My Mom-mobile

Yesterday as I was getting my daughter out the car, I managed to pour half a large coke into one of the carseats. Fortunately, no child was harmed in the process. When I took the carseat out, the crumbs, candy and other gunk on the seat could no longer be ignored. "Yep," I thought, "This is gross."

Not my actual car. Imagine this level of dirty on the inside.

I considered taking a picture, but I was too embarrassed. Seriously.

At first glance, the backseat just looked cluttered. Shopping bags, toys, jackets and shoes hid the true filth lurking beneath. After a quick declutter, I began to vacuum. I found candy, sand, the equivalent of one McDonald's small fry, chewed gum, sucker sticks, used kleenex, finger nail clippings, half-eaten biscuits, cookies, an empty milk bottle, toy jewelry, a banana peel, receipts, etc.

I know, gross.

After the vacuuming, I took kitchen cleaner and wiped the gunk off the doors, console and cup holders. Huge improvement.

I'd like to keep my car clean, so I'm trying a couple of tips from a very wise lady (you know who you are). 

1. Never walk inside empty-handed. Keep a bag in the car to bring things in and out of the house. I used a reusable shopping bag and folded it underneath the driver's seat. 
2. Whenever kids are going to eat in the car, prevent the mess. Keep a beach towel under the passenger's seat and spread it the floor to catch crumbs. When you get out, dust off the seats and shake out the towel. 

So, there's a towel in my car and a bag under my seat. We'll see if I stick with it. What about you? Is your car's interior (or exterior) embarrassing? Or maybe you have some tips to share with the rest of us?