Kids can cause a mess in a new car, but teaching them clean habits will help prevent crumbs and stains.
There's nothing quite like the virgin cleanliness of a new car. Nor is there anything like the ability of children to create a mess. As a car owner, you want your car to remain spotless, but if you're a parent, you know kids can make that hard to do. To guard against the everyday messes made by your kids, prepare the vehicle with cleaning products and train your kids to practice clean habits on the road.
Instructions
1. Remove the floor mats from your car and set them aside. Don a breathing mask and safety goggles. With the doors of the vehicle open, spray chemical fabric protector evenly across the surface of the vehicle's carpet and seat upholstery, if the seats are upholstered in fabric and not leather. Lower the windows of the car, close the doors and allow the interior of the vehicle to dry over 24 hours.
2. Discard the floor mats that came with the car if they are carpeted and do not have a rubber bottom. Place a rubber floor mat on the floor in front of each seat.
3. Prepare a small interior cleaning kit for the car that includes white gel toothpaste, baby wipes, paper towels, grocery bags and glass cleaner. Place the items in a small duffel bag that you can keep in your glove box or center console. Dab toothpaste on fresh spills, wipe the paste away with a baby wipe and dry the area with a paper towel. Clean stains on windows with a spritz of glass cleaner and a paper towel.
4. Tell your children that anything they bring into the car must be brought out again once you reach your destination or return home. Have them throw their trash in a grocery bag as they exit the vehicle.
5. Keep a wastebasket and hosed vacuum cleaner in your garage or near where you park your car. Pull out the rubber mats and brush crumbs off into the wastebasket. Vacuum the remaining crumbs out of the nooks and crannies of the car.
