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When you have children, it is very easy to assume that you will never have a tidy house or a clean car ever again, or at least until the kids grow up and move out.
However, it is unfortunately an essential task, especially if you have taken out a lease plan – according to car leasing broker ICL. Lease companies can penalise you if your car is in bad condition when you hand it back. You will also lose money if you’re selling a car in bad condition according to car valuation experts Parkers. So it’s definitely in your interests financially to keep the car as clean as possible.
Following these tips, you can keep your car clean, regardless of the age and messiness of your children.
Regular maintenance
Just as you clean your house regularly to keep on top of the worst of the mess; you need to apply the same logic to your car. While the first clean may take a while, keeping on top of it, and cleaning monthly, you can reduce the time of the regular maintenance to less than fifteen minutes. Monthly maintenance should involve removing all the rubbish, taking anything back into the house / garage / shed, that shouldn’t be there and wiping down the surfaces.
Take care of cup holders
One of the stickiest and most unhygienic parts of your car is likely to be the cup holders. Just think of all the different types of drinks that it has held, and that have splashed over it just in the course of a week’s worth of journeys. Using cotton buds and a cleaning solution is a great way to get right around the edges of the cup holder, especially at the bottom. Once clean, help to keep them that way by investing in coasters to place at the bottom. If you can’t find any then small doilies, or even cut down beer mats will do the trick.
Contain the rubbish
While your car is not likely to come with a built-in rubbish bin, or recycling receptacle, it is a good idea to create one to keep in your car. It doesn’t have to be fancy, a simple plastic bag, or small container will do the trick. The only challenge then is to get the kids to use it.
Count it all in, then out again
One of the major causes of mess in your car is likely to be a build-up of stuff. From coats and toys, to random things you don’t even remember putting in the car, if you don’t take it straight out, it soon takes root. To avoid this, take note of what everyone has with them when they get into the car, and ensure that they have the same number of items with them when they get out. If anything is being left for a specific reason, such as a toy that journeys to school, but doesn’t go in, place it on the child’s seat so as soon as they get back in it is back in their possession.
Don’t be afraid of the deep clean
Even with the best of intentions mess, dirt and rubbish will still happen, so to keep your car sparkling you need to take the cleaning to the next level every couple of months. Your deep clean should include vacuuming the floor, car floor mats, seats and between the seats. If your seats fold, then this makes your job that little bit easier.
If you follow these tips your car with stay cleaner for longer, and will be a more pleasant environment for everyone involved. Of course, the alternative is not to ever let the kids in the car, but following these tips is much more practical.