You probably have a weekly cleaning routine for your home. Heck, you probably even make sure to hit the car wash the minute the outside of your car starts looking worse for the wear. But when was the last time you actually cleaned your car interior?
Unlike at home, your dirty shoes are almost always on in the car, and there’s a good chance you’ve been caught snacking during the rush to get to your next destination. All that use makes for a pretty grimy car interior, but most people don’t bother cleaning as often as they should.
To keep the inside of your car sparkling, you should be cleaning it at least once a month, Christian Newman, owner of C & J Automotive Detailing tells TODAY. And if the dog hair and granola bar crumbs start building up even sooner, you might want to clean the inside of your vehicle every other week. In other words, there’s a good chance you need to clean yours more. Luckily, we’ve got the steps you need to get the job done:
1. Start with a vacuum—but not where you think
Don’t start by vacuuming the carpet when cleaning your car interior; you’ll just end up pushing dirt back on when you clean the seats and other areas. Instead, start by attacking the dashboard, door panels, and console with your vacuum. While you’re at it, scan your vehicle for these things you should never leave in the car.
2. Open the door
Now take a look at the door jamb, the area where your car door connects to the body of the car. “Door jambs are one of the first parts of a car you see when you get in, so keep them clean,” Newman tells TODAY. By using a cotton cloth to rub mild polish into the area, you’ll not only make the area look nicer, but also add oils to keep it from getting to dry, according to Popular Mechanics. (Psst—here’s why you should always open your car door with your right hand.)
Gallery: Spring Cleaning Tasks You Can Do in One Minute | Reader’s Digest (Reader’s Digest Canada)
Search Coat Pockets and Purses for Trash
You use your coats and purses every day, but they are probably one of the last things you regularly clean. While you’re sitting in traffic or waiting for the oven to preheat, toss out any gum wrappers, old receipts, and other junk that have piled up over the months.
Fill Your Dishwasher—But Not with Dishes
Got a minute? Go around to each room in your house and gather up the hard plastic items you probably never clean, such as toys, hairbrushes, and even flip-flops. Believe it or not, most of these things are dishwasher safe. Just toss them in your trusty dishwasher and let it work its magic—no matter how busy you are.
Check out more genius dishwasher hacks you’ll wish you knew sooner.
Spiff Up Your Space with a Lint Roller
Given our busy schedules, it’s tough to give our homes the deep clean they deserve. If you’re tight on time, take a lap around your home with a lint roller and run it over everything in sight. These handy gadgets can remove dirt and crumbs from couches, lamp shades, and any other hard-to-reach spots.
There are some household odours that even a heavy dose of Febreze can’t kick. Instead, sprinkle baking soda onto smelly carpets, upholstered furniture, or mattresses, and then leave it while you make dinner or fold laundry. Vacuum it up after 15 minutes, and your home will feel (and smell!) fresher almost immediately.
Reorganizing your entire dresser probably seems like a daunting chore. But if you break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks, you might be more likely to get it done. Start by choosing one cluttered drawer and refolding all of the clothes inside. It will only take a minute, but you’ll be one step closer to getting your home in tip-top shape.
No need to display bulky outerwear year-round. If the weather has recently warmed up, corral your winter coats and move them out of sight. You can box them up and put them in the attic, or simply hang them in the back of your closet. Either way, you’ll be thankful to have extra space for your spring and summer wardrobe.
Has your shower’s water pressure seen better days? Here’s a handy hack: Fill a plastic bag with white vinegar, place it over the shower head, and fasten it with a rubber band. Letting the bag soak overnight allows the vinegar to break down anything that blocks water flow. Your shower will work like new in no time (and you won’t have to lift a finger!)
Say goodbye to the nasty layer of gunk inside your car’s cup holders. Months of soda spills and sweaty water bottles can be erased in one minute; just give each holder a quick scrub using Clorox wipes.
