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Monday Motivation: Clean out your car



Is the inside of your car looking pretty bad?  Mine is.  After a whole season of running quickly from house to car - car to work - work to car - car to home to escape the cold and rain, my car interior has tak'n a beat'n. 

Having worked in preschools for many years, I can tell you that most families with small children have major gunk in their cars.  I can remember kneeling in a mini van, putting a child into a carseat, and standing back up with goldfish crackers stuck to my knees.  Yuck! 

I've got some work to do this week in my car and I thought you might like to get my perspective on what I plan on doing.

1.  First, I'll grab a plastic shopping bag and empty all ash trays and trash containers.  Then I'll search around for any gum wrappers, water bottle caps, or abandoned church bulletins.  Check the trunk too.

2.  Then I'll remove the floor mats.  If I had child car seats I would remove them too.

3.  Then I'll vacuum the seats, making sure to get down into the crevices.  I like to use a shop vac.  That way, if I suck up something important, I can easily retrieve it from the canister. 

4.  Next, I'll vacuum the floors, making sure to clean under the seats and also the trunk.

5.  I like to clean/dust the dashboard and all hard surfaces with my sparkle cleaner and follow up with a vinyl/leather protector. 

6.  If the floor mats are really gunky, I'll scrub them with a scrub brush and hose them down with the garden hose; leaving them outside in the sun to dry.

7.  Since I love clean windows, I'll clean them with sparkle cleaner and a microfiber cloth. 

8.  Going through my glove compartment, I'll throw away any expired coupons, mangled fast food napkins, and the melted chapstick from several months ago. 

9.  If I find any change, I'll throw it in my change bucket and count myself 36 cents richer . 

10.  Finally, I'll stand back and enjoy my clean and organized car. 

Because I'm frequently in my car, far away from home, I like to have several items in my car for emergencies:

1. alcohol hand sanitizer
2. umbrella
3. kleenex
4. napkins
5. feminine hygeine products
6. B,B,&Beyond coupons
7. blanket
8. shopping bags
9. jumper cables
10.first aide kit
11. pen, pencil, and notepad
12. change
13. extra set of clothes and shoes
14. insulated bags for hot/cold foods
15. peanut butter crackers
16. bottled water

Did I forget anything?  Let me know.
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Comments

  1. TiffanyApril 20, 2010 at 10:30 AM

    Are you sure you are motivating yourself to clean your car, or to get Ash motivated to clean her car? ;) hehe

    ReplyDelete
  2. ErinMay 18, 2010 at 9:48 PM

    I just found your blog and am loving it! I have to add a few things to this list...(I am a home health nurse so I spend almost all of my days driving around)
    Pens/small notebook

    baby wipes for sticky messes

    tide stain stick (eating lunch while driving is really not a good way to keep clothes clean)

    toothbrush, toothpaste, floss

    bandaids, ibuprofen, ice pack (kind you squeeze and then gets cold)

    suntan lotion

    if kids: extra diapers, sippy cups and bottle and pacifiers

    I also keep a magic eraser and static dust cloth in my glove box for when stuck in traffic...remove scuff marks, pen marks and dust from dashboard and arm rests

    ReplyDelete

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