As my schedule has slowed down some with recent changes in our life, I have had more time for other things. More time to focus on things I had been pushing aside that are truly important to me.
In all this extra time, I have been more available for our kids. It's amazing how much teenagers really need their parents around despite what we think. I am forever grateful for a husband that supports our family so that I have the opportunity to be around, along with the opportunity to grow my own business after years of focusing on kids, my paralegal career, Ben's business, etc. I now have the opportunity to put more time and energy into my own endeavor ❤.
In all this extra time, I am afforded the opportunity to be taxi driver to our kiddies. Thursday I literally made 5 trips to/from school starting at 5:50 a.m. It was while taxiing them around that I realized how badly the interior of our car needed to be cleaned?! And then it dawned on me... I typically do a deep clean in the spring when we travel, however, this year we rented a car. That meant one less thing for me to do prior to going away & one messy car (still) when we returned.
Whooooaaaa Nelllllly! It was disgusting. Seriously. Our family consumes lifesavers like it's our job - for some reason the wrappers never make it to the trash. Then there are the half drunk water bottles. And the random french fries on the floor and under the seats. A roll of toilet paper {Brennan said it was from when he had a cold and we were out of tissues}. A slew of random receipts. The Penny Saver from two months ago. And the list goes on... {Yes, yes... even a Professional Organzier has to clean their car}
The reality is that keeping your car neat & orderly doesn't have to be difficult or even time consuming. We can even train our children to help remove their things each time we exit the vehicle. Another helpful little tip is to clean out any trash each time you go to the gas station. I know I find this helpful as we tend to use the little cubbies in the doors as trash bins.🙊
And for those items that must remain in the car, purchase a basket or bin. My mother-in-law purchased a collapsible shopping basket that I use in the car to corral all the things. It fits perfectly between the seats.
You certainly don't need any fancy tools or cleaning products when cleaning out your car. Some of my favorites are Norwex cloths; Young Living Thieves Cleaner; some plastic grocery bags for trash; paper towels; and a vacuum cleaner & attachments.
The cleaning process literally took me less than an hour from start to finish... that included taking out floor mats, vacuuming the car out, wiping down the interior with Thieves cleaner and washing the interior windows.
And once you're done... ahhh, that clean, fresh feeling. {Well for five minutes before the family hops back in again. 😕}
Like I said, we do keep a basket between the kids' seats with tissues, trash bags and other misc items that may be kicking around the car.
We also keep items in the back storage space - rain ponchos, umbrellas, blanket, large trash bag and a reusable shopping bag. You can often find an unopened bottle of water or two in my door, wet wipes & hand sanitizer. In the glove compartment there are napkins, pain reliever, pepto bismol chews {hey, you never know when you may have a belly ache} and the owners manual. The console has the insurance card, registration, loose change, pens, chapstick, a Sharpie, running light, winter gloves... you know - just about all you could need?!
The KEY 🔑 is having it all contained & easy to find.
Looking for other vehicle organization ideas? Check out my Pinterest board here
And are you wanting to know more about my favorite cleaning products that Norwex & Young Living have to offer? Click on the PINK hyper links above for all the details {Lori Dolgos is my go-to for Norwex & Natalie Cottone for Young Living}.