Your car is your second home. You spend a lot of time in your car.
If you keep your home clean, why don’t you keep your car clean?
The answer is simple. Most people only think about their car once they’re inside of it. Once you step out of the car and go into the house or your workplace, it’s out of sight, out of mind.
A clean car can have a positive impact on your physical health as well as mental and emotional health.
Getting rid of trash and clutter can improve the air quality of your car, making it easier to breathe.
Plus, a clean car will help you stay focused on the road and limit your distractions.
You don’t need the help of professionals to get your car clean. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can clean the interior of your car in less than an hour.
This post contains affiliate links. Click here for the full affiliate disclosure.
Start on one side of the car and work your way to the other side
Cleaning the inside of your car can be a daunting task, but it’s a lot easier to do if you start on one side and work your way to the other.
When you work from side to side, you won’t miss a spot, and you won’t mess up an area that you’ve already cleaned. Using this technique of cleaning from one side of the car to the next will save you time and energy.
Clean between the car seats & console
We all have that small, narrow gap that’s in between the car seats and the center console. There’s always some sort of dust or dirt accumulating in that gap. This area of your car can be hard to clean because it’s so narrow.
To clean the small gap between your car seats and your center console, wrap a damp cloth around a popsicle stick, push it down into the gap, and the dirt will stick to the wet cloth.
You can also take a can of compressed air and spray it into the gap to blow out crumbs.
Push your seat all the way back to clean the front side of the narrow gap, and push your seat all the way up to the front to clean the backside of the narrow gap.
If you have a vacuum cleaner with an attachment hose, go underneath the seat to reach the gap.
Clean underneath the car seats
I like to call the space under the car seat “The land of lost french fries.”
Once a french fry slips through the narrow gap, it’s gone forever. Until you start to clean underneath your car seat.
If anything is left under the car seat for too long, it will begin to rot and your car will smell terrible.
To clean under the car seat, slide the car seat all the back or all the way up. Then, use a car vacuum with an attachment hose to get under the seat.
You’ll be surprised at all of the junk under your car seats.
Stop using your car door panel as a trash can
It’s easy to throw a receipt or a ball of paper into the slot of your car door, but that makes your car look cluttered and gross.
Clean out your entire car door panel. Throw away old receipts, food wrappers, and tissues.
Purchase a mini trash can to put in your car cup holder. Having a designated area for trash in your car will keep you from throwing things in the car door panel.
Clean & disinfect the steering wheel
Your steering wheel is the most touched area inside your car.
The type of steering wheel you have will determine how you go about cleaning your steering wheel.
If you have a leather steering wheel, use dish liquid soap and water. Don’t completely saturate your washcloth in the soap; make it slightly damp enough to clean the surface of your steering wheel.
If you have a cloth steering wheel cover, take it off and wash it inside the washing machine.
Keep a spray bottle of 70% (or higher) isopropyl alcohol in your car to clean your steering wheel daily.
Deep clean the car mats
Another dirty item in your car is the car mats. You’re constantly stepping on your car mats when you get in and out of the car. Think of all of the mud trapped inside the fiber of your car mats. Gross, right?
Most people vacuum the car mats and move on to cleaning another part of the car, but that’s not enough.
To thoroughly clean your car mats, take them out, sweep the dirt and debris off, and then vacuum.
Don’t forget to vacuum the floor on the driver’s side and the passenger’s side.
Set rules and & boundaries
You and the kids spend a lot of time in the car. Teach your kids to treat the car as their second home. Enforce rules to keep them from throwing trash all over the car, and encourage them to keep the car clean for a reward when they get home.
Make your car smell good with these DIY smell hacks
Once you’ve finished cleaning your car, it’s time to make it smell good!
- Make your car smell like your favorite essential oils with this car diffuser that clips to the air vent
- Place 1 or 2 wax melts into a salt and pepper mason jar shaker and sit in your cup holder. The wax melts will start to melt inside the salt and pepper shaker and the scent will go up into your car, making it smell amazing!
- Make your own air freshener spray with Downy Unstoppables. Pour a few Unstoppables in the spray bottle, and fill the spray bottle with water. Give the mixture a little shake and spray it all over the interior of your car.
Create a car cleaning kit
If you want to clean your entire car, you’ll need to assemble a collection of tools and materials to help you tackle the job. Here’s a list of things you’ll need to clean your car.
- Microfiber cloth
- Window cleaner
- All-purpose car cleaner
- Car vacuum
- Lysol wipes
- Leather cleaner
- Upholstery cleaner
- Trash bags
- Paper towels
- Duster
- Crevice cleaning tool kit
Once you gather all of your equipment, place everything in a container, and bring it with you when you go outside to clean your car. Have fun cleaning!
Keeping your car clean and free of trash will keep your car smelling good and help you stay focused on the road. Share your car cleaning hacks in the comment section below.