When the Mister is away, Jen tends to clean all day.
I think he is fully aware of this and takes off just to kick me into cleaning mode...or maybe he really does like beer....
Anyway, the opportunity to do some deep cleaning couldn't have come at a better time since we had just got back in town from our nine day camping vacation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Our truck was in dire need of some TLC. When you travel for nine days, including a nine hour trip home, you're bound to have messes - both dog and human. I was too embarrassed to take this disaster into a car detail shop, so I decided to clean it myself. I don't know how much car detailers make, but I'm certain they deserve a raise.
We started out our trip with a large blanket in the back seat and tucked it into all the nooks and crannies to protect everything from hair, drool, water, etc but after just a few hours, the blanket was being used as a blindfold more than a barrier for dog hair...
I started my cleaning project by emptying everything out of the truck and then began vacuuming...and vacuuming...and vacuuming. The vacuum ran for so long and got so hot, I was afraid it might just spontaneously combust.
Four hours later, our truck was virtually hair free, but I could barely move my body. Hindsight is 20/20 and boy can I see clearly that our next travel vehicle will have rubber flooring instead of carpet!
After the truck was vacuumed, I moved on to clean all of the other surfaces.
Nose slime and dog spit make for some creative window decor, but if you're not into that kind of thing, a mix of vinegar and water should take care of the mess. I used a 50/50 mix but vinegar burns the nose a bit in high doses so a 60/40 or 70/30 ratio of water to vinegar might be better in a small space.
I used the same vinegar and water mixture with a microfiber cloth to wipe down the dash, air vents, door panels, and instrument panel.
Big mac sauce, spilled coffee, and jelly drips are a seat's worst enemy but my DIY carpet cleaner left our seats looking clean and smelling fresh.
When all the cleaning steps were complete, I sprayed the seats with a bit of lavender scented Febreeze to calm us all on our next trip. But I didn't stop at cleaning.
The Girl Scout motto is "Be Prepared" and after three years as a Brownie, I believe I'm fully capable of implementing it. To combat future messes, I stashed the console with some baby wipes, tissues, and hand sanitizer. I also stockpiled some spare change, a pad of paper and a few pens, and some extra lip balm (with sunscreen of course).
I used two cereal storage containers from the dollar store: one is lined with a plastic bag to hold trash; the second holds extra plastic bags for the trash container and for doggy potty breaks while we're on the road.
This entire project was a great workout - my legs were literally sore for three days. It was a perfect way to work off all of those s'mores I enjoyed on our trip!
For a short moment, I considered the idea of never allowing the dog into the truck again, but I'm a sucker for this face.
Before our next trip, I am going to attempt to
How do you combat messes while traveling?
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