HGP your car!!!

[AuntJamelle]

One thing I want to squeeze into the HGP this year is cleaning and organizing my car! It is often the last place I clean and organize and when it is cluttered and dirty it drives me nuts!

I'm either going to tackle the car the week BEFORE the HGP starts, or I will do it during a week that is a "light" week for me - where I don't have that type of room, etc.

I've done some browsing online and have compiled a set of cleaning instructions from several sites. Also, I've pulled together a list of items I want to keep in the car and where/how.

I'd love additional feedback, tips, tricks, etc.!

GETTING THE CAR HGP CLEAN!

1. Slide seats forward and clean out the junk. Remove the big junk by hand. Set aside items that will be returned to the car. Remove car/booster seats, shake out rugs; Vacuum floor, rugs, upholstery. Get into all the little tight spots with attachments.

2. Deep clean carpet and upholstery; Can use a spray on cleaner and a scrub brush – or try a mix of Dawn/water with a stiff brush…or try this combo of Blue Dawn+White Vinegar+Club Soda used by Inspired Housewife:

http://www.inspired-housewife.com/carseat-cleaner/

3. Wipe down all surfaces, including nooks and crannies. A rag over a dull flat screwdriver (or other similar object) works well, use Simple Green or similar cleaner on the rag. Go around all the buttons and controls, follow all the trim lines, get into all the recesses. Follow up with a rejuvenator like Armor All.

4. Brush out the air vents. A long bristled artists brush and furniture polish work well here. Give the brush a light shot of furniture polish like Pledge. Work the brush into the crevices, wipe brush off with rag and move on to next vent.

5. Wash the windows, including the top edges (roll windows down some to get a those)

6. Finish up with Febreeze or other air freshener option.

ITEMS KEPT IN CAR:

- Bug Spray
- Sun Block
- Towels (2-3)...these invariably come in handy one way or another...impromptu blanket...wiping water off the bottom of a playground slide...you name it!
- Wet Wipes
- Kleenex
- Umbrella
- Empty Clorox Wipes container (washed/dried) filled with plastic grocery bags
- Car Emergency Kit

GLOVE BOX CONTENTS:

***I find it ironic that I NEVER keep gloves in my glove box. Just wanted to say that out loud...

- Phone Charger
- Extra Napkins
- Small ziplock with small amount of plastic silverware
- Insurance Info/Registration
- Pen and Small Notepad of Paper

What do you guys think? Do you have a regular routine for keeping car nice? Or do you just wait until you can't stand it like me these days?

How/where do you keep things in the car so that they aren't in the way?

 

[luludou]

DH is in charge of the cars here, so I leave this up to him.

However, there is a difference for the items kept in the trunk. As winter is coming, in the trunk he puts:
- windshield washer liquid
- A shovel
- Mittens
- Tire traction aids
- Winshield snow brush

 

[AnnieClaus]

Around the holidays, I like to keep some Christmas gift bags and tissue paper in the trunk so if you are invited somewhere last minute, or you're stopping someone's house and want to bring some holiday cheer and need a gift at a moments notice, you have a few things to put the gift together before arriving.

Even if it's just a bottle of wine, some crackers, and a nice cheese.

Also- Don't forget to keep a blanket or two in the trunk.

Annie

 

[Colleen in PA]

I love this idea! We always keep an extra sweater/fleece and socks/gloves for each person in the car...with blankets! I can't tell you how many times one of my boys has stepped in a "slush" puddle and needed to change socks while we're running around.

AuntJamelle - I wouldn't say we have a regular routine to keep the car nice, but usually once a week or so, I'll bring a plastic grocery bag out to the car and have my kids gather up trash, papers, etc. A little goes a long way!

Annie - love the idea of stashing gift bags & such. Such a clever girl!!!

 

[MinnieCo]

That's Brilliant. It does get left out. I'll make note of that. I've been wanting to get my car detailed, maybe now is the time!

 

[snowlvr]

Brilliant! Of course now would be the best time to do all that, while the weather is good..I try to take the trash out of my car every day, but the deep cleaning is a hit or miss thing..I did take it to a local car wash for thorough cleaning before we went on vacation, of course it is dirty again..I try to keep all those things mentioned in the car, I also have a few cloth grocery bags, and I have to keep a sunshade because of where I park at work..but gift bags-so smart!!

 

[Winged One]

That's a great list for the cleaning!! TFS Aunt Jamelle.

In terms of contents, I always keep snacks (muesli bars and some bottled water, dried fruit and a can or 2 of soft drink, and 1 pack of boiled sugar or toffee type sweets) in the car, between the boot and something to grab in the glove box. I can get too tired and hungry sometimes. But mostly, DD can get into the car in foul moods some days (especially at the end of a long school and afterschool day) and nothing in her world is right, but if you feed her and make her drink something, that can really help improve things fast.

Docket for parking in glovebox (1 for Dublin where we live (mostly meters onstreet, this works in those) and another for Cork where we visit regularly (they only use the tickets, but they're sold in small shops and can be hard to get when you find a spot).
And a coinbag of small change for parking meters mostly, but any other small change needs (including DD needing money for tuck shops or school collections at the last minute!).

Menu for the local Chinese takeaway, to order and collect en route home (rare, but occasionally a necessity!).

USB charger for the cigarette lighter port, can charge the phones or GPS from that.

DVD player and it's charger, DD's big earphones, and a cd wallet of current favourite movies (mostly for the longer journeys to Cork, but sometimes on shorter ones too).

I have a cd wallet of CDs for the stereo.

