When you’re commuting to work by car, you’re clocking long hours in the drivers seat.
You’re already tired. The hours at the wheel are long and difficult and putting up with the behaviour of other drivers can be stressful. The last thing you want is to be driving in a vehicle full of rubbish and grime, it can be a bit much.
The good news; while there’s many things beyond our control when car commuting, keeping our car clean and organized isn’t one of them! By simply purchasing a couple of car cleaning products, your commute will improve.
Having a clean vehicle interior can make such a different to the overall journey – I tell you this from experience.
I’ve spent many, many hours driving to work and having a nice clean car for me is essential and something I recommend at every opportunity.
Keeping a clean car interior has many benefits:
- Overall better mental health: People tend to be happier when they’re in a clean environment and nowhere is this more true than the confined space of a car interior.
- Safer driving: By keeping the windows nice and clean you’ll have much better visibility, particularly in low light or night-time conditions.
- Improved physical health: All that dust and dirty residue that’s collecting inside your car is also getting absorbed into your body.
- Maintain vehicle resale value: Keeping the dashboards and surfaces clean, along with the seats and other features helps protect them against wear. When it comes time to sell or trade in your vehicle, you can bet any prospective buyer is examining those things first.
How to keep your car interior clean:
- Clean the main dashboard areas, including the instrument panels and glass.
- Keep the air vents free of dust and grime.
- Clean the interior and exterior windows regularly – particularly the windshield and drivers side window, rearview and side mirrors.
- Keep the interior free of rubbish and clutter.
- Clean the steering wheel, gear shift and any other control levers.
- Clean the seats or protect them with seat covers.
- Shake off or vacuum any car seat covers reguarly.
- Air out the vehicle regularly or use a car diffuser.
Important tip regarding interior car smells:
One common source of bad smells in the car interior is from inside the air conditioning ducts. Your vehicle will have an option to circulate the air internally or bring in air from outside the vehicle. Whenever possible keep this to the latter option. Damp air in the air conditioning ducts can cause mold or algae to grow which is difficult, if not impossible to completely erradicate.
If this is left to grow too long, you’ll need to have it professionally cleaned by a mechanic but a lingering bad smell (similar to a drain) can persist.
1. Car Detailing Cleaning Gel
Car’s are filled with little nooks and crannies, places hard to get a cleaning cloth into but prone to filling up with dust. This amazing car cleaning gel solves that problem! Perfect for getting dust and dirt out of places like air vents, cup holders, door handles, various console controls and the dashboard.
- Easy to use – just press it in!
- Re-usable
- Made from bio-degradable products which are safe for your skin
- Lavender scented
- Can also be used in the home
2. Window Wand Glass Cleaning Tool for Windshields
There’s nothing more unpleasant than looking through a dirty windshield. It’s also dangerous as it can drastically affect visibility. All those fingerprints, streaks and oily marks appear almost highlighted when the car begins to fog up or at night.
On the flip side, looking through crystal-clean glass can make you feel happy, yay! This glass cleaning tool from Invisible Glass will help you get into even the most tricky, furthest reaches of your windshield, keeping it clean and sparkly!
- Extendable reach to get into the most troublesome spots
- Washable and re-usable microfiber bonnet, yay for the environment!
- Cleans effortlessly, leaving streak-free, lint-free results
3. Armor All Car Interior Cleaning Wipes
Armor All car cleaning wipes should be a permanent resident of every car’s glove box. These wipes allow you to clean every hard surface with ease and then once done, can simply be thrown in the trash. I regularly use mine to wipe down the dash, all interior panels, handbrake, steering wheel, door interiors and storage areas of my car, leaving them clean as a whistle.
- 30 wipes per container will last you for months
- Helps prevent interior aging, cracking and fading
- Effortlessly removes dust leaving a rich, shiny look
- Won’t leave any residue on your hands
- Can clean the complete interior in minutes
4. Armor All Utility Vac
In our mission to keep our car clean and organized this awesome vacuum by Armor All will get you most of the way there. Specifically designed to clean cars, it comes with several attachments which will allow you to clean every corner of your interior. The 2.5 gallon tank makes it small enough to be portable, yet capable of cleaning the entire vehicle.
- Lightweight and portable – can be stored in the trunk
- Has both wet and dry cleaning capabilities
- Deluxe car nozzle specifically for hard to reach interior locations (such as between the front seats)
- Detail brush to clean vents, dashboard and electronic components
- Also converts to a blower
5. Disposable Disinfecting Hand Wipes
Any parent will attest to how useful it is to have baby wipes in the car, not only do that excel at cleaning up random baby disasters but do a superb job of cleaning us big folk too! While cleaning the car interior is important, let’s not forget the all important driver also! If you’ve been eating prior to driving, or spill something in the vehicle (such as your morning smoothee), there is nothing more useful than a pair of wet, cleaning wipes.
I’ll admit, prior to becoming a parent I’d never had wipes in the car but after living them for a period, I honestly couldn’t imagine not having a pack in my car at all times!
- Resealable package keeps them moist
- Perfect for use after touching things in public such as elevators, door handles etc
6. Rubbermaid Deluxe Carry Caddy for Cleaning Products
It’s one thing keeping your vehicle interior clean, another thing to have cleaning products scattered throughout the vehicle. This great caddy from Rubbermaid is the perfect solution to keep your products together and help you succeed in your quest to keep your car clean and organized. Even better if hidden away in the trunk!
- Holds and stores car cleaning sprays, soaps, sponges, rags, and detail tools
- Can also be used to transport drink cups, coffee cups, water bottles if required
- Holds up to 8×32 ounce bottles and other cleaning products
7. E-Cloth Microfiber Cleaning Cloth Set
Another great option for keeping the interior free of dust and grime is to keep some microfiber cloths on hand. Microfiber is particularly good for wiping down the inside of the windshield when it fogs up, or removing grease and grime which tends to collect there. Combine these cloths with simple water and you’d be surprised how effective they can be.
- This set includes 4 general cloths and one specialized glass cleaning cloth for the windshield
- Using these cloths and water removes over 99% of bacteria, mold, pollen & other contaminants
- An eco-friendly, sustainable choice for your car!
8. BLACK+DECKER Cordless Dustbuster
Fast charging, super affordable, the BLACK+DECKER cordless dustbuster is an awesome option for keeping the inside free of dirt and dust. Dustbusters are perfect for vacuuming the floor mats and seats which have the tendency to collect all manner of nasties – all without the hassle of a cord.
- Lithium Ion battery for super long life – charge will hold for up to 18 months!
- 4 hour fast charging
- Easy to empty with a washable dirt bowl
- Rotating nozzle which allows for a variety of cleaning functions
- Comes with a 2 year limited warranty
9. Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifying Bag
Let’s face it – you spend a LOT of time in your car when commuting and even with the windows rolled down, the air can get a little unpleasant at times. These awesome bamboo air purifying bags will fix that problem however! Filled with charcoal which works as an activated odor absorber, your car will smell fresh and clean, precisely what you want on a long drive to or from work.
- A stylish looking pouch which can hang from the back of your car seat
- Odorless cotton bag containing bamboo charcoal which is safe for you and your family
- Doesn’t have the fake scents of other purifiers which can smell disgusting after a while
- Literally lasts for years, only needs to be put into the sun’s UV rays from time to time to regenerate the charcoal
10. Car Trash Can with Lid and Storage Pockets
When commuting it’s not difficult to accumulate a lot of trash in the car. We tend to pass the long drives by eating and drinking and various other things – many of which end up on the floor. This trash can by HOTOR is designed specifically for motor vehicles and fits snugly behind the driver or passenger seat. It’s lid will keep the smells in the bin whilst additional storage pockets can hold things such as tissues or the like.
- Keep your car tidy by disposing of food wrappers, wipes, tissues, drink containers
- Collapsible design which can be placed on the floor, car seat or hung behind the front seats (reccomended)
- Durable leakproof lining
- Can also be used as a storage bin if not being used as a trashcan
11. Leather Car Steering Wheel Cover
Another part of the vehicle which can become grimy and honestly – quite disgusting, is the steering wheel. The constant wear of your hands against the wheel leads to dirt building up which can be difficult to clean. A quality steering wheel cover not only keeps the wheel clean, often far easier than the wheel itself, but it also preserves the value of the vehicle (nothing detracts more than a worn steering wheel) and just plain and simple feels so much better in your hands. A good steering wheel cover also negates some of the heat if you’ve parked your car in the sun all day. This microfiber leather steering wheel cover from SEG Direct is just what you need.
- Made from smooth microfiber leather
- Heat resistant design
- Skidproof surface to avoid slipping hands
- Suitable for middle-size steering wheels with diameter 14 1/2 inch to 15 inch(37cm to 39cm)
- Stylish black design which will suit most interiors
12. Seat Gap Filler (as seen on Shark Tank)
This is the car seat product you didnt know you needed! The Drop Stop (as seen on Shark Tank) attaches to the seat belt catch and completely blocks the gap between your car seat and the center console. Not only does this solve the incredibly annoying problem of things falling down there, but drastically improves your safety! Us humans have this tendency to try and stop something falling between the seats as if we’ll never see it again (and let’s be honest here – it does feel like a bottomless pit down there at times!) A surprisingly amount of food and litter also makes its way down that gap so boom! Blocking it off = cleaner car!
- Attaches to seat belt catch and moves with the chair, no adjustment neccessary
- Comes with 2 Drop Stops per package – 1 for the driver, 1 for the passenger
- Made from High Grade Neoprene which allows it to expand or shrink to whatever sized gap your vehicle has
- One size fits most vehicles
13. Car Tissue Holder
Most cars generally have a packet of tissues or napkins scattered somewhere in the vehicle, only adding to the existing clutter. This great, easy to install, vehicle tissue holder by eJiasu allows you to attach a packet on your overhead visor so they’re always there within reach, and you’re not dangerously scrambling for them in heavy traffic. This particular product can attach to the sun visor, rear of the front seat or on the doors.
- Easy to install, doesnt affect visor use
- Stylish leather look design
- Comes with a pack of refill paper towels
14. Heavy Duty Rubber Floor Mats
The floor of your vehicle is a primary source of dust and dirt, all of which has been tracked in on your shoes. Most vehicles come with floor mats but they tend to wear out very quickly. A good set of heavy duty rubber floor mats like these highly rated mats from Motor Trend will solve this problem. Thick in design, these aren’t wearing out anytime soon and their deep groove design is non-slip on your feet and will catch most dirt. And the best thing with rubber mats – they also prevent liquid spills in the vehicle and are easily shaken out or washed down later.
- Made from advanced performance rubber polymers which prevents cracking, splitting or deformation
- Rubberized nibs beneath provides a rock solid grip to the floor
- Built to last through rain, snow and mud
- Eco-safe, made from Odorless EVA Rubber
Even just a few products on this list will go a long way towards keeping your car clean and organized and I hope really help improve your overall daily commute. For more awesome ideas check out our Car Commuting Essentials
Happy commuting!
