Mother Proof Offers Advice to Moms Who Resolve to Keep a Cleaner Car in the New Year

CHICAGO, Dec. 13, 2007 -- No one likes to admit their car looks like a landfill, but that's often the case, especially when you are frequently transporting kids. As mothers spend more time in their cars than ever before, the quest to keep a clean car becomes even more challenging. Mother Proof has some practical advice for moms who resolve to keep a cleaner car in the New Year.

"We've learned a lot through our own personal experiences at Mother Proof and from other clean-car mamas who've shared their wisdom about how they manage their car clutter," said Mother Proof's Chief Mother, Kristin Varela. "One friend uses her wait time in the carpool lane to pick up trash in the front seats. Another splurged on cool, mesh pencil bags to keep small items organized. She keeps her garage door opener, toll-pass transponder and change in one, while another houses Band-Aids, lip balm, sunscreen and lotion. It is just a car, after all -- you shouldn't need a drugstore-sized cache of supplies."

Using tips gleaned from other clean moms, and drawing upon their own collective wisdom, the moms at Mother Proof have come up with a list of the Official Rules of Car Cleanliness:

Rule No. 1: Don't put a lot of stuff in your car in the first place. This sounds simple, but that's only because it is. Items that go in your car should be necessities. Ask yourself if your kid really needs to bring along his 1,000-piece puzzle, juice box, gummy fruits, pull toys and swim floatie on a trip to the grocery store. We understand that snacks and beverages have to be taken in the car for any number of reasons, and even toys can be a necessity, just be sure to think it through. Try to select water instead of juice, and easily vacuumed snacks instead of sticky, gooey ones. Keep toys small, but not so small they get lost under the seats. You don't want your car looking like a yard sale in waiting.

Rule No. 2 (if you simply must bend Rule No. 1): Keep a small basket or organizer in your cargo area to house items like first-aid kits, sunscreen, wipes and diapers, plus anything else you like to keep in there. Look for a trunk organizer with Velcro, hooks or mounts so you can avoid having it slide all over the place. If your car came with a cargo net, use it! The neat thing about nets is they hold anything, regardless of size or shape. They're a great way to ease yourself into organizing -- just be careful where you keep your stash. While ones that hang on the back of a seat look practical and helpful, Mother Proof tends to avoid anything like that. What's more destructively tempting to a 4-year-old than a nice, tidy organizer full of toys, tissues, pencils and paper within kicking distance?

Rule No. 3: Don't buy CD holders, sunglass clips or anything else that attaches to the sun visor. They almost never work as promised, and usually wind up looking junky and messy. In addition, they render the visor useless. If you can't find proper space for a few CDs and their cases, it's time to tidy the rest of the car (jump back to Rule No. 1).

Rule No. 4: Hit the car wash regularly. One of the best things to happen to your new found car-cleanliness habit is the neighborhood drive-through car wash. For around $3, you get a handy super-sized wet-wipe, a drive through the wash and unlimited use of the vacuum. Kids love the car wash, and they love to help vacuum up their areas in the back. They also like to put the vacuum on their leg and watch it try to suck up their pants. If you want to spend more for a better wash, you can do that, too. Most drive-through car washes have a really fancy wash that includes undercarriage cleaning and entertainingly colored foamy soap.

Products to support your new life as a Mom With a Clean Car: If you need to tidy things up inside your car, the whole suite of Blink! products is great for doing so in a hurry. Blink products consist of Smudge Cleaners, for removing dog-nose and kid-finger smudges from windows; Spill Lifters, which are super-absorbent cloths to soak up coffee, juice and any other liquid accident; Mess Lifters wet-cloth stain removers; Trash Tossers trash bags; and Tidy Totes mesh tote bags to corral all your stuff in easy-to-see bags. Mother Proof recommends keeping them in your garage. A quick go-through of your car, even if it involves nothing more than removing trash, will make you feel so much better.

About Mother Proof:

Mother Proof(TM) (http://www.motherproof.com/) provides online car reviews and information aimed at the fastest-growing segment of automotive consumers: women and mothers. The site was launched in 2004 by Kristin Varela, a young mother of two, when she was in need of a new car and couldn't find information that was important to her and her family. Now part of the Cars.com family, Mother Proof's team of mom-reviewers continues in a never-ending quest for the quintessential mom-mobile, searching for vehicles that make grocery shopping and preschool pickup just a little easier.