Keeping your car clean with kids and dogs seems like an impossible thing to do. But we are here to tell you otherwise.
Just because you have kids and dogs, it does not excuse you from developing a process and understanding of how to keep your car clean and organized.
In this article, we will cover how to keep the car clean and ensure you don’t get it as dirty as you have done in the past.
So if you’d like to finally have a car that doesn’t look abused, keep reading.
How to Keep Your Car Clean? Clean, Obviously
Cleaning is the only proactive thing you need to do regularly, before and after your trusty kids and dogs hop in for a ride. You must give the interior of the car a thorough and effective cleaning. This will ensure that none of the fur and dirt is leftover.
Besides cleaning the car before your kids and dogs get in, you should clean it after you return. If you have seats out of cloth, invest in a wet vacuum. It will remove all moisture from the fabric.
This will prevent growth from mildew and mold. While you might think that cleaning your car is enough, you should probably also clean your dogs and kids so that next time they get in, they don’t get the place that messy.
Seat Protection
Now that everything is clean, you can start to protect the interior against danger, dirt, and fur. There are two ways to protect the floors and seats. You can use all-weather floor mats and a seat cover.
You can also apply stain-resistant fabric guards and water. It does not matter if you buy an official cover or make your own.
If you do not cover the seats, pet hair will get into every crevice. If you are looking at seat covers, plastic ones are the easiest to clean and remove.
Remove Odors
Beyond pet hair, there might also be a smell. If you take the pet out to swim, you will likely have to bring a dirty and wet fellow back. Most odors can be removed by cleaning the interior right away.
Simply vacuuming the floor mats, the seats, and seat cover might do the trick. If the smell persists, you might need to act differently.
Use a cleaner for upholstery designed to remove odors. You can also create some DIY options, but they are not necessary.
Try using baking soda to remove odors. Place a bowl of it in the car and let it sit overnight. It should be able to soak in the odors.
Keep Dog Secure
The best way to keep your car clean is to confine your pet and secure them with restraint or barrier. Not only will it be easier to clean, but you will also prevent distractions.
If your pet is jumping between the back and front seats, then it might be an issue for both of you. You can use a kennel to transport the pet too.
This will control the mess to specific care. You can also look for seat belts that attach to their harness. Before purchasing one, make sure that it will fit your pet properly.
A back seat barrier also works, this partition will separate the front from the back, making it easy to forget about cleaning the untampered area.
Develop Kit
When traveling with kids and pets, you should be prepared. Assemble a cleaning kit to have in your car. You can use these when traveling to keep your dogs and kids clean, as well as your car.
You never know when you might have to make use of them. Put some pet wipes, blankets, lint rollers, brushes, plastic bags, towels, paper towels, etc. Buy some disinfectant foggers to keep the air clean.
While you can take all the preventative strategies to keep the car clean, there is no real way to dog-proof the vehicle. It might seem like a constant battle, and there’s not much you can do about, beyond minimizing its outcomes.
Don’t Eat
Many people have the habit of eating in their cars. You might want to dispose of all trash as soon as possible, but even then that won’t help as much.
Think about all the stains and crumbs that will be left in your car. If you want to keep the interior shiny and clean, don’t eat, and don’t let your kids and dogs eat either. Eating in the car is a great experience, but the aftermath is never pleasant.
Organize
Another great thing to do is to remove all garbage and organize unnecessary items. You will be surprised how large your vehicle is after you throw out a bunch of things.
Organize your supplies, manuals, maps, music, and any other items. Categorize them and put them together in one spot.
If you don’t do this, you will quickly realize how easy it is to lose things in the car. Particularly, if you have kids who are always touching things and putting them where they don’t belong.
As Clean As Ever
Now that you know how to keep your car clean, you are well on your way to get in top-notch shape. As long as you clean regularly and prevent all of the overpowering sources of odor, dust, dirt, you will always be driving in a pleasant environment.
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