It’s easier to clean-as-you-go rather than wait until later to do a major cleaning.

This is a concept that some people apply when they work in kitchens or even when it comes to their own homes. The reason for this is because if you wait until later to clean, trash, clutter and dirt will just keep building up until it overwhelms you and makes cleaning that much more difficult. The same wisdom should be applied to your car.

Some people put off cleaning for so long that you’ll find junk and rubbish in their car from months before, while others seem to have spotless vehicles even though they don’t seem to put much effort or money into cleaning it. What’s the difference?

The difference is that they probably have small techniques or ‘cleaning hacks’ that they use consistently so that they don’t have to wait until things are so bad that they have to spend a lot of time cleaning.

So in the spirit of doing things differently in 2019, here are a few simple car cleaning hacks that you can put to use immediately.

Trash Bag / Bin

Trash is always the worst. Somehow, small pieces of trash like candy bar wrappers or receipts always end up moving to hard-to-reach places in the car. This makes it even more difficult when you’re stopped somewhere with a dustbin nearby and want to clean your car but have to crawl around in your car just to collect it all.

A good idea would be to set up a place inside your car to collect all the little bits of trash that you accumulate. This could be as easy as keeping a plastic or paper bag in your glove compartment box, but if you want something a bit more proper, it’s easy to find mini trash bins specifically designed for cars. Some people use even more creative solutions, like repurposing plastic food containers to act as dustbins neatly tucked away somewhere in the car.

By collecting all of your car’s trash in one place, disposing of it all will be so much easier when you find a trash can nearby. No-fuss at all!

Newspapers for Wiping

When it comes to cleaning glass with glass cleaning solutions, the best thing to wipe with isn’t a piece of cloth or a disposable wet wipe, it a piece of newspaper! This is an age-old cleaning hack used by our parents and grandparents who understood that newspapers are great at trapping dirt from the glass without leaving behind any lint or fabric (like a piece of cloth might).

The reasons behind this are debatable. Some say that the paper used in newspapers are super absorbent, while others claim the chemicals used in the ink are what helps it clean dirt off glass surfaces. Whatever the reason, our elders were right: they’re great for cleaning!

The best part? Newspapers are disposable. They’re super cheap, you can find them everywhere, and don’t need to be washed. Grab some of your parents’ old newspapers and keep some in your car with a small bottle of window cleaning solution and use them from time to time to keep your car’s windscreen and windows looking spotless!

Toothbrush and Cotton Buds

Dust always gets trapped in the small crevices in your car. You’ll often find that there’s some dust trapped in the USB ports, the CD drive, or even around your air conditioner vents. With just a piece of cloth, you’ll find its difficult to truly squeeze into those small crevices to clean them out properly, so you’ll need something smaller.

What you need is something smaller, like a toothbrush or cotton buds. These are easy to get and are always cheap, so keeping one in your car won’t be a problem. When you’re parked or you’re waiting for someone, you can always just pull one out and start cleaning-as-you-go and making sure that there is no dust buildup in your car.

Little details like these may not seem obvious at first, but they will contribute to the overall clean vibe of your car!

A Box for your Boot

The boot or trunk of our car is usually where things go to be forgotten. “Out of sight, out of mind” as they say, and the only time we see what’s in there is when we need to clear space to transport heavy items like luggage.

Similar to the idea of having a trash bin in the car, having a simple box in the boot can do wonders. This box, big or small, will be where you organize the important things that you do keep in the trunk such as your flashlight, fire extinguisher, or whatever else you feel necessary to keep back there.

The box doesn’t have to be fancy, just a simple cardboard box will do the trick. Having it in the trunk to collect and organize your things also means that you’ll leave a lot of space unoccupied for when you really need it, so you won’t waste time reorganizing every time you need to put something back there.

Final Reminder

Remember: keeping your car clean is not difficult at all. It only becomes difficult if you let the dust and trash build-up. To avoid this, use small and easy cleaning hacks and remember the most important wisdom here: clean as you go.