Car washes are popping up everywhere. Why?

Why, oh why are there so many new car washes popping up in everywhere?

Did the Gamecocks just announce that having a state full of clean automobiles is a surefire way to steal the top quarterback recruit from Dabo?

Or did the bigwig oil barons just declare that keeping a clean car will guarantee gas prices go down at least 50 cents a gallon?

Seriously, just today I passed 3 very busy large car washes within two miles of each other.

Yes; you read that correctly.

And each of them had a line at least 8 cars deep.

Or could it be something more..... sinister?

Has a new pandemic been unleashed?

Has a filthy car epidemic infiltrated the Southeast so deeply that massive car washes with at least 10 vacuum stations each are required to stave off a zombie apocalypse?

Because honestly, if those aren’t the reasons, I simply don’t understand!

While I realize cleanliness is next to Godliness, I fail to believe that biblical truth touted by grandmas far and wide extends to dust-covered SUVs and Sedans.

There absolutely CANNOT be that much demand for sparkling windshields and freshly buffed bumpers!

In fact, if I’m being honest, I can’t remember the last time I washed my car. 😳

I can literally hear a resounding groan from left brainers and shiny, big truck-loving men, like my husband, from around the world.

As you can imagine, it’s often a point of contention when my husband and I ride together, but I feel like a messy car = a happy car.

After all, I’ve literally been raising kids for over 2 decades, so it stands to reason that my car will have more random homework papers,

old Chick-fil-a bags and fingerprint drawings all over the windows than a standard, childless, BORING vehicle.

And let’s be real. Whose car would you want access to in a real apocalypse?

One with no sign of life except a pair of spotless, overpriced sunglasses

or

One with enough half-eaten bags of chips and stale french fries to sustain a family of 4 for at least a month?

My thoughts exactly!

Even though I don't choose to allot much attention to keeping a pristine car, I do believe in keeping the trash to a reasonable minimum.

With that in mind, here are some easy ideas to keep your car remotely habitable in the event that you need to wait out the zombies for a while:

1. Keep a designated car trash can around. I found some really cool ones online with straps that hang around the seat headrest, and they are actually affordable. Even a plastic grocery bag strategically placed around the headrest can achieve the same results. As long as the younguns know where to put straw wrappers and used napkins, your piles of garbage will decrease by at least half.

2. Use those convenient garbage cans between the pumps to do a quick trash clean-up while you’re getting gas. And if the kids are with you, make them help! You can combine a responsibility lesson and get your tank full for the week ahead.

3. Using a basic over the door organizer that you can get from Wal-mart helps keep the kid clutter in check too. A couple of my favorites are here:

4. Get a car gap filler! It will save you endless time and stress if you’re anything like me and constantly drop your phone or sunglasses in that impossible to reach place between the seat and the middle console. You can even get a fancy one that has an extra cupholder.

   This has changed my life and best of all, it’s cheap!