Inside: Got a messy vehicle? Implement my 3 T.L.C. tips to keep your vehicle neat and clean with very little extra time or effort! I’ll show you how.
Over the weekend, we went through the somewhat annoying but necessary process of removing the car seats and boosters from both of our vehicles, vacuuming both vehicles, decrumbing the car seats, and putting everything back in place again.
I suppose I don’t necessarily love the process, but I do enjoy the end results of a thoroughly deep-cleaned van. So, it’s one of those to-dos I put on my list a couple of times each year.
For the rest of the year, however, we utilize 3 simple steps to maintain the interior of our vehicles with almost no extra effort.
Besides some sand, dirt, and a few cracker crumbs, the insides of our vehicles are almost always neat and organized — even with multiple children, snacks, drinks, blankets, bags, books, craft supplies, tissues, wipes, etc.
Want to know my “secret”??
It’s just a little T. L. C.
If you need a little motivation to clean up the inside of your vehicle (and a simple plan to KEEP it organized), consider this my pep-talk to you!
T = Trash
Is it just me, or are you also shocked by the amount of trash your tribe can produce while on the go??
We keep a plastic grocery bag “tied” to the back of the passenger seat so I can easily reach the trash from the driver’s seat and the kids can easily deposit their trash as they exit the van.
I have 1 or 2 extra plastic bags rolled up in the back of that seat pocket so we always have replacement bags ready to go when it’s time to change the bag.
I honestly don’t know what I’d do without a dedicated trash bag in our vehicles.
It’s such a quick, simple, and frugal fix for messy car interiors but it’s a crucial factor in maintaining a semi-clean car.
L = Leave the vehicle neater than you found it.
This is another very simple, but very effective trick we utilize to keep our van neat and organized almost all the time.
Every time we arrive home (and I do mean EVERY time), we take everything out of the van that doesn’t belong.
For example, the kids usually take a snack cup and water bottle in the car… and they all take them back into the house again when we get home.
When I used a diaper bag, I brought it into the house and immediately restocked it with necessary supplies. The same goes for the kids’ backpacks.
And of course, any groceries always come into the house right away as well.
I also usually do a once-over of the vehicle to see if there are any stray papers, receipts, pieces of trash, etc. that can be removed before I head inside. It takes mere seconds and makes a huge difference.
As with most spaces in my life, I’m calmer, less stressed, more relaxed, and happier if my surroundings are relatively neat and organized.
Taking a few minutes (often just 1 minute) to leave our van better than when we arrived is more than worth it for me!
C = Create a space for items you keep in the car.
We keep a surprising amount of stuff in our van at all times — which means less stuff for me to lug back and forth every time we get in and out.
However, we have designated storage spots for all this stuff so it’s not sitting out, looking cluttery, or sliding around the van when we drive.
Below are a few examples of things we store in the van, and where we store it (I share more detail about our van storage in this post).
Blankets and Neck Pillows:
Each child has their own car blanket and neck pillow — which they use quite regularly.
The blankets are wedged next to the child’s seat. The neck pillows are looped around their headrest or armrest.
Paper, Pens, and other Craft Supplies:
We have a little organizer (similar to this one) that hooks onto the headrest and provides lots of storage space for pens, paper, crayons, stickers, books, etc. etc.
We currently have the organizer hanging from the headrest in the middle of the back seat.
Towel, Wipes, Sanitizers, and other Baby/Kid Supplies:
Even though we’ve been out of the diaper stage for almost a year, I still keep a big container of wipes in the van at all times. And I always keep a small hand towel in the van in case we have a big spill or visit a park with wet toys.
I also keep a pump bottle of this foaming hand sanitizer in one of the cup holders so the kids can quickly sanitize their hands whenever they get back in the van.
Since I don’t use a designated diaper bag anymore (woo-hoo), I keep a few spare first aid supplies, chapstick, lotion, gum, and candy in the center console.
