You love your family, and you wouldn’t trade them for anything, but… sometimes, they are messy. Help keep your car looking and functioning at its best by staying on top of cleaning it. Try to make it a habit that the entire family takes time out of their month to clean the family car.

1. Make It Everyone’s Chore: Don’t be the only one who takes responsibility for the messy car. Have the kids remove anything that they bring into the car. Make them take their toys, crayons, books, and trash out of the car with them. Depending on their age, make them clean up their messes if they made it. Do your best to make sure that everyone takes their things out of the car when they aren’t in use. A left over lawn chair in the back can get in the way when you are trying to load the groceries.
2. Have Over-the-Seat Organizers: There are certain things that kids will want to keep in the car at all times. Give them a place to neatly keep all of their pencils, toys, and papers with over-the-seat organizers. You can store wipes, hand sanitizers, tissues, snacks, and whatever else will fit in the pouches. It can be a lifesaver to have these little “go-bags” nearby to keep the kids entertained and healthy.
3. Have a Trash Receptacle: Don’t let trash float around the car. Wrappers can be sticky or messy, and it can get all over the seats and floor if it doesn’t have a place to be. Have a designated bag for all trash. Toss the bag regularly to avoid smells.
4. Have Wet Wipes On Hand: Young kids make messes out of nothing. They can be drooly, have a runny nose, or make a mess with a snack. Have wet wipes on hand to keep the mess from spreading. Wipe them up fast before they have an opportunity to touch everything in the car. These are great to go over the dash and handles quickly to get rid of germs and dirt.
5. Have A Spot Carpet Cleaner: A small hand held spot carpet cleaner will save your car from looking like a giant mess constantly. You don’t want to open the door to spoiled milk from a mystery spill. Keep your car looking and smelling fresh with a quick once over with the small hand held cleaner. You fill up the back with water, and put some carpet cleaning in the front. Push the button, and watch the gross spills come up fast.
6. Have a Handheld Vacuum: Similar to the carpet cleaner, before you get going on a big deep clean, you’ll need to vacuum up all of the little crumbs that fell from the kids’ snacks. It’ll help keep bugs away and make cleaning much easier. You don’t have to lug the entire vacuum to the car. Use your little hand held anytime you need. Keep it in the car for those occasional big spills.

By doing little spot cleans here and there, the big clean won’t be as difficult. Try to do a big detail job about 3-4 times a year to keep everything in good repair. You’ll have better car trips and less stress while you caravan the family around.