Simple Tips For Keeping Your Car Clean With Toddlers

There is no greater feeling than sitting in a clean car with toddlers in the backseat. Am I right? I know, it’s glorious. 

Our cars can be a “catch-all” place for our things. I have shared on my podcast about how to keep your car clean with a toddler in tow (or 3 in my case) so check it out here if you want to listen to that! 

When we drive around town it seems as if the car can escalate from clean to dirty quickly. Everyone has to be in a small confined space for different amounts of time and it can make this type-A mama go mad! 

I do realize that everyone’s car size is different, family size is different, and the overall situation is DIFFERENT. Take this guide as it relates to you and your situation. 

CLEAN CAR HACKS

Have 1 Car Organizer Box That Can Be Removed

When you are cleaning your car next time, take everything out of it. Clean out the glove compartment, the trunk, and the glove box. Clean out the sides of the doors and the backs of the seats. 

Once you have everything out get a small box (or bag in my case). I have had several, and use what I have on hand at the moment which is a reusable grocery bag. To be clear it doesn’t need to be a box per se but it is nice to have a clear box that you can see through if you can. 

When you are going out for the day, put everything into the box that will fit for your outing, and then when you get home, take the box inside and clear it out. 

Clutter can pile up if you have this box or bag and never remove it and keep adding things to the mix. Before you know it you will have piles of stuff in your car, which causes stress and mess. 

On my podcast, I shared how I got rid of my box for a while because I was not doing the due diligence of clearing my box each trip. If this is you, and you may feel it is too hard to clear the clutter each time then go boxless. The fewer containers the less clutter you will accumulate.

Remove all clutter and boxes (bag) from the car and just bring in what you need each day, and bring it out when you are done. There are a few easy options that are attainable for any mom.

Mess-Free Snacks For Kids

This is an important hack as you try and keep your car presentable while having toddlers in tow. Having a few mess-free snacks for the car will keep you clean up quickly and minimally and save your car seats over time. I have a delicious granola bar recipe that is easy to make here.

I love our Maxi Cosi Pria convertible car seats because they come with a washable car seat cover. It brings me so much joy to easily pop those covers off and throw them into the washing machine for simple hygiene practices. 

Some of my favorite mess-free snacks are:

• Granola bars
• Dry crackers
• Whole fruit (apples and oranges)
• Fruit leather
• Nuts
• Dried Fruit
• Snap Peas

Mess-Free Car Activities 

We all know that kid snacks and activities make up a large portion of the car mess daily. I like a few simple mess-free car activities to keep the kids entertained without the entertainment system playing the whole ride. 

They can be easily swapped out or saved in your seat back if you want to keep a few items in your car.

• Books
• Whirly squigz 
• Tell stories (my oldest son’s absolute favorite currently)
• Magnatab or magnetic drawing board
• Tegu magnetic blocks
• Dimpl
• Poppers

A few car seat cleaning hacks

If your child is new to potty training and is constantly peeing in their car seat, it can be hard to wash the cover constantly. I love this waterproof car seat liner because it saves me time and sanity!

Buy a car seat that has a cover that comes off. Most do, and try to wash this at least once a month! 

I also like to vacuum out the cup holder and then use a wipe inside of it to get any nasty gunk out. 

CAR CLEANING HACKS

Once you feel like you have your car cleaned out and emptied, as well as a gameplan on ideas to keep it that way from the information above let’s start cleaning.

First, my favorite hand spray from Red’s Gone Green serves as an AMAZING all-natural car spray. It also keeps my hands clean and soft. I love that it never dries them out!

Another simple hack is to use a magic eraser to get all of the hard-to-scrub grime off of surfaces. 

These are my favorite little products to use on EVERYTHING. I even use the magic eraser to take dings off! They work wonders for shining things up. 

KEEPING YOUR CAR CLEAN WITH SIMPLE RESETS

What is a reset?

I love simple resets because they keep my car clutter-free and manageable throughout the week. Whether you are using a bin for your day’s organization or no bin these resets will come in handy. 

When the day is done and you are finished driving your car, simply go out and take out any garbage or items from that day. It should take no longer than 2-3 minutes. 

You don’t need to clean the actual car by vacuuming, wiping, and fine-tuning (who has time for that daily?) but it is just a clutter reset. Let’s talk about this cute succulent, I need all the “blessing” I can get with toddlers in this vehicle! 

For me, when I didn’t have a bin to go through it was easier because I just grabbed what was on the floor and seats and took it inside. With the bin, I would bypass it because it was contained. Whatever works for your personality type. 

YOU CAN KEEP IT SIMPLE: This is my reset from the day. So many toys and extra “things” on the floor will go back to their places in the house. 

No matter what method you choose when it comes to keeping your car clean SIMPLE IS BEST.

Clearing the initial clutter out of your car gives you a clean slate to work with, especially if you have multiple kids who are riding each day. The resets become easier because the stuff is intentional and minimal. 

You got this, mama!

Xo

Lauren