I keep a bag of "bags for life" for the grocery store in the boot.
First aid kit, torch, emergency toolkit (in boot).
A disposable camera for use in the event of a crash - hopefully never to be used, but in case we need photos (DH had a bad experience almost 20 years ago where the driver refused to accept their fault and it was not recorded at the time). Photos to be taken are:
Insurance and tax discs in window of other cars
Registration plates of other cars
Then position of all cars and their state following the incident - from various angles
Finally, immediate damage visible to own car
(Perhaps photos of people on scene may also be useful, depending on severity and impressions of likelihood of non-cooperation afterwards)
The state the vehicles are in can usually be found afterwards, and usually recorded by police onsite anyway, but admin details and registration means can trace the car owners afterwards at least so that's the most important one for us

Painkillers are also kept in glovebox (DH and I both occasionally need them)

Box of tissues in door pocket and another in back seat pocket for DD.

DH and I both keep sunglasses in the door pocket year round, DD is not such a fan so only tends to leave them in the car in summer.

We also have a "car bin" - which is mostly used as a bin and emptied regularly, but has done duty as a carsick bowl. We also keep a couple of airline sick bags in the pocket behind the front seats - DD can reach them and front seat people can reach around behind to get them too. (Not often needed, but DD does occasionally get carsick).

I also have a foil protector to put in the windscreen for summer - that goes in the attic in winter.

For winter, I do add a few bits.
The windscreen scraper lives in the car year round (no real reason, just handy) but I add windscreen deicer spray from early November.
A small tote with a woolen hat, scarf and gloves for all 3 of us goes in then too.
I increase the snacks carried, as much because we spend more time in the car in winter, but if weather is bad, then I make sure I have them before setting out.
The snow socks for the tyres too - fabric covers that go over the tyres, and allow them to drive a lot better in snow. But ONLY in snow as they are fabric. (DH is considering buying winter tyres this year anyway, but the socks were great the few years we had bad snow for a few weeks running, we were still able to function pretty well normally while others were feeling "snowed in" - in suburbia!!)
I also keep meaning to get a bag of kitty litter for snowy weather, but we haven't had the need the past few years.


Sorry, that's a bit "oh this, and then this, and back to that", as I think of things. But hopefully they'll give you a few extra ideas.

 

[Winged One]

I'm going to steal Annie's idea about gift bags too - grabbing a bottle of wine en route somewhere suddenly seems a lot more pre-thought out and organized when nicely presented, not in the liquor store bag!

 

[aggy]

Winged One thanks for reminding me I need to add kitty litter to my stash for snowy days.

Each year at the end of summer I get my truck ready for the colder months. That includes cleaning the interior and making sure everything is running as it should (tires, winshield wipers, etc). I keep a small tote in the back to hold extra motor oil, brake fluid and such. I also keep a blanket in the back seat and a pair of rainboots - a lesson learned after being caught in heavy rain storms one too many times. In the center console I keep a plastic bag to collect any trash I may accumulate.

I'm kind of a neat freak and really do not like when my truck gets messy inside. lol

 

[HouseElf]

Yes on the car addition! Added it to my planner for the week we do the garage!

 

[ejagno]

One thing that I am terribly guilty of is poor car tidiness. My car is often a rolling dumpster as I refer to it. Over the past several years our lives have moved 3 kids in and out of college, in and out of state, in and out of home as well as close family and 2 businesses. I try to clean it out at least monthly but I really need to add it to my weekly chores so that it doesn't get out of hand.

I took an out of town trip about a month ago and needed my GPS. The only problem is that I've neglected to update it over the past 5 years so a lot of roads had changed. Please plan to update your GPS annually. I purchased the lifetime updates and installed a program on my computer to prompt me when the updates are available. Now I can install these updates on my weekly car cleaning day. Please learn from my negligence and don't get caught without directions. Yes, I have a smart phone but it's hard to drive and watch a little phone at the same time so I prefer my old fashion, stick to the window, wide screen little Garmin with the nice female voice that sounds aggravated when she has to recalculate. LOL

.

 

[aggy]

Good idea Ejagno about the GPS.

 

[AnnieClaus]

Ellen- Mine too!

I run from meeting to meeting and just toss stuff in the trunk.

Last Monday I had to spend some time on it.

I work on a military installation and they sometimes will randomly check a car. I told myself, "Girl you are going to be mighty embarrassed if that ever happens to you."
Also, we have Border Patrol check points and you never know when they will ask to check your car.

So, I got it cleaned up.

 

[sweetpumkinpye]

I am blessed that DS works as a car detailer. He cleans my car for me every few months.

 

[MinnieCo]

Ellen, your comment makes me think back to my first husband. Our car use to be horrible when we were younger and first got married. I always blamed it on my husband and after we were divorced, I quickly realized...uhhhhh I was a HUGE part of the problem. I've gotten better, but as picky as I am in my house, I've always kinda been a slob in my car. Not sure why???

 

[ejagno]

Well, I've been driving around with a twin mattress in my SUV for almost a week now. LOL I finally unloaded it this morning. I'd asked DH but he kept forgetting. Now I look less like a professional hooker with my own rolling bed. Hehehehehe!

 

[luludou]

lol! Ellen

 

[missjane]

Katrina, maybe DS can give us some "tricks-of-the-trade" pointers for car detailing!

I try - notice I said try - to, at least, vacuum my van every Monday. That pretty much makes me have to keep it cleaned out. I'm not so good about all the wiping inside of all the trim and such. I'm horrible about keeping the tires all "slicked" up and shiny. DD21 bought me a goody bucket when I got the new van, but finding the time to do ALL THAT!! UGH! Guess I need to work on doing a better job at this!

 

[aggy]

Well, I've been driving around with a twin mattress in my SUV for almost a week now. LOL I finally unloaded it this morning. I'd asked DH but he kept forgetting. Now I look less like a professional hooker with my own rolling bed. Hehehehehe!

LOL. That is too funny