My Car Smells Like Boy

My car smells like boy and...

I would love to blame it on the forgotten socks and ‘unseen’ sneakers jammed under the seats, but I know that the culprits are too numerous to assign sole (pun intended) blame to stinky boy feet. Unseen defined here as “Momma, I didn’t see it!” Yeah, right! You had to trip over it to get out of the car.

Over the years, the contents of toy bins and costume buckets have all taken up residence, crayons & markers have been left, mountains of dirt & sand tracked in, snacks crushed to bitty bits and last bites of breakfast smashed into every crook and cranny.

Yes, I am ignoring all of the years that I basically lived, ate and worked from my car running from meeting to meeting. It doesn’t smell like ‘over stressed working mom’, it smells like ‘boy.’

Even with the mess and obvious imperfections, I realized, I like my car and I do not want to trade it in yet. My husband knows that he cannot even begin to think about trade-in value or build a list of possible replacements until I am ready—over 250,000 miles sounds like a good time. After committing to holding on to my car and when I was finally well past the sleep deprived mom stage, I am better able to handle the massive amounts of stuff that needed to come in at the end of every day. By no means did this actually clean my car though.

A few months ago, here is what I motivated to do…

1-Cleaned out all items that should not be there (this is my every day battle, but the boys are old enough to help with strong reminders)

2-Vacuumed (optional and a rare occurrence at our house in recent years)

3- Lightly sprinkled baking soda onto the floor mats (I used a heavier hand under the seats and under the floor mats)

4-Wiped down all surfaces with damp cloth. Just spritz some all-purpose cleaner from spray bottle OR if you are like me… While I was finishing a call, I grabbed that damp napkin needed to clean sticky hands and finally scrubbed off that shiny spot on the dash made from the gooey banana. Call still not done, so I wiped layers of dust from dash, around clock, radio and gear shifter. Woo hoo!

5-Clean windows inside and out. Can use a vinegar water mix (as much as 50/50 mix if your car has really, really dirty windows caked with sticky kiddo fingers and dog snot) and if you want a fresh scent, then add some essential oils to your spray bottle.

6-To keep it smelling nice will take a bit of a commitment. First, I have to be vigilant against invading forces (those socks, partial costumes and snacks being the worst) and add a few drops of essential oils as needed.

Things to remember when creating your own Car Aromatherapy:

• Less is More!!!! You will grow accustomed to the smell (good or bad) in your car, so go easy on the application of essential oils. Think potpourri in your neighbor's house that you can smell on their cloths hours after they left their house, but they are buying three new plug-ins because theirs have lost the scent.
• Evaporation and the heat of your car will affect the oils. Reapplication will be necessary. As mentioned above a few drops on some cotton balls or a clean rag under the seat(s) will go a long way.
• Apply oils to clean cotton balls, stray piece of clay (that random terra cotta piece or coaster), clean cotton rag or repurposed piece of cardboard. Place in a spot that is easy enough to get to so you can reapply or switch it out if it gets dusty/dirty. I have been putting mine under the driver’s seat.

To find out what essential oils Krista recommends for your car aromatherapy, visit www.kristajean.com .