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By Mim Jenkinson
Keeping your car clean and clutter-free when you have a young family has its challenges. If you feel that you’re vanishing under a pile of bottles, toys and blankets, we have you covered with these tips to clean your car and get it organised.
So pick a time and let’s get it sorted!
Start with a blank canvas. This essentially means removing everything from the car so you can give it a thorough clean.
Now that you’ve pushed the mess to one side, you can focus on getting rid of all loose items and rubbish.
Alternatively, you can sort the items into piles of what you’re keeping in the car, taking into the house, or throwing away.
Taking a bin to the place you’re cleaning the car is a great idea so you can throw out any rubbish as you go. We’re talking about sticky wrappers, used tissues, and any other unidentified objects you might discover lurking under the seats.
Remove everything from:
Don’t forget the sunnies or paperwork you’ve hidden in the visor.
If your vehicle has car mats, they can be removed, shaken and vacuumed too. This is a great job for the older kids, if they’re happy to be roped in. Fun times!
Finally, consider removing any car seats so that you can clean under and around them. If your car seat has removable covers, now is the time to remove them and throw them in the washing machine.
Removing and reinstalling the car seat might take a little extra work on your part, but it’s well worth it. The amount of dirt, mess and clutter that makes its way under the seat is surprising. Scarily so!
Once everything is out of the way, it’s time to grab a wet rag or car cleaner and get to work. Thoroughly clean every surface, such as the steering wheel, dashboard, armrests and cup holders.
Clean away the dust, grime and random sticky messes first. Then focus on bringing your car back to its former, polished glory.
Now it’s time to assess the mess.
Grab the bin and discard all rubbish and junk that needs to go, such as tissues, wrappers, old petrol receipts, and yes, those Happy Meal toys – they can go too!
If you’re prone to throwing mess on to the car floor, it might be worth keeping a small bin, or bag, in the car to keep the clutter in one place. Then each week, you can take this into the house and discard the contents before putting it back in the car. This way, at least the mess will be organised and confined to one small place.
Now the hard work of cleaning and sorting is done, it’s time to reorganise your clean and tidy car.
The glove box is the best place to store:
You might also like to keep a car charger, a pen and paper in there too.
Entertainment for the kids such as books, CDs or games can be stored in the back of seat pockets, or you could invest in a handy car organiser.
Backseat organisers are not only great for keeping things neat and tidy but if your child can grab the item they want, it saves you having to reach behind you when you’re driving.
Organise your boot for success too. Keep only the essentials in it, taking everything else into the house or garage.
If you take a stroller or baby carrier out on car trips, have a place in the boot to store these neatly where you can easily grab them when needed.
You might also like to keep a small first aid kit in the boot, or the glove compartment, if there is room.
Busy parents can spend a lot of time in the car and having a clean and clear(ish) space will make road trips much more relaxing for you and your family.
Having a set place for everything and regularly decluttering will help keep your car space tidy enough to make even Marie Kondo proud.
We hope our car cleaning tips have inspired you to tackle the task!
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