't have kids I know that people often have their kids (who are old enough) help them unload the car entirely once they arrive home. Have your kids take inside whatever they brought out to the car. If you teach them habits that allow them to be clean and organized, they will carry those habits into their adult life- which can only help them!

What about the trunk of your car?

The trunk of my car has a few items in it, but I don't use it as a storage center. Here are the items I generally keep in my car trunk.

 

• Reusable shopping bags
• Beach Chairs
• Emergency kit
• Sleeping Bag
• Ice Scraper

Yup that's it! Since I live near the ocean I like to have my beach chairs inside my car win case I decide to hit the beach on a moments notice. I also regularly use my reusable bags at the grocery store. The sleeping bag is another 'just in case' item, but I have found it to come in handy on several occasions. The ice scraper is something I hate using but is definitely necessary during Rhode Island's long winters...Finally, my emergency kit has all the essentials in case my car breaks down! 

What other storage areas do you use in the car?

I use one of the seat pockets to hold my Lysol wipes so they are out of the way but easily attainable if needed.

I use the center console between the two front seats. 

In here I store two sprays in case my car starts to smell, an alarm to set off if someone is attacking me =), and a tire pressure gauge. 

Then finally, I use the compartments on the dashboard to hold my duster, my lint rollers, my car manual and other information, and extra napkins.

That's all for this girls car organization! To see more car organization and car cleaning ideas you can check out my favorite blog ever at Simply Organized. Sam ran a week long car organization series on her blog a few years back which I thought was great!

If you have any more questions for me about car cleaning and organization (or anything else) feel free to e-mail me or leave them in the comments section. Have a great day everybody!

Quick Car Cleanup

One of the things that makes my life feel more together than anything else, is cleaning up my car. I'm sure your car is like your second home, because I know that some weeks I feel like I spend more time in my car then I do in my bedroom. 

It is so easy to make a mess in the car, especially if you are doing things like eating on the go, picking up the mail, and throwing items in the backseat. 

I try to regularly pick up my car, throwing trash away as soon as I get home or when I see a trash can in the coffee drive thru. I also try not to leave clothes in my car, and am constantly taking water bottles to recycle out of my cupholders. 

However, every once in awhile I end up with a messy, dirty car and it needs a quick cleanup.

First up, a couple of before pictures....

You can see trash shoved in the side pocket, clearly I'd been to Dunkin Donuts recently...

Water bottles in the cup holder...

dirty, dirty floor mats...

 dirty seats...

bird poop on the back door...

and a ton of stuff in the backseat...

Now the first thing I do when I clean out my car is take everything out. That includes my dance bag (which I keep in the car at all times since it contains all my dance shoes and other things I need for work at the dance studio), plastic bags from shopping, clothes, and everything else I find.

Then I give it a good vacuuming. I LOVE our Dyson and I swear it works magic on any surface. There was a ton of dirt from the parking lot where I work and crumbs from eating in the car. Everything is nicer after a good vacuum.

Next I take Lysol wipes and wipe down the console, cup holders, and every other surface that needs to shine a little bit more.

I know I'm a little bit weird...but then I lint roll the seats. It takes all the dog hair, my hair, and whatever else is stuck on the seats even after being vacuumed.

Finally, I gave the exterior of my car a good scrub down. I use a tiny little bit of dish soap and a ton of water. I have a huge sponge that I also use (that I found one day in our garage-so I'm unsure where it's from- but any sponge will do!), and it really does a great job at getting in all the nooks and crannies.

Now, here we go with some after photos!

Check out that empty back seat! Just one little bag for work on the floor.

Nicely vacuumed floors and lint-rolled seats.

Nothing in the cup holders.. or on the seats

and no more trash in the door pocket!

A nice shiny clean car! =)

Now, you're probably wondering why I didn't include any pictures of my trunk. Well the truth is, I don't really use my trunk all that much. When I did some spring cleaning in my car earlier this year, I shared what was inside my trunk. It hasn't changed at all and all the same things are inside!

Well that's it for my quick car cleanup!

What special things to do you do when you clean your car? How often do you clean your car?

Spring Cleaning Month- Starting off in the car!

