Easy Habits to Keep Your Car Clean on the Inside

Have you ever had to pick up a friend for a ride in your car and had to shove aside tons of junk while you apologize profusely for your trashed out car? It's embarrassing isn't it?

Here are some easy tips we use to keep the car ready at a moments notice:

Before you step a foot out of the car at home, take a few seconds and have your passengers pick up any junk laying around and toss it immediately. Have them take any toys, books and games inside and put them away immediately. Pick up any food stuffs laying around. This is the source of a lot of stink. Make this a habit in your family. If you do this every time you come home, the inside of your car will be spotless.

Keep a bottle of "smell pretty" in the car. You can give it a quick spray before picking up a friend. Its a nice welcome to a friend to be greeted with a clean smell. If you have some tough odors, do a thorough cleaning with a good carpet cleaner like Resolve topped off with Nok-Out for the carpet and/or cloth seats. Leather seats can be cleaned with Pledge furniture polish.

Keep a sealed plastic bag in the car. This is great if someone feels sick in the car. I also keep a plastic grocery sack for wet clothes or shoes.

Keep a few paper towels in your car. It's easier to clean up a spill when it is fresh than when it is soaked into the carpet. For long trips, I put a few damp paper towels in a sealed plastic bag for sticky hands and faces.

We have a hard and fast rule that no kids can take drinks from a fast-food restaurant into the car. This cuts wayyyyy down on the sticky spills you have to handle. Let's face it, no matter how careful you are, a sudden jerky car movement can send those drinks a-flying. Just avoid it altogether.

Long car trips are always a challenge. It seems trash multiplies and it doesn't take long until your car resembled a trash dump. Bring several extra grocery sacks. Tie them to the door handles on each row or next to each child. Everyone can dispose of their trash immediately and keep the floor clean. When you make a bathroom stop, throw out the bags and put fresh ones.  Also, bring along a small cooler of water bottles with pull up tops (like the Ozarka sport top). Spilled water is so much easier to clean up than sugary drinks. Don't even mess with the screw on caps. No one puts them back on and they inevitably get dropped on the floor.

I hope these tips will help you keep a clean car that you are proud to show off.