Keeping the car clean with kids

It occurred to me today that I have quite successfully kept the car clean for about a year now.

Before that, it was such a mess.  We literally had to take 10 minutes or so to rearrange it or pull everything out of it to go anywhere with the family.  Otherwise we wouldn't fit.  It was that bad.  It looked like one of the hoarder shows where you see the house packed with stuff up to your neck, only it was a car instead of the house.

This state of clutter also sucked up time whenever we needed to find anything.  

My husband bought a work truck a little over a year ago.  That helped tremendously because I didn't have to worry that I was going to take something out of the car that he would need for work.  With that, I set a goal to clean it inside and out.

How to Clean a Car Inside and Out:

1. Get a Laundry basket to put everything into that belongs in the house.  (Two if you have another category, like "belongs in the garage" or "straight to the laundry room"

2. Get a trash bag (two if you need one for recycling or to hold small papers together)

3. Pull everything out of the car and put them in the basket or the bag.  This step should not take a lot of thought.  It's either trash or keep. If it is keep it will be dealt with later.  This step is just to empty that car. Don't forget to get whatever is hiding under those seats and in the cup holders and door pockets.  And don't forget the trunk.  (I didn't bother emptying the glove compartment with this step.  I would consider that a separate goal all together.)  Note: You can put the car seats and map back into the car once you've cleared everything out.  I also left a car caddy with a few useful items in the trunk.

4. Throw away your bag of trash.

5. Take the laundry basket inside and put things where they need to go to be dealt with.  (I usually find several nasty dishes that I set in the sink.  A pile of dirty laundry that goes into the hamper. Then I put away the rest of the odds and ends until that hamper is empty.  Note: Empty it all the way.  Don't just leave the basket in some corner and avoid it ever more. There is no time like the present! There won't be a more convenient time to do it, so just do it now!  If you get things where they need to go then it's just a matter of routine, washing those dishes with the dishes and washing that laundry with the laundry.

Okay, back to the car.

6. Car Wash!! including vacuuming the interior and trunk.  Also make sure the dash has been dusted and the windows cleaned inside and out.  Note: Go ahead and do this step yourself if you are up for it.

7. Any Extra details.  Take a look and if you notice anything else that needs to be cleaned, then clean it.  For me this included throwing the car seat covers into the wash.  And later I went through the glove compartment.  Perhaps it means washing a sticky spot off or getting an air freshener.

How to Keep the Car Clutter Free (Even with Kids):

1. Start with a perfectly clean car.

2. Only keep very few things in the car. And, if you can, keep them out of sight.

Here is what I keep in the car:

• small first aid kit - (glove compartment)
• pen and small notepad (glove compartment)
• a little bit of cash (glove compartment or center console) - hidden so no one ties to break in and steal it
• flashlight (glove compartment)
• car registration (glove compartment)
• proof of insurance (glove compartment)
• stack of napkins (glove compartment)
• box of tissues (passenger door pocket- out of the way, but easy to access)
• phone charger (right by the plug in for it.)
• map (under the seat - or in a seat pocket, but our car doesn't have seat pockets)
• umbrella (under the seat)
• car seats
• a baby blanket for each child (in the car seats or the seat between them.)
• fold up umbrella stroller (trunk)
• caddy (trunk) - this caddy holds odds and ends I may need like paper towels, extra diapers & wipes, bottled water, bubbles, baseballs, any items I need to return to a store, a bag of reusable grocery bags, books on cd.  Keeping it in the caddy makes for easy access, keeps it tidy, and allows you to move everything quickly for cleaning or fitting other things into the trunk.
• I also think it would be good to keep some emergency items like granola bars and old tennis shoes (trunk)

3. Have a couple sturdy bags on hand to carry whatever you need for the day to and from the car.  I use reusable grocery bags for this.  They are light weight, fold easily, and fit a lot and are easy to carry. I often have at least one stuffed full of extra clothes, jackets, sunscreen, bottles, snacks, toys for the kids.  Sometimes I separate clothing from food and do two bags.

The next step is the big one.  All the other steps are just to help you succeed at this step.  It's the key.  It's the one you have to turn into a habit.

Drum Roll

4. Take everything out of the car when you get home.  All of it!!  Every time!!  This includes food and trash and everything (except the few items that belong in the car at all times).  Do it even if you have to make two trips.  If you're kids are old enough, let them be responsible for carrying their own stuff in.

It might seem like a bunch to carry with you (use those bags from step 3), but it works wonders.  And the car is ready to go when you need it.  It's a clean slate.

So, after adding the above pictures I thought, "what's so special about that.  it's just an old car that happens to be cleaned out."  However, it is not just that it is a clean car.  It's practically always clean. Because of that, it is a car that allows our family to skip past tons of frustration, stress, disorganization, and time-wasting.  It allows us to be spontaneous, flexible, comfortable, calm, on-time, and prepared.

There are a couple more steps to help you keep it so nice.

5. Wash and vacuum out the car every so often.  This feels nicer and helps with motivation to keep it uncluttered.  I allow eating in my car, so I might need to vacuum more than someone else.

6. If it does get ahead of you, just grab the laundry basket.