As moms, we spend so much time in our cars transporting our family around town and on vacations. So, it is important to take some time to take care of our car. Today, I’m sharing 5 Easy Car Cleaning Hacks for Busy Moms!
This post is sponsored by Armor All but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Car Cleaning Hacks for a Clean Car
As a mom on the go, does your car serve as a cab, part time dining room, mini ambulance, counseling center…you name it? How about transporting your pets in your car too?! Our cars are really an expression of our busy lives at home!
Here are five easy car cleaning hacks for an organized and clean car!
ONE| Establish Rules for Food and Drink
As any busy family can relate, dinner and snacks on the road can be a weeknight reality! With kids going from one activity to the next, there are times that eating has to happen in the car. Not exactly a habit that allows for the car to stay clean.
Since eating is most likely a reality in the car, establish rules for food and drink. We learned the hard way that any drink besides water was a recipe for disaster in the car. Trust me when I say that milk left in the car leaves a very long lasting impression.Â
If you allow food, be sure that everyone is in charge of bringing in their wrappers, cups and containers immediately out of the car when you get home. If you make it a habit, it will become second nature for everyone to take responsibility for their trash.
TWO| Keep Cleaning Supplies in the Car
One quick clean up tip for trash is to keep plastic shopping bags in the glove compartment. These bags come in handy for road trips but also for day-to-day car living.
It is also a good idea to keep paper towels and napkins in the car as well! My kids ask for napkins every single day when we are in the car!
A mini trashcan or bag is really essential for keeping car trash under control!
MOM PRO TIP: Paper towel rolls can be big and bulky. Wait until you have half a roll of paper towels and use that roll for the car! Usually you can fit half a roll of paper towels into a larger glove compartment!
THREE| Corral Activity Books and Toys in a Bin
Is it just my kids or does any car trip that is longer than ten minutes require some sort of activity? At my kids ages, most of them are well versed in bringing a book or something to do in the car. We have amassed quite a collection of car activities.
It is easy for these toys and books to take over the entire car! So, be sure to have one bin that can contain everything! When it’s time to do a vacuum or clean up, you can throw all the toys in the bin.
There is no reason to get all fancy with the car bin. Just grab a container like I did from the dollar store. Be sure not to pick anything too big or it takes up too much space in the car.
MOM PRO TIP: More stuff in the car makes the car naturally feel more cluttered. Pair down car activities to the essentials. If you have a lot of kids’s car activities, pick a few favorites and then rotate in the other stuff!
FOUR| Do a Weekly Clean Out
Inevitably, even if you establish rules for taking trash out of the car, things still remain and you need a good clean out. Pick a day, maybe Sunday, to do a 15 minute car clean up. I love using my hand held vacuum to do a quick sweep. I get the kids to take everything out of the car that they brought into the car. Every is responsible for their own stuff.
Taking these few minutes each week to clean out the car makes a BIG difference. I don’t have to apologize to anyone who gets in the car. I don’t have to move things off the seats.
This pile was the result of a recent car clean out! YIKES!
FIVE| Use Pro Cleaning Products
Once your car is all cleared out, it is time to really clean and shine! If you maintain your car weekly, cleaning and organizing it does not take much time. For years, we have turned to Armor All Wipes to clean and protect our car. The wipes are so easy to use.
With a minimum amount of time using Armor All Wipes, the car looks shiny and clean. The best value is the Armor All Kit which includes 3 types of wipes including Protectant, Cleaning and Glass!
Despite my best efforts to keep my car clean, it recently needed a MAJOR clean! I get a yearly professional detailing once a year, but it is so easy to clean the car myself. The Armor All Wipes are a great tool to get the professional detailing look at a fraction of the price.
Here is a bit of my car’s BEFORE pictures.
It doesn’t look “too” bad at first glance, but you saw above how much stuff I found in the car. The truth is, I don’t always know what is in the back of the car where the kids sit. Oh my goodness, do they all amass a lot of wrappers, cups and trinkets! Every cup holder was filled with a cup or water bottle!
Once I got everything out of the car, I vacuumed. Then, I started with the Armor All Glass Wipes. One wipe goes a long way and I was able to get my entire car’s windows cleaned with just a couple of them. Goodbye dog slobber on the windows..ha ha!
Then, I used the cleaning wipes to give the seats, dashboard, door handles, etc all cleaned up. Ugh so much dirt and grime.
Lastly, I used the polishing wipes to really bring the seats and trim a nice shine! My car looked so much better!!
My car looked so much better after the Armor All Wipes.
Cleaning and detailing your car are really the finishing steps to keep a nice looking car! It is worth these extra steps!
A few AFTER pictures of my clean car.
For a 7+ year old car, it looks pretty good!
Keeping Your Car Clean
In most cases, our cars are an extension of our homes. We spend a lot of time in our cars by ourselves and with our family. It is a big investment to own/lease and maintain a car, so it is important to take care of them! Just a few minutes here and there, will make our cars stay in the best shape possible (as good as they can with a car full of kids!).
What are some of your top car cleaning hacks to maintaining a clean and organized automobile?
Gosh, I am so impressed Jaclyn! You always inspire me to get my act together! That little organizer bin is genius and I LOVE Armorall wipes for the car 🙂
The kids leaving their garbage in the car is definitely a problem!
Great points! I think it is so important to have rules set in place in the beginning. And, I love the idea of a weekly clean out.