Did you know that over 17.6 million cars get sold each year? You might’ve bought one and contributed to that list too!
If you’re a proud owner of a new car, you want to take care of it for as long as possible. But without prior experience, you’ll find it challenging to keep your car clean. Before you know it, you have a dirty vehicle.
Don’t feel ashamed yet.
With this guide, you’ll learn how to keep your car clean. These are easy to do, as long as you’re willing to put in some effort. Read on and find out more:
- Be Ruthless in Cleaning the Car
Whenever possible, set aside a few hours to deep clean your car. Get garbage bags and divide anything inside your car into three categories:
- Items thrown into the garbage
- Items relegated to the house
- Items kept in the car
The last category must be the smallest pile among them. Once you tackle these choices, start purging your car. Look at your backseat, trunk, glove compartment, and spaces under the seats. These places often collect garbage, empty cups, and loose change.
Throw away any garbage encountered. As for extra change, clothes, papers, and toys put them away in your home. As for the remaining items, remove them from your vehicle for now.
After emptying the car of everything, vacuum and wipe down every surface. Take all your floor mats out and give them a few shakes. Hose the rubber flooring and vacuum their upholstered counterparts.
Your car’s console and dashboard come next with vacuuming. Wrap a damp cloth around a butter knife or other thin objects to clean console and dashboard cracks. Use window cleaners to clean all glass surfaces from the interior of your car.
Do you need new custom seat covers for a cleaner car? If so, click the linked guide to learn more.
- Prioritize Your Car Needs
After cleaning out your car, go back to the item pile you wish to put back in your car. Ask whether each item you deemed worthy belongs inside the vehicle. Preparedness is one thing, but always be reasonable when determining your essentials.
Keep tote bags with clothes for both summer and winter in the car trunk, along with an emergency kit. As for the glove compartment, keep important paperwork for your car. This includes your insurance, registration, and other documentation.
The center console should contain a small first aid kit with bandages, painkillers, and rubber gloves. It’s also important to keep a small pocket knife and matches for emergencies. It also won’t hurt to store some healthy snacks in there, like chocolate-free granola bars.
- Stop Using Your Car as Storage
This requires you to talk to your family members. Ask them to commit and bring all things they have from the car to the house. It means ensuring that no items remain within the car except for the essentials.
Enforcing this rule is a must since it takes a while before everyone adjusts from the car storage mentality. Regardless of your destination, ask everyone to put their stuff in bags. For example, when going to the gym, get bags containing supplies like towels, spare clothes, and the like.
Make it a rule that these bags leave when they exit the car. That way, you won’t ever worry about errant items getting left within the car interior. If your car gets hot while parked, get a purse and store items like lip balm and lotion within.
- Consider Disallowing Food Inside the Car
This is one of the best car cleaning tips around, but not the most popular. But if you can stick with this rule, you need not worry about any food-related dirt again. No matter how careful you are, you’ll always end up spilling something or leaving food crumbs.
It’s especially when you’re eating in a fast-moving vehicle. With fast food joints springing up on every corner, it’s easy to use the drive-thru and eat along the way. But sitting down and eating as a family is better since it increases your appreciation of the journey.
There’s a certain charm when you pull over at a rest stop and eat your favorite snacks with your loved ones. It aids to avoid this stressful feeling of getting to your destination as soon as possible. Keeping the car clean is a big plus.
But, if you plan to eat in the car for any reason, do your best to go for dry snacks without sticky parts. Some of these include pretzels and carrot sticks. Always go for water instead of soda or juice, but use a spill-proof travel mug for delicious coffee.
- Let Everyone Grab Their Things Before Leaving
Whenever you pull in the driveway, tell everyone to grab their things. This will remind them that nothing they own stays in the car. Do this every time without compromise, and include yourself in the rule to set a good example for your children.
With this habit, you and your family will transform for the better. If it’s too hard to make a mental note, put a sign in the car. That way, you have a more tangible means of reminding everyone of this rule.
- Put Reminders to Maintain the Rules
Did you know that, on average, it takes 66 days to develop even the simplest of habits? When you impose these rules, it’s easy to slip back to old habits. That’s why you must do your utmost not to fall back.
You must have tangible reminders for yourself and the family. Always take 10-15 minutes to get rid of any garbage in your car. If you have time and money, it’s always better to go to a car wash for a better clean.
Learn How to Keep Your Car Clean Today!
These are some tips on how to keep your car clean. Use these to ensure that your car stays pristine, regardless of the amount of time you spend in it.
Of course, proper auto maintenance doesn’t end with cleaning your new car. To learn how to keep it in tip-top shape, don’t hesitate to read our other auto guides right here, right now!
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