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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

'Fess up - How clean is the inside of your car?

77 replies

Gameboy · 24/11/2006 09:42

OK, not strictly 'Good Housekeeping' but I guess related.

Reason I ask is because a few of my friends who have fairly clean and tidy houses have completely rank, disgusting cars! You know the sort of thing - apple cores rotting in the armrest hole, mud all over the seats, spilt drinks on upholstry, general junk all over the foors.

i just wonder why, if your car is like this, why it is?

We're not obsessive, but we take rubbish out of the car when we leave. Floors are always clear, and kids take muddy boots etc off.

Is it a difference between people who have driveways (i.e. park near house, soap & water and vacuum) and those that have to park miles away on the street?

OP posts:
LunarSea · 25/11/2006 09:22

Glad to see that my mobile dustbin is fairly typical!

misdee · 25/11/2006 09:29

its fairly clean, went through the car wash last week and empty all the stuff out on wednesday from the back seats and boot. but needs a good hoover and wipe down inside.

the back seats needs valeting as well.

niceglasses · 25/11/2006 09:29

'bout a year ago the police knocked on my door around 3 am and said 'scuse me Mrs but could you come and look at your car we can't tell if its been burgled or not' I never lock it - its a shed on wheels.

Thats true honestly - my car is a real embarrasment but I sort of think if its very very undesirable they probably won't nick it.

NannyL · 25/11/2006 16:10

my car is the untideist car inside... that i know or even know of...

but i balme it all the the kids... the fact that they brng in loads of 'special' things...

nothing to do with the crap and leaflets I collect obvioulsy, or the food i eat in the car (the childrne arnt allowed to eat the messy stuff that i am allowed to eat in my car... its fruit or cheese only for them, lol!)

my car is so bad that i very often can noT fit in ANY adult passengers at all... cause there are car seats in the back and the passneger footwell is full up to the top of the footwell with 'stuff' the back footweels are prtty full up aswell...

but my charges no the rules... they can stand on anything thats on the floor!

last time i cleared my car out i had no less than 29 half drunk bottles of m,ineral water around the passenger seat (and over 20 full ones waiting in the boot!)

madmarchhare · 25/11/2006 16:12

mine is quite sparkly, it is new.

willandsamsmum · 25/11/2006 21:53

Absolutely revolting. It's full of clothes, toys, wrapping, mud, crumbs etc. I can't even blames the kids because every car I've ever owned has been the same. My sister calls it my wardrobe on wheels. It has it's advantage though because if one of the kids have an accident we can usually produce a spare set of clothes out of the stuff banging round in the boot.

niceglasses · 25/11/2006 22:45

Oh god I really think I am the person with the friend who got in and thought she was gonna throw up!!

However, am going to print this out and give to my mother/dh/friends who just think I'm the only one (and a lazy cow) - they might be right on the last count.

Funny how dh's car is spotless too - he makes the kids take their shoes off before getting in. Anal I say!

doyouwantfrieswiththat · 25/11/2006 23:02

Only had my car a few months but it got grubby very quickly..

till yesterday, newly valeted by the nice men who repaired my bumper when a wall disguised as a hedge got in my way a fortnight ago..

I don't recommend this as a way of keeping your car clean though.

(but they did miss a bit where the handbrake is )

magicfarawaytree · 25/11/2006 23:53

put it this way we had a quote to have it valeted. when I call for the price the guy was hesitant gave me the price and when I picked my self up of the floor he explained that it 'did er need er quite a bit or work!'

doyouwantfrieswiththat · 26/11/2006 23:00

well okay MFT - if it's that dirty, & you have fully comp. insurance, & a protected no claims bonus...drive it into a wall. Or would the valetting cost less than the excess on your policy?

magicfarawaytree · 27/11/2006 01:30

I was quoted a bit more than the excess on my policy - but to my defence I had three under 3 dcs and the oldest is only 4 now.

squatchette · 27/11/2006 02:07

I don't have a car at mo.Am picking up new one this wednesday and this thread has reminded me not to let the children eat in it.The last time i had a car was before the kids and it was a complete hovel.
One day a can of bodyspray rolled under the brake pedal at end of dual carriage way .I had to bend down to retrieve it at which point my driving instructor dad passed me.Had to explain why i was doing 70 mph and not even sitting up .

Alibaldi · 27/11/2006 02:39

It got valeted, by me and the two little people that make it messy on Thursday. Now it's spotless, give it a week and it'll be covered in granola bar crumbs, chips (crisps) and juice. But hey you're only little once and that's why god invented vacuum cleaners and baby wipes

ratclare · 27/11/2006 17:11

it gets cleaned once every nine months when i swap it for a new one ! usually takes five hours to clean and it very often smells of wet dog ,fox poo and fags . there are at least 2 fruit pastilles stuck to the carpet/upholstry at any one time and the windows are a montage of greasy handprints and dog nose prints . The outside looks quite nice !

doyouwantfrieswiththat · 27/11/2006 18:33

fox poo?

Blondilocks · 27/11/2006 18:47

Mine is in need of a clean but it's not awfully dirty - it does seem to contain some leaves and a few footprints from LO but no rubbish.

Roskva · 27/11/2006 18:50

Mine's horrid - full of sand from taking dog and baby to the beach, yukky things off boots from the farm,horse hair. A friend once sat on a pair of spurs I'd chucked on the back seat and forgotten (ooops). At least no-one is likely to nick it when I forget to lock it (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)!

Roskva · 27/11/2006 18:50

Mine's horrid - full of sand from taking dog and baby to the beach, yukky things off boots from the farm,horse hair. A friend once sat on a pair of spurs I'd chucked on the back seat and forgotten (ooops). At least no-one is likely to nick it when I forget to lock it (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)!

Roskva · 27/11/2006 18:50

Mine's horrid - full of sand from taking dog and baby to the beach, yukky things off boots from the farm,horse hair. A friend once sat on a pair of spurs I'd chucked on the back seat and forgotten (ooops). At least no-one is likely to nick it when I forget to lock it (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it)!

Californifrau · 27/11/2006 18:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

WideWebWitch · 27/11/2006 19:13

This won't surprise anyone who's read my cleaner thread but my car is vile. Ds got in it today and said 'ugh mum, your car stinks' We have a drive so no excuse but I am a slattern and v lazy so that explains it.

UnderWItnessProtectionCod · 27/11/2006 19:14

are there plates isn it ?

mousiemousie · 27/11/2006 19:15

How do you keep cream upholstery clean in your car when you have kids?!

WideWebWitch · 27/11/2006 19:15

sometimes cod, sometimes. If you know, we've had breakfast in there on the way to school/work

UnderWItnessProtectionCod · 27/11/2006 19:16

oh no
eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew

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