Why am I like this? Disgusting car

[StupidFaces]

I’ve always been quite a scruffy person when it comes to housework etc but in the past few years I have learnt to keep my house relatively clean and tidy.

My car however is totally disgusting. Empty water bottles everywhere, crisp packets, yogurt pots, chip wrappers, odd shoes, used tissues, random paperwork … there is nowhere to sit other than the drivers seat. It stinks.

A few weeks ago I had to give someone a lift unexpectedly and I was embarrassed - there was even a used nappy on the floor in the back. She opened the passenger door and gasped. I told her to just Chuck everything into the back but I was mortified. I gave it a proper good clean after that, got rid of all the rubbish, vacuumed it, put an air freshener up … a week later it was back to normal.

I don’t even know how it gets so bad. Am I just a lazy sod? I don’t even seem to see it until someone else needs to get into it (or DH uses it and complains about the state of it)

That’s really rank, it’s literally just tossing your rubbish about and leaving it there, and an old dirty nappy is just grim. As you manage to be hygienic and tidy elsewhere then it’s complete laziness and as you deem it your space you don’t care and will sit amongst the filth.

Also if there was a dirty nappy in there, did you habe an infant in the car in amongst the filth? and just change their nappy and chuck it on the floor?

i can’t even get my head round that.

Used nappy is inexcusable. My car can get a little messy with kids snacks but always gets cleaned before it gets in a state. Leaving a used nappy in the car is genuinely a health hazard and not good parenting.

I can.

So she changes her grandchild’s nappy, she leaves the nappy there because there’s no bin (plenty of those disgusted at this would happily chuck it out of the car) and forgets about it.

S’easy.

Not weird at all. I don't generally need a drink when I am driving unless it is a very long journey. I can manage without drinking for a couple of hours, and I'm not dehydrated at all.

Exactly! Thank you!

the over reaction and anger on here is hilarious 😂

The OP does paint a rather awful picture.
Rule number 1: no food should be consumed in the car - ever! Zero potential for food mess or wrappers left behind.
Rule number 2: use a refillable water bottle which you take in the house with you when you return home from the last journey of the day.
Always take everything out of the car with you, such as parking tickets, receipts, pens etc. just put them in your pocket/bag and deal with these as soon as you get home.
There us absolutely no reason why you should have a messy car. They are the easiest spaces to keep tidy.
The only items you need to keep in there are a spare pen and notebook, phone charging cable in glove compartment. De-icer and spare shopping bags in the boot.

We have dogs and children and been through many cars and without any effort whatsoever we always kept our cars tidy.

Hoover once or twice a monthly and wash the car as often as you feel like it. Either yourself or use a valet service, millions of these everywhere.

You feel much better once you get into the habit of leaving the car empty of random items every time you get home.
You can do this!

Would there be less if you walked short journeys, used the car less?

I eat nuts when I’m driving and my car floor is full of pistachio shells. I also have packets, wrappers and empty drinks bottles but I don’t think it’s as bad as yours 🤣

Keep a large carrier bag/black binliner in the car.
Don't eat or drink in the car.
To leave a dirty nappy in there IS lazy and dirty.

Oh dear! Would you do the same in your home?

Well this isn’t rocket science…

• You get a small bin/basket and put it in the backseat on the floor behind the passenger seat. (So you can reach it while driving)
• You throw garbage in the bin.
• When the bin is full you empty it into the trash

I mean that’s really as complicated as it gets.

There is no overreaction here. It is simply vile and lazy leaving a dirty nappy in your car for a week, presumably if there was no bin you have one at home.

No, my car is not my home though

They are not 'the only things you need to keep in your car' in fact thats not even the basic recommended things to keep in your car.

I can be a bit of a minger(I have a brown McDonald’s bag in my door pocket at the moment) but even by my low standard that sounds grim. A used nappy is seriously beyond the pale.

Clean it out, get it valeted and keep on top of the rubbish at least.

It's laziness. Just clean your car 🤷‍♀️

Take a Bin bag empty all the rubbish, put anything back in the house that belongs there and take it for a full valet. Costs £50 ish but it includes washing all the seats, it will be like a new car.

following that get a car bin and set aside ten minutes each week to clear out the car and give it a hoover if needed.

It's one thing to be messy and have empty cans, water bottles etc but a week old soiled nappy is truly grotesque.

I'm surprised the festering smell didn't drive you to throw it away let alone the bacteria that would be growing and getting in to the air in the car. If you leave it long enough it would get mouldy and if you've ever seen anyone with a lung infection from mould you'd know how horrible that can be.

I seriously can't get my head round - with the nappy - why as soon as you got home you didn't back it and bin it.

When you get out the car at your final arrival point for the day, just take your rubbish with you and put it in your bin.

Either that or manage it as you go, which is easier, so if you stop for petrol - there are bins all over the place - chuck it in the bin there and then.

My old car was like this.
But then I got a new one, and it just looked so nice, that I couldn't make a mess of it!
Also, where I live, I have to park on the street. About 2 years ago, a neighbour left a bag in their car, and the window got smashed, and the bag was nicked. I was really freaked out when I heard about it, as this has always felt like a really safe area - just a random opportunist - so then after that, I resolved to never have my car looking like it could potentially have anything in it worth taking.

I never eat in the car neither do my DC now so it just stays tidy.

I have plastic bags in the car so if we do need to throw anything away they go straight into the bags.

I'm not particularly tidy but I would never just randomly throw rubbish in my car.

You know you don't want your car like this, so commit in advance to pay for a valet clean once every two weeks.

Then do it.

The money you spend should help to snap you out of this and then to clean up a bit more yourself so that you don't have to pay for it to be cleaned.

But you might find that having someone else clean it regularly and just taking the financial hit suits your personality better and works for you on an ongoing basis.

Don't let it slip and change clean once every two weeks to clean once a year..
Perhaps you can commit to regular drop offs or pick ups for your friends or grandchildren or whoever, to encourage you to keep it tidy through shame?

Don't eat in your car. Keep a roll of white pedal bin liners in the glove box or door pocket. Also tissues and wet wipes.

I'd also get your car cleaned to a high standard so you want to keep it like that. Check your closest big branch of Tesco to see if it has a franchise called Waves in the car park. I have found them excellent in different locations.

Used tissues thrown on the floor, a week old used nappy! And you asking if you are a lazy sod! Nah! Hygiene at its best op! I’d of opened the door and shut it again! I’d rather walk than sit in a stinking car.