Grocery Bags
I store all my reusable grocery bags in the trunk (I fold them all and put them inside one of the bags).
Umbrella, Snow Scraper, Blankets, and Tarps
I store 2 umbrellas, our snow scraper, our favorite car blanket, and a small tarp in the “stow ‘n go” part of the van below the bucket seats.
I use the blanket for picnics, hanging out at the park, sitting on bleachers, or just to keep warm in the spring and fall.
I use the tarp whenever I haul plants or anything that’s a little dirty.
Paperwork and coupons
I store all our vehicle’s paperwork and manuals in the glove box — along with various coupons and gift cards.
That’s it!
By practicing a little T.L.C. we’re able to keep the inside of our vehicles neat and organized (almost) all the time with very little extra effort.
Here’s a recap…
T = Trash – have a spot for it!
L = Leave the vehicle better than you found it.
C = Create a space for items you keep in the vehicle.
Hey… come to think of it, this T.L.C. concept could improve almost any space in your home! 😉
Maintaining a fairly neat and organized vehicle truly doesn’t require all that much time or energy, especially once you implement my simple T.L.C. routine.
Give it a try the next time you’re coming or going… I think you’ll notice a big difference!
Pin this post for later…
Liane says
Ha! Crumbs. Yes I remember them. After I retired my old two door sport compact car I opted to lease a Ford Edge in 2017 and I recently turned it in for a 2020 model which is nearly identical. We have one rule. NO FOOD OR DRINK IN THIS CAR. You’d be amazed how much less mess that it. My husband and I are firm believers in not eating between meals, so no food gets consumed in the car, and if we are in our motorhome which is a kitchen on wheels with a bed and bath, all meals are consumed at the table. Never in the driver and copilot seats which are leather. So are the seats in both our cars. When I returned the first edge, the lease manager of course did a post turn in inspection and he said that the only sign of use of thus vehicle is the odometer. Boy was I proud. I won’t tell you about the old car LOL.
My car mess is due to the millions of reusable bags in the trunk area. We are not allowed by law to take our reusable bags into stores. And we must pay $.15 for a bag at the store, again by law. So the plan of attack is to replace all the food into the cart, push cart to car, and bag groceries outside in the 100° weather. Not much fun. It means more frequently shopping because it’s such a hassle. Then the bags get sprayed with sanitizer and thrown back into the car.
At least I have a car and the ability to buy wholesome fresh foods and not rely on packages and boxed processed foods.
Andrea says
wow — good for you!
we’re big snackers around here (Dave and I love snacks!) We do try to have nutritious snacks… but still lots of snacks!
I’m ok with crumbs when we have 4 younger kiddos — but eventually, I’ll probably be more strict with eating in the car. Right now, our van is old and while it’s still in good shape, we don’t anticipate getting good money from so we’ll probably just drive it until it’s not driveable!
Natalia says
Haha! My daughters and I did a deep cleaning of our car this past weekend! Complete with washing the floor mats. It must be the season!
We have small cars, so… limited space. I store several slightly used ziplock bags in the door pocket, and use one at a time for collecting the small garbage. It zips closed and I can easily hand it to others while driving, if I need to. I feel better about not wasting perfectly usable ziplock bags 🙂
Andrea says
yay — great minds think alike 😉
Ziplock bags for the win again — I love this idea for “saving” bags without needing to wash them!
Linda B. says
One of my small habits for last year was following your lead and getting everything out of the car as soon as I get home. I put a Bath & Body Works paper shopping bag on the back of the passenger seat for garbage. I just dump it every time I get gas and put it back. As soon as masks went into effect around here, I put two backup masks in paper bags for my husband and I and designated a spot for us each to keep our masks. Now when we get in the car, I can tell at a glance if either of us forgot a mask and go back inside to get one before we leave. I’m so happy with how a minute or two every time we come home saves me from having to do a major clean out of my car a few times a year!
Andrea says
This is a great small habit to work on!
