Easy Clean Up Road Trip Tips

Updated on June 12, 2024

Easy Clean Up Road Trip Tips. Create a road trip kit to keep messes at bay this summer. Have everything you need right at your fingertips for all your adventures!

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Wet-Nap®, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #ConquerTheMess https://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

We travel a lot in the summer. And the kids and I are often on the go when we are not traveling – park days, picnics, pool time, trips to the zoo, etc. And if you have kids, you know it can get messy in the car so quickly! The last time I cleaned out my car (it had been a while) and I found so much gross stuff. I needed to figure something out to keep the messes at bay. Today, I am going to be sharing with you easy clean up road trip tips to keep your car clean on the go. These tips are geared more towards parents with children in the car, but I think they can be easily adapted to anyone.

I am going to show you how I put together a road trip kit to keep everything easily together and accessible for traveling with children. I purchased all my supplies for this kit at my local Walmart. I keep this in the car all the time now and replace items as they get used up. It really helps to have everything right there in the car to have when we need it!

Road Trip Kit

Supplies needed:

• Medium size plastic tote with lid
• Wet-Nap® Antibacterial Hand Wipes – 40 Count Canister
• Wet-Nap® Antibacterial Hand Wipes – 24 Count Packettes
• First aid kit
• Paper towel roll
• Tissues
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Change of clothes for each child
• Ziploc plastic bags 
• Snacks 
• Picnic blanket

I found a 24 quart size plastic tote with