Keeping a Clean Car

Your car is one of your most expensive investments. Taking care of things you own says a lot about you to others. Keeping a clean car will make you feel better about yourself and will give others a more favorable impression of you. It will also help it look good longer.

I remember how special I always felt (and feel) when getting into a car I know someone just had cleaned before picking me up. Make yourself feel special too by cleaning it for YOU! Need motivation to clean your car? Imagine giving a ride to someone you really like or respect and them getting in your car as it is right now. Would you want to offer them that ride?

Decluttering the Car

The first step to a clean care is to be sure the car is free of clutter, trash and things that don’t need to be there. I once asked my son to “just put it in the trunk” and when he opened his trunk I realized why this was not an option- there was not a centimeter of room to put anything more in that trunk. It had become the eater of jackets and hoodies and books and CDs, and videos and games and even money.

Grab a container for all the things that don’t belong in the car and empty it out. Only put back what ought to be in the car.

What belongs in the Car

A clean car is not cluttered with wrappers from last week’s fast food drive-through, used tissues, old lottery tickets, clothes and jackets from 6 months ago, or the myriads of other things that miraculously congregate there.

Even if you take your car to a car wash for the outside and/or interior clean, make a habit of decluttering the car first.

There are some things you need to have in the car, and a clean car facilitates finding those things that have a real purpose when you need them.

In the glove compartment/box:

Your registration
Owners Manual
Insurance Card
Box of facial tissues
Optional:
Maps
A small box of small kitchen garbage bags or a bag of plastic grocery bags to use as trash bags

In the trunk:

An emergency kit for the car, including jump cables
Your spare tire (you may not see it because it may be stowed under the carpet)
An emergency kit for you. This is seasonal but in winter might include:

• a warm jacket in winter
• gloves
• scarf
• boots (extra set with low heel, waterproof and warm), especially if you are a woman who tends to wear high heels or dressy shoes. If you get stranded or need to walk a ways on ice or in the cold, you will be glad you have something warm).
• Chocolate bars (for energy)
• nuts for protein
• at least a couple of water bottles (if it tends to freeze hard where you are, be sure to let out some of the water from these so they don’t expand and crack when they freeze).
• Scrapers and brushes for snow and ice on the windshield
• Sun shields for sun
• A couple of clean microfiber terry cloths for cleaning windows or removing bird poop
• In colder climates or if you drive a lot and its winter: A bag of gravel or kitty litter and a small shovel to dig yourself out if you get stuck in snow or on ice.

Cleaning the Interior

Wipe the interior clean with a little spritz of water on a microfiber terry cloth. If there has been a spill or something which requires more than water, use a cleaner designed for the car interior and a microfiber cloth. You can vacuum the carpeting if it needs cleaning with a small portable vacuum, or a larger one if you can easily access a plug. The easiest way is to have it vacuumed at the car wash. They can also clean the interior carpet if and as necessary.

Be sure all your nooks and crannies are decluttered and cleaned too. This means the cup holder, the change holder, the CD storage area at the driver’s right elbow. Once in a while its just good to check to see what’s in there. I found a CD I’d been looking for for months in that compartment.

Clean off the back seat and floors, too.

Cleaning the Exterior

You can take your car to a car wash or if you have the time and energy, clean it yourself. In any case, its a good idea to have your car cleaned regularly to get off salt, bird droppings and dirt, but also to keep a good layer of wax to protect the paint.

Speaking of bird poop: Get it off your car as soon as possible because it can ruin the paint. Use just water and the microfiber cloth you have in the trunk. Use lots of water, wipe, rinse repeat if necessary. You can use a detailing solution if you have it, but water used liberally will do the trick too.
OK, so you want to wash the car. Do not use anything but a solution designed for washing car exteriors or you run the risk of damaging the paint. Follow the manufacturers directions, and rinse thoroughly.

When you have a thoroughly clean car, apply a wax product of your choice following the directions of the product. Some products go onto a wet car while others require the car to be dry. Some are wipe on, spread and leave, while others are wipe on, dry and wipe off. .

For more information and detail, Consumer Reports has a guide to how to wash your car.

Keeping a Clean Car is Easy

Clutter is the biggest enemy but can be easily overcome. Once its dealt with, you can take the car to the car wash or clean it with minimal effort if the clutter is already dealt with.

Create a habit of grabbing anything from your current trip and getting it out of the car when you get home. If you see things from other trips that need to go, remove them from the car too. Be sure you clothes and coats are not left in the car. Try to make a habit of car tidiness at least once a week. DO a look around (say after coming home from the grocery store) and remove anything that doesn’t belong. Empty out the trash bag or any trash in the car.

A clean car will make you feel better about yourself and is good for the car. Make it a habit and enjoy it!