The car! It’s like a mini home but with way more excuses to be dented, dirty, crumby, full-of-trash, and loaded up with a trunk full of errands. Granted, it feels better to make a mess out of your mobile home than your actual home, but there’s a limit. So let’s nip it in the bud and get your car all neat and tidy before you get a ticket.

Here are some simple pro-tips for on-the-go tidiness or a session that takes place in your driveway. Because we’re always jazzing things up.

1) Keep a trash bag in your car. Sometimes it’s the small things that go a long way and a bag designated for garbage can be the difference between empty snack bags on the floor or empty snack bags not on the floor. So tie it to the back of a seat or just leave it on the passenger-side floor. Heck, keep a bag in the glove compartment for all I care.

2) Hide dryer sheets under the seats. A nice way to keep your car smelling nice (without a dangling too-intense-smelling tree) is to sneak a couple of dryer sheets under the seats and let them live there. You’ll feel like you did fresh laundry every time you go for a spin.

3) Vacuum on the go! One of my personal fave activities is bringing my hand vac on short road trips and vacuuming the car as I venture. Conquer the front first and then strap yourself in the back and finish up. *Note: this is only a good idea if you’re the passenger!*

4) Keep a pouch with essentials. Wipes, tissues, bandaids, tote bags for groceries - these are all wonderful things to keep in your car but make sure they’re contained so you can find them when disaster strikes. Small pouches are always helpful for keeping collections together so stow it away in the trunk, glove compartment, or seat pocket.

5) Keep a microfiber cloth in the glove compartment. The dashboard gets duuuusty but luckily microfiber makes dust super easy to clean! So stash one in the glove compartment and whip it out when you’re at a red light. Dusty no more.

6) Always scan the car for trash or items that don’t belong. For max efficiency (always), take a quick look around the car before you head into the house. If there’s anything that belongs inside or can be thrown out, seize the moment! There’s no better time than now to tidy up.