Also, thanks for sharing your tip about the masks. We’ve already forgotten our masks a few times over the last several months (I’m sure we’ll forget them more in the future too).
I did put a handful of disposable masks in the van “just in case” but I like your tip too. Thanks!
Paula says
I use a plastic pencil box for Kleenex . It floated around the cabin (on the floor) when they were little and just the kleenex box on it’s own would get smashed and stepped on.
Andrea says
That’s a great idea. We actually have an extra plastic pencil box from an erroneous back-to-school purchase this year. Maybe I’ll copy your idea! Thanks 🙂
Sheri D says
Good tips on the car. But I am confused about the pool. I know you had an above ground pool and you said you loved it so much and recommended it highly. So you went with another above ground pool? What is the difference and why not keep the one you already loved? Just curious. I am sad that you could not have an inground pool until 2022!
Andrea says
Ah yes, the pool!
We had our Costco pool for 3 years (which was our plan). That was a VERY temporary pool and VERY tiny pool that we needed to take down and put up every year. It was fantastic for our young family and we got tons of use out of it these past 3 summers… but 2020 was our year to “go bigger” with the pool.
We planned to do an inground pool, but when that was clearly not an option anymore, we opted for a very large, permanent above-ground pool instead. It’s over 3 times the size of our Costco pool, it will stay up all winter it has a large deep end, and we will eventually build a deck all the way around the pool so it will (sort of) feel like an inground pool when we’re finished with it 🙂
Sheri D says
Oh, I didn’t realize it was temporary. Your new one sounds nice. I would not think inground pools are very common that far north. I know here in Nebraska there are some that have them but not a lot.
Andrea says
yeah, the other pool was roughly $500 and quite a bit of work to take down, put up, clean, maintain. We knew that going into the purchase, but we also knew it would be a short-term thing!
Teresa says
Thanks for this post!
Cleaning and organizing the inside of the van was on the list for today – so this post was right on time!
Always love to see your ‘how-to’ posts.
Andrea says
wow – perfect timing!
I hope your cleaning project went well and that you can enjoy your newly organized van!
Jennifer J says
We have car specific water bottles so we’re never without, and each of my children has a folder in the car for all of their art work/Sunday school papers/etc.
Andrea says
You know, I’ve thought about having “car water bottles” and just leaving them in the car. However, I’m not sure how i’d handle washing them, refilling them, etc. Do you just use disposable bottles? My kids also don’t love “hot” water — so it would probably get too warm for them in the summer.
Veneta says
Thanks so much for this post, Andrea! I really needed some good ideas on how to keep my car clean with two little kids. It’s always so messy and I feel like there is kids stuff everywhere. My kids like to leave toys, drawings and other stuff behind.
I just need to go ahead and get all the car seats out like you, do a complete clean out, organize everything and enforce a no-toys-left-behind rule. I’m putting this on my weekend to do list.
Andrea says
just a thought — you really DON’T need to “start from scratch” and pull everything out of your car. You could simply pop in a trash bag and start reminding your kids to take all their toys and “junk” out of the car each time. That’s probably a less overwhelming way to get started than to totally overhaul your car 🙂
maureen says
I purchased weather tec mats for my car a little price but the ones in the front go up the sides and contains spills. I also live in the middle of the snow belt so really help in the winder
Andrea says
yes, my sister has these and they are very nice!
Jane says
I think your van is neater than mine with four grown kids! I use old Kleenex boxes to collect my garbage.
JJ says
We have kids about the same ages, and they each have a tote that I got at Dollar Tree for them. They can bring anything to the van as long as THEY carry it to and from the van. My 1 year old feels like such a big boy. Haha! They especially love their Magna Doodles. And we incorporated your trash bag held up with clips tip, which has been sooo helpful.
Andrea says
yes — I try to always make sure my kids bring all their own stuff back inside again. I can’t stand it when they leave their water or snack or “favorite toy” in the car because they are too much in a hurry to get out. I make them go back and get it (which they hate!)
