How to Keep Your Car Smelling Fresh Year Round #LoveAmericanHome #AD

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #LoveAmericanHome #CollectiveBias

When school starts our van becomes more like an extra room in the house versus a vehicle. We pretty much live in our car every day between school, home, soccer practice, and other family activities. It isn’t easy keeping your car smelling fresh during every season, but we have some definite tips that will help you have that “new car” smell as much as possible. #LoveAmericanHome #CollectiveBias

We feel that winter is probably the easiest season to keep your car smelling fresh (at least in the northeast) because the rising temperatures don’t incubate negative smells. However, we can help you keep that fresh car smell even in summer!

1. Identify bad odors. The first step in identifying what smells in your car on an ongoing basis.  We were able to identify the major culprit in our car….soccer cleats. Once you have identified your potential ongoing odors, either remove them from the vehicle, or place them in plastic totes.
2. Make it a date. I put “clean car” actually on our calendar each month so that I make sure it’s a routine which becomes a habit. Cleaning out your car on a regular basis will help eliminate odors and help you feel better mentally.
3. The nose knows. I really love keeping my favorite fragrances in the car year-round, so a few times a year I stock up on my favorite Yankee Candle automotive fragrance products.  Fall is coming so Macintosh was my first choice, followed by  Clean Cotton. I purchased both a Smart Scent Vent Clip and a Car Jar Ultimate to keep my car smelling fresh for the entire back to school season.  You can find them in the automotive fragrance section or laundry care section of Walmart. They are also priced right for our family while still providing an amazing smell. Mine were located at the end of the automotive section near the sporting goods section of the store. 

4. Hit the carpet. The carpet in your car is probably one of the toughest places to remove odors. However, much of the odor is held here, so you have to be creative. After you sweep the car it is recommend to actually clean the carpets with a carpet cleaner. We do own a carpet cleaner with a car attachment, so we do actually deodorize our carpet at least twice a year with our machine. In addition to cleaning the carpets, I also like to deodorize them on the go with fabric softener sheets. I just rub the sheets all over the carpet in the car. This goes perfectly with the Clean Cotton fragrance from Yankee Candle.

Keep in mind that our car is fifteen years old, so we know that some stains won’t come out of the carpet, but we are still able to get rid of most odors using these tips!

5. Plan ahead with pets & kids. These are two major odor culprits. What are some of your car freshness tips? Comment them below! With two kids and three dogs, it can be tough to keep your car smelling fresh. However, we try to plan ahead in these cases. We keep diaper bags in our diaper bag at all times to contain those smells, and we throw away the bag as soon as possible. With our pets we place sheets down in the back of the vehicle when we take them for baths to prevent the “wet dog” smell in our car.

With some simple planning you can really keep your car smelling fresh every day! What are some of your tips for keeping your car smelling fresh? Comment them below!