Folks, I spent a solid 83 minutes yesterday scrubbing my poor minivan out.
Ugh.
G.R.O.S.S.
It must have been Midlife Crisis Monday at the carwash, because every man over the age of 50 was there buffing their fancy sports car out while I scrubbed, vacuumed, and scoured mine.
It was bad.
As I was slaving away at least twelve cars came in and out around me (clearly they didn't have french fries from 2012 stuffed neatly between their seats), and I thought about just how much moo-lah is out there in cars.
My minivan looked pretty pitiful next to all those fancy cars, but it's paid for, gets us from point A to point B without any problem, and can haul just about anything we need.
The thing I love most about my minivan? Because it already has some wear and tear on it, I don't stress completely over spilt drinks (although they do frustrate me!), and my kids climbing in the car with muddy shoes isn't the end of the world. (I spend enough time stressing over my house staying clean ~ having a fancy new car would mean I'd have to worry over it staying perfectly tidy too!)
But.
Choosing to give it a deep cleaning made such a difference as I drove kids all over town, and it cost me just $5 for the bargain car wash. (I'm all about paying for the drive thru carwash, as long as it includes a free vacuum!)
Today I decided to try out the toothpaste trick on my pitiful headlights, and while they're not perfect, five minutes of work definitely helped. All I did was grab a tube of toothpaste, rub it into the headlight with a rag, then rinse it off with water.
Success!
(Well, it was a success until the dog decided to race across the street to the people who are laying a sidewalk – my puppy's food prints are now all over that sidewalk, but at least the headlights are clean!)
Left side wasn't cleaned yet in this picture – right side was just finished.
Have you tried anything else to shine up dulled headlights? I'd love to hear what you've tried, and goodness, if you just want to make your life a little more peaceful this week block out an hour and get your car clean.
No matter what you have, whether it be ugly vinyl flooring, cabinets from 1968, or horrendous carpet that needed to head to the dumpster 18 years ago, giving the space you're in a really deep cleaning will make it feel just a little brighter.
{promise.}
I'd love to hear what you're projects you're tackling today!
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Laurie, I am right there with you! I cleaned out my car over the weekend…it was GROSS!! I wish someone would invent something I could put in the back to keep the trash and drinks from being spilled all over the floor. I have tried a cereal container and a trash bag on the passenger’s set, but neither work for us. Do you or anyone else have any suggestions? Thanks for all that you do, Laurie!
That’s so funny Meredith – I was thinking the EXACT same thing yesterday when I finished cleaning mine! I couldn’t believe that no one had ever come up with a smart way to handle trash in the car. When my kids were younger I kept a gift bag (sturdier than a grocery sack) in the car and just emptied it out – I need to get one of those again. But really, mine are big enough now to take the trash in to a trash can when they’re done with stuff – I’m working on training them because it drives me crazy! 🙂
Those rectangle shape plastic tubs that hold about 10 lbs of flour & sugar. I melted the lid of one (you’d think they would sell those separately).
Anyway, it fits very snugly lengthwise between the backseat and center console (on the hump) in my Altima and my Explorer.
Those headlights look a lot better! My only project today is relaxing; naptime didn’t go as planned but at least she’s finally asleep. =P
Sounds like a wonderful plan Jaime – hope you get some rest!
Thank you! I just tried this on my daughters car, what a difference it makes!
My daughter said if it only worked that good on her teeth LOL!!!
So glad it worked for you – and yes, it’s crazy how well it works (and would be nice if it worked on our teeth that well too!) 🙂
try using bug spray. One that has deet in it. Works like a charm to fix hazy headlights.
I had heard the bug spray was bad for your car? Would love to hear if someone knows for sure!
We used deep woods off. It worked amazing and lasted for years until we got rid of car. We just sprayed the deep woods off on a rag and rubbed the headlight cover well.
3m makes a headlight cleaning kit. It involves a few steps,but it lasts a long time. We buy it on Amazon.
How do you clean sticky dark wood furniture with out taking the finish off