Angela says
Love this! We have the same van, also black. We live on a gravel road so it’s often dusty, but I try to keep the inside tidy (our floor mats are always full of gravel bits though.) We also have a black Suburban, so we buy discount carwash cards and try to wash them regularly in the winter, to keep the salt off. We’ve had two previous vehicles rust out prematurely from the salty roads in our Minnesota winters, so we’re trying to be better about it with these vehicles. : )
I laughed out loud at the picture of your center console – it looks almost identical to mine, right down to the smarties and spearmint gum! : ) Now that we are beyond our stroller days, our back area usually contains a couple of lawn chairs, a picnic blanket, and our “activity backpack” that our littles take along to their older siblings’ tennis and football games. We have games once or twice a week in the fall, so we just keep these items in the van for the season.
We always had one seat stowed when we had three kids…I loved that extra area for diaper changes, coolers, etc., just like you. Now that we have four kids, and often drive friends around so we use all the seats, we never ever stow them, so I use the “stow” area to keep an old beach towel or two (because we find ourselves out and about on lots of adventures and like to splash in any creek we find) and an ice cream pail filled with a few ziploc and grocery bags (because on those adventures we sometimes find turtles that need to be brought home). : ) When the kids were little I also kept a change of clothes for everyone in there, in case of spills or accidents, and those came in handy quite often. We spent LOTS of time at playgrounds when they were younger and it was nice to always be prepared.
Now that we also have a Suburban (it’s an older one), I love that vehicle too, especially for the cargo space in back for traveling, but it doesn’t have any of the “cubbies” for storing various odds and ends like my van does! I really miss my cubbies in that vehicle, and feel very unprepared when I drive it! It’s ok though, now that the kids are older and I don’t need to have quite as much stuff for them. I’ve even downsized to a normal person purse instead of my big “mom purse”…although it will probably always and forever contain a small pack of wipes and a couple of band-aids!
Andrea says
yes, we use the “stow space” for lots of stuff now too — a couple blankets, bungee cords, a tarp, and even a portable high chair — so we’re still utilizing our space well I suppose!
Amy says
I’m so glad you recommended the neck pillows. I have been on the hunt for them and wasn’t sure which ones to get! Thanks!
Andrea says
yes, we love those neck pillows!
Rhonda says
Andrea, I follow all of the tips you have listed here, except I don’t use the storage on the back of the seats. I have a 7 seat Pathfinder. I use the small and extra small EZpacking cubes to store some stickers, small sheets of paper, crayons, markers, etc. My 4 and 7 year can use those in the car, or we can easily take them with us into a restaurant (we do like to go out to eat a couple times a month). Thanks for the tips!
Andrea says
Sounds like a good system!
Jen says
I am the SAME way about our cars. And, to me, it’s the same principle as staying organized in the home: give everything a place and PUT IT THERE! Our daughter’s car routinely looks like a bomb went through, and it makes me crazy! We’ve paid a lot of money for those vehicles–we maintain the engine and tires, why not do the same with the interior??? I also keep a microfiber cloth in the glove box so I can do a quick dust of the dash, controls, etc. Ours are black and I can’t stand to see the dust. I also have a small square trash basket that fits perfectly under our center console. I “line” it with several Wal-mart bags at a time and that way, when one is full, I can just peel it off and the next one is ready to go. (It’s also come in handy for a few motion-sickness prone family members, ahem….) A friend recently got into our car and saw the basket and was amazed! It had never occurred to her to have a trash bag/can/basket in the car. Another trick that I think helps us is that I keep a trash can right in the garage. This way, it’s easily accessible for tossing trash from the cars. My husband is pretty anal about the outside of our cars, and I worry about the inside so we make a good team!
Andrea says
Yes, we have a kitchen-size trash can in our garage — which we surprisingly use ALLLLL the time (even though our big rolling dumpster is right outside the garage. It’s amazing how much trash we can accumulate in one short car trip!