Clutter quickly accumulates when you don’t clean your car regularly. A dirty car can be harmful to you, as well as your vehicle. It can present risks to your health and harm the parts of your car. But even if you want to clean your car, sometimes life gets in the way of performing your chores.

Fortunately, there are easy ways to keep your car neat even if you skip one or two regular cleaning sessions. From organizing hacks to measures to prevent mess, here are useful ways to keep your car clean.

Use Car Seat Organizers

It’s always best to be prepared, especially when you’re on the road. But you shouldn’t just leave things lying around in your car. Get a car seat organizer to store your travel essentials, like your first aid kit, emergency snacks, water bottle, phone charger, torchlight, and other useful accessories.

Storing everything in a car seat organizer clears up more space in your cramped car and makes it easier for you to find what you need. Some organizers are insulated, so enjoy a cold drink or hot food when you take your rest.

Other organizers have individual pockets or garters where you can insert a tablet, so people in the back seat can watch a movie or show to entertain themselves throughout the trip.

Don’t forget about your glove compartment. There are compartment dividers you can use to arrange your thing inside so you can stop rummaging over a pile of stuff to find what you need.

Keep Trash Bags in Your Car

If you eat and drink in your car, you must keep a trash bag inside at all times. This way, you have somewhere to place empty wrappers, cups, and containers and prevent them from cluttering the interior of your car. Even if you don’t eat or drink inside, you still have to prepare a trash bag in your car in case you need to throw tissues, receipts, cards, etc.

With a trash bag, you can gather all the trash you make in your car in one place, making it easier to clean at the end of the day. It also lessens the chance of attracting ants and other bugs inside.

Use a Car Seat Gap Cover

One of the hardest places to clean is the gap between the fronts seats. You’ve probably lost some change and dropped your phone a few times in the void. And there’s likely a good amount of food crumbs and dust that’s accumulated in there.

It’s a good thing that you can block the hole with a gap cover that also doubles as an organizer. With a car seat gap cover, you can prevent anything from falling into the abyss and have the perfect place to store your phone and some loose change.

If you want to save money, you can also make your own gap cover with foam that you use for insulating plumbing pipes. It’s a quick, easy, and cheap solution for a problem that every car owner faces.

Cover the Floor

It’s a pain to clean the carpeting or flooring of your car. You need a specially made product to get stubborn stains out. If that doesn’t work, you’ll have to go to a professional to clean everything inside. Fortunately, you can use waterproof and dirtproof floormats to protect your car floor.

Floormats come in different styles, colors, and materials. If you’re looking for a custom floor mat for your car, say a Nissan Rouge, a Toyota Tundra, or even a Volkswagen Beetle, you’re sure to find some. Choose floor mats that are easy to clean and has waterproofing and dirt-proofing for maximum protection.

Get Your Car Detailed

There comes a time when a simple cleaning job is no longer enough to restore the luster of your vehicle. It’s usually a sign that you need to get your car detailed.

Car detailing entails a deep cleaning the exterior and interior of your vehicle using specialized tools and products. It also includes recoating the protective wax or sealant of your car to restore its shine.

There are a few things that you can’t clean or touch in your car because you don’t have the knowledge or experience to handle them properly. It’s essential to get your car detailed at least twice or thrice a year to keep it looking brand new.

Don’t Forget Maintenance!

Cleaning is only part of every car owner’s basic maintenance checklist. You can clean your car every week, but that won’t prevent specific problems from cropping up. Along with washing and decluttering your vehicle, you should also perform routine maintenance jobs (e.g.,l checking and changing the engine, keeping the tires in ideal conditions, checking the batteries, etc.) to make sure your vehicle runs smoothly and to extend its lifespan as well. In the end, a well-maintained car is more comfortable and safer to drive or to ride in.