A Clean & Well Organized Car is a Safer Car
A clean car is obviously much more pleasurable to drive than a filthy one. Additionally, a clean and well-organized car can actually keep you safer on the road. How? Keeping windows, mirrors, and windshields clean enhances visibility. Having items within the vehicle secured and organized means no more reacting to grab a falling purse or grocery bag and no more searching for and glancing down at your phone if you have mounting hardware to keep it safely visible.
Keep reading for a list of items, most of which are available via online retailers that will keep your vehicle clean and well-organized.
Keeping a Clean Car: Exterior
- Foggy headlights look dirty and diminish the visual appeal of your vehicle, especially when it’s only one light affected. Headlight restoration kits are available to polish the clouded plastic light cover. The polisher attaches to your drill and offers results that look nearly professional.
- Prevent aggravating windshield streaks by running a rag soaked in rubbing alcohol over each of your windshield wipers periodically, so they don’t smear dust and dirt over the glass.
Keeping a Clean Car: Interior
- Cupholders often catch all the crumbs and debris of life. An easy way to clean them is to pull an old, clean sock over a cup, or your hand, spray it with ArmorAll and swirl it around the cupholder. After they are clean, line each cupholder with a silicone muffin baking cup. The cup will catch all future debris and make it much easier to clean – just pull out the silicone cup and rinse it or run it through the dishwasher.
- A small microfiber duster kept in a side door compartment allows you to address a dusty dashboard as soon as you notice it. Just wait until you are parked safely before you begin the chore.
- Dirty floor mats can be sprayed with a laundry stain remover and thrown into the washing machine. They emerge looking nearly new—Air dry in the sunshine.
- Crumb and debris-collecting gaps between your vehicle’s console and the seats can be filled with neoprene gap fillers.
- If you travel with your canine buddy, pet hair left behind after vacuuming can be easily removed with a spray bottle of water or natural cleanser and a squeegee.
- Keep a tub of heavy-duty cleaning wipes on the back seat floor for spills and general quick clean-ups.
Organize for Driving Safety
- A document wallet can keep your registration, insurance, maintenance records, and other important papers all in one place within the glove compartment. No more digging around frantically.
- For some of us, there are very few things more annoying than when your purse or grocery bag topples over in transit, spilling its contents onto the floor and under seats. This may even result in a knee-jerk reaction to reach over to save the items, which can be dangerous while driving. There are brilliant inventions to keep this from happening: headrest hooks! Hang your grocery bag or purse over the back seat. They also free up seats and trunk space.
- Keep your mobile phone safely within reach and view by using a nearly universal mount that clips to the horizontal vents on your dash. When the vehicle is stopped, you can easily change songs, or consult the map. Never text while driving!
- Plastic bins with handles can be stored in the trunk to corral packages or groceries and assist with carrying things back and forth from your vehicle to your garage and/or house.
Watch the YouTube video of how one mom organizes her vehicle with inexpensive items.
Starting your trip with a clean and organized car can put you at an advantage, but nothing beats awareness, lack of distractions, and keeping your vehicle at a safe speed for getting you to your destination safely.
Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento, California. If, despite your best efforts to drive safely, you are injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, my law firm can help. Pick up the phone and call us at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 to receive free and friendly advice. If you prefer, we can be contacted online as well.
A sample of our successful results and reviews from prior clients can be found by clicking the links below:
https://pixabay.com/photos/vw-vokswagen-car-wash-bath-foam-1409153/
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