Toss That Unsightly Stack of Magazines and Newspapers
Declutter Your Coffee Table
Another fast way to tidy up a messy space is to clean one central item in each room, such as your coffee table. You can stash remotes in a drawer, gather small items into a classy bowl, and neatly arrange the other decor.
Bad news: Your toilet isn’t the germiest thing in your house—your smartphone is. In fact, a 2013 study found that tablets have up to 600 units per swab of staphylococcus (commonly known as staph) and phones have up to 140 units, on average. The typical toilet seat, by comparison, has less than 20 units. All the more reason to spend a minute scrubbing your gadgets with an alcohol wipe. And if you have a few more seconds, wipe down other electronics like your TV remote and computer mouse, too.
Spring cleaning calls for tidying up every aspect of your life, including your electronic one. Between meetings at work, quickly unsubscribe to any newsletters or junk mail that you have ignored for months. You will be way more productive once your inbox isn’t cluttered with spam.
Concerned you might be addicted to social media? Here’s expert advice on how to unplug.
Wash Your Silverware Tray
You probably wash your forks and spoons every day. As for the tray that holds them? Not so much. That little bin can get grimy, so take out the dishes and give it a scrub. If you’re really short on time, simply toss it in the dishwasher and run a hot, soapy cycle.
Let’s be honest: No amount of fancy decor can hide that ugly, tangled ball of wires behind your TV or computer. Plus, it makes your space look sloppy. Take a minute to organize the cords, using some Velcro, zip-ties, or rubber bands to neatly wrap them up.
It’s time to face that funky odour coming from your kitchen sink. To banish the smell in seconds, simply place a few lemon peels into the drain, turn on the garbage disposal, and run cold water from the tap. Voila! No pricey plumber required.
Your fan is a dust magnet—but don’t wait until you flip the switch to find out. Do a favour for your allergies by cleaning your fans before the weather gets too hot. And for a more efficient way to trap falling lint, try dusting each blade inside an old pillowcase.
Wipe Down Door Handles and Light Switches
Think about how many grubby hands have touched your home’s door handles and light switches. Like it or not, the spots that we clean the least can carry thousands of germs. (Here are the high-touch surfaces you should be cleaning daily.) Spend a minute wiping down the door handles and light switches in one room. For a particularly greasy spot, a damp rag dipped in dishwashing soap should do the trick.
Tidying up a cluttered space doesn’t need to break the bank. Find a decorative tray at your local secondhand store, place it in a central area of your space, and fill it with random items that don’t already have a home, such as keys, sunglasses, or even mail.
No need to hang on to a shirt that is too small or pants that are too big. Instead, carve out a small section in your home for storing items you plan to donate. It could be a bin, a shelf, or even a corner of a closet—anything that separates unwanted apparel until you can make a trip to Goodwill.
To get dust and dirt off your dashboard and door insides, start by wiping the vinyl with a rag, suggests auto repair company Your Mechanic. Then spritz a microfibre cloth with vinyl cleaner and wipe down the surface, getting rid of the excess with a dry cloth. Just avoid the steering wheel, because vinyl cleaner can make it slippery and hard to hold on to. Don’t forget to hit the pockets in your door by de-cluttering and vacuuming. Can you guess where the dirtiest part of your car is?
4. Wash your windows
When you roll down your windows, you might notice a buildup of dirt toward the top—don’t forget to hit those edges when you wipe down your windows and mirrors, suggests Family Handyman. (Here’s more advice on how to clean car windows like the pros.)
5. Scrub those seats
Before washing seats, get the dirt off with a vacuum. Next, for cloth seats, work at a spray-on cleaner with a scrub brush. If your seats are leather or vinyl, use a lotion-based leather cleaner, which can work on either material, Newman tells TODAY. Find out more places you’re not vacuuming—but should be!
6. Hit the floor
Finally, it’s time for the floors. Start by removing the mats and sliding your seats forward—junk tends to build up behind them. Go over the mats and carpet with a brush-free attachment, and use these tips to remove salt stains as required.
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