8 RULES TO FOLLOW TO KEEP YOUR CAR CLEAN AND TIDY

IF YOU have children, you know how filthy your car can get.

Little kids often bring in germs, leave behind crumbs and old wrappers, and rarely ever pick up after themselves.

LEAVE THE FOOD BEHIND

The first piece of advice was to limit what foods are allowed in the car.

Certain snacks leave behind sticky residue, funky smells, or piles of crumbs on car seats—and those should definitely be avoided.

If you must bring food along for the ride, try to pick those that are more contained, like a banana.

SHOES OFF

Another golden rule should be encouraging children to take off their dirty shoes before getting into your car.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can keep spare plastic bags in the trunk to hold the dirty shoes during the drive.

RUBBER MATS

If you notice that your car doesn’t have rubber mats on the floor, purchase some inexpensive ones that you can cut down to the proper size.

This makes it easy to clean dirt off the floors—you just shake the matts out.

CAR CADDY GARBAGE BIN

Garbage accumulates quickly in a car.

Water bottles, wrappers, and old papers often leave a mess in your backseat.

To combat this issue, keep a small garbage bin in the car.

NO FIZZ

Another common mistake is drinking soda in the car.

Fizzy drinks like coke and sprite can accidentally explode upon opening and leave behind a sticky mess.

THROW IT IN THE TRUNK

Another rule of thumb should be to place all toys and balls in the trunk of the car rather than in the backseat.

After a long day at the park, these items become filthy and will leave your backseat the same way. Better to save them for the trunk.

PLASTIC BAGS

To avoid damaging your interior seats with rain-soaked clothing, line the seats with plastic bags.

This will prevent soggy chairs and a moldy smell.

THE MISSILE VAC

After each car ride, be sure to clear the car of toys, food, dirt, and any other garbage left behind.

Cleaning the car little by little means it will never become too dirty to tackle in one sitting.