How to Clean a SUV with Kids in Tow: Tips on Keeping Your Car Clean when Having Kids

I being a mother of three, find it hard to get many things done. My two older children aren't much for helping out with anything at all; they are both ages 11 and 8 years old. My youngest is only 15 months old and is high maintenance. Having three kids makes it hard to keep the house and vehicles clean. I don't think I will ever master the art of getting the house done, but the Suburban I have.

One thing I have learnt is to never allow them to eat in the vehicle. Children tend to be messy and don't care if something sticky lands on the floor. Most of the time, I find that my kids hide their really bad messes under junk they bring in the car. They leave wrappers, toys, crumbs, chunks of food and school papers everywhere in the back seat. Neither of my two girls will take responsibility for their actions, it is always the others fault.

I now make sure everyday that they do not bring anything with them but their school bags into the SUV. They are not allowed to bring food or eat in the car either. Animals are also forbidden to be in the Suburban. They are not to climb over the seats and are to keep their feet on the floor at all times.

After making these rules and enforcing them, it has greatly reduced if not eliminated all the trash I find in the SUV. This makes for quicker clean up when I stop by the car wash and for less embarrassment from peers.

Before the rules were enforced, I had to get the Suburban cleaned. I made the ids help me as I had nobody to watch the baby while I did so. The first thing I had done was while we were at home, I had the kids run outside and grab all their stuff out of the vehicle and put it away. This made for less clutter when we visited the car wash.

After the belongings were removed, I had them gather all the trash they left in the car and place it in the trash can. While they did that, I gave my baby a toy to play with and I vacuumed the entire vehicle out.

Next I washed down the dashboard, doors, seat belts, leather seats and anything plastic. After I finished doing that, I took the car over to the wash bay and proceeded to shampoo and clean the outside of the car. When it was finished, it looked like new.

I shinned and sparkled.

Now with the kid's new rules, weekly vacuuming, baby wipes to wipe the dash board down every now and then, and quarters for the vacuum, I am well prepared to keep this vehicle up.