April for me has become a month full of spring cleaning. I've been bouncing around from here to there tidying up and enjoying the amazing weather that we've been having lately. It was 74* here yesterday for goodness sake! Although I have been working on a ton of projects lately in different areas I want to share one particular area today- my car!

I am weirdly obsessive about keeping my car clean. After I graduated college in 2010, I bought my first brand new car and ever since then I've been trying to keep it as clean as it was when I drove it out of the lot. My friends think I'm crazy, my family thinks I'm incredibly responsible, and I think that messes drive me insane! I often bring my car through the car wash and always make sure I have no extra junk in my car. I do a few other things too which I will be sharing with you in this post- so here we go!

When I clean out my car the first thing I do is remove ALL items from the car. I usually don't keep too much in my car anyways- but sometimes things do build up a bit during busy weeks!

I forgot to take a before picture, but when I opened up the back door to my car yesterday I had the following inside:

• my winter coat
• winter gloves
• plastic bags to recycle
• work bag
• reusable shopping bag

Well most of these things need new homes anyways. Since it's beautiful weather now, I took my winter coat and gloves inside and threw them into the laundry. I keep my reusable shopping bags in my trunk, so the one hanging around in my backseat was relocated. The plastic bags and my work bag were removed for the cleaning- and then placed back inside.

After removing everything, that is what my backseat looked like.

I love our Dyson vacuum. It was truly love at first sight- and my favorite attachment is this little brush head because it really helps dig into the carpet. I highly recommend Dyson- it is expensive for a reason!

Here is a before and after of my front seat. The parking lot of my work is made of dirt, there for my floor is constantly covered in dirt and needs to get vacuumed regularly. I also tend to take my friend Roxy for rides and she likes to shed all over my seats. Not to mention that I also tend to shed all over my seat as well. Doggy and people hair everywhere!

Cleaner for sure!

Check out all the stuff that I found in my center console that I can get rid of!

Well, not all of it was tossed. The tape was moved to my desk, the Harry Potter 3D glasses were out away with old mementos..but the rest- tossed!

It's so much cleaner in there now! Now i only have my rape alarm (yes, my dad is overprotective), a febreeze spray, a body spray, tire pressure gauge, and clip on air fresheners. Why did I need all that other stuff that was in there again?

There was definitely a ton of stuff in there that I didn't need..

My precious lint rollers- one was empty, definitely time to let that baby go!

And I needed to let go of my pepper spray. I never had to use it *knocks on wood*. My dad bought it for me when I went to college and it has expired- Does pepper spray not work when it is expired? I don't know! Well I decided to toss it anyways.

In my glove compartment I keep only the papers that came with my car and I need on a daily basis. I keep all my manual papers in there, as well as my registration and insurance papers. I also keep a hefty supply of paper napkins that I collect at Dunkin Donuts =) Never know when you're going to have a spill!

Now onto the back seat...

My work bag sits lonely in the back seat- just the way I like it!

Plastic bags that I will be recycling on my next trip to the grocery store get placed inside the compartment behind my seat.

Now onto the trunk...

I don't keep much in my trunk, but I do like to be prepared for a variety of situations.

I keep 2 beach chairs in my trunk because since I live near the ocean I tend to frequent the beach quite often. I also keep a sleeping bag in my trunk- I'm not entirely sure why- but I guess better safe than sorry!

I also keep all of my reusable shopping bags, my snow brush/scraper, and an emergency kit.

I received this kit as a gift when I started driving and have never actually used anything in it but it has quite a few useful things!

• jumper cables
• cones
• emergency poncho
• first aid kit

As you can see, I don't keep a ton of things in my car which definitely helps keep it clean. But what products do I use to keep it clean?

Some of my favorites are:

• Lysol sanitizing wipes- I use these to wipe down my steering wheel (you wouldn't believe how dirty it gets!) I also use it to wipe down my entire console!
• Lint rollers (I love to lint roll my seat- does that make me weird?)

I am still looking for a great carpet cleaner that will help get out heavy dirt! Let me know if you have any suggestions!

And that's it for my car organization/spring cleaning! This space didn't need a ton of work since it was already pretty clean, but it's always nice to clean up an area that is high traffic!

How do you organize your car? What products do you use to clean your car? Any tips?