g5_zps9ec6d317.jpg” width=”300″ height=”200″ />This post brought to you by Insurance Hunter. All opinions are 100% mine.
The Zoo returned home from our 5,000km road trip eight weeks ago.
However, from the look of our van, you’d think that it had been two years ago.
Yes, that bad.
When I came across this valuable vehicle spring cleaning article from Insurance Hunter, I thought that I’d see how our van stacked up. And if there was anything that we need to know about Spring cleaning tips for your vehicle.
Spring Maintenance. Ed’s responsible for the car maintenance. Immediately upon our return and before every road trip, he checks all the fluid levels, changes the oil and checks the tires. He passed with flying colours.
I am responsible for the inside of the van. I failed, miserably.
Remove the winter floor mats and Clean the interior. The winter mats are still in the car. Not that you can really tell because they’re now hidden under all the road salt, dirt and animal hair that has accumulated over the past six months.Not great for a family with allergies.
Get rid of the lingering things in your trunk. Unnecessary items and toys are everywhere. Not just in the trunk but in the cabin too. A friend who is a car seat technician mentioned that any unsecured items, no matter how small can be deadly in the case of an accident.
Things definitely need to be cleaned up.
Replace your winter kit for a summer survival kit. As for the survival kit, besides having extra drinking water in the car and some blankets, we don’t have a survival kit. With all the travelling we do, we should. Since reading Insurance Hunter’s blog post, I’ve already packed a bag to leave in the car with a spare set of clothes for the kids, diapers, sunscreen and sunglasses. These last two items are so important because they have blue eyes and fair skin which makes them really susceptible to the suns rays.
Whether you’re planning a road trip or not this summer, situations can arise even on the way to the grocery store and it’s easy to be prepared. I encourage your to read Insurance Hunters blog post for yourself and tell me if your car is ready for Spring.
While you’re there, get your no obligation and FREE auto insurance quotes. It only takes three minutes and could save you lots of money.
Insurance Hunter’s Tips have Helped The Zoo Be Roadtrip Ready.
Oh geez my hubby would have a stroke if our van looked like that. I once left a mitten in the van b/c I had lost the other one at work….yeah he threw it out 😛 It was there like an hour. I was going to grab it on the way into work the next day. Yeah he heard about that. But to his credit, he took his lunch that day to go to the mall, buy me new mittens, and then drive all the way to my work (about a 1/2 hour one way) to drop them off on my seat for when I got into the car after work. Then he drove back to work.
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UH–the inside of my car is so not ready for spring much less summer–I do always take water with me ever since I dehydrated that fateful 101 degree day my air conditioner stopped working while I was stuck in a massive traffic jam for 3 hours!! I probably should take it in for a tune up–I am so bad at these things!
I'm TOTALLY motivated to use this weekend cleaning my car 🙂
I really like the idea of changing out your winter-survival kit for a summer-survival kit. Definitely different items are needed!
I so wish I COULD clean out my car. It needs a wash, vacuum and declutter, too. I can't drive (or walk really) for another 4-6 weeks which means there is sits in the driveway, collecting dirt. Maybe, if I'm lucky, I could motivate my husband by sharing this with him. 🙂
My car is pretty clean for the most part. The biggest thing I have that is a mess is the reusable bags in the back they shift around and are spread all over. This is great information though.
Great list! Luckily we don't have much of a weather change here so we don't have winter and summer kits. And you're so right, situations can arise at anytime. So preparation is always a must!
These are great tips! It also reminded me since you mentioned insurance that at least once a year you should re-evaluate your insurance to make sure your policy still meets your needs. We end up doing this every time we move (every 2-3 years, thank you military lifestyle) but I wish I remembered to do it more often since lots of other things change other than our location (e.g. number of miles
Great tips! I need to spring clean our vehicle. I've de-cluttered the inside, but now need to do a good vacuum and cleaning. It's amazing how much builds up throughout the winter. I always try to have kits in the car for summer and winter, especially with kids. You just never know when an emergency might arise! 🙂
5,000 KM road trip!! You are courageous!! Removing winter kits is so essential (especially after ski season)
Oh! We love our road trips too! I am embarrassed to say that since Little One was born, my car cleaning skills leave a lot to be desired. I tote everything around in our van. It's a disaster. I won't show you a pic! Everything from huge first aid kit, huge beach umbrella, cooler in case I go shopping, reusable grocery bags, toys and books to keep LO entertained, etc. It's a mess!
Shari's husband makes me laugh out loud. My van most days looks like your Sarah! My kids bring everything into the van. Honestly! _ I need my 240000 stuffies in the van with me right now mom. That is a good reminder though that unsecured items can hurt in a car accident.
Those are some great tips! Thank you so much.
Our car really needs a good spring cleaning too. We don’t have car seats and toys anymore but we have a lot of junk. Reuseable grocery bags are everywhere, a couple kleenex boxes, bottles of water, a blanket, windshield scraper, umbrella…and the list goes on! Loved the tips and it is so true that in the event of an accident or sudden stop, unsecured items are dangerous projectiles.
My car is always a mess. So m,any kids and so little trash cans we have no choice. By the time we get out of the car we are too tired to clean it and it gets pushed to the bottom of the to do list
my car needs a good cleaning! still hasn't been vacuumed after winter, so lots of gravel/dirt and there's always too many kids toys/books lingering
I find it hard to keep up after my kids….
my car’s pretty good on the inside (I’m on my own :-)), but it does need cleaning badly on the outside. Oh well, my car will have to wait until Spring for that – ugh another 6 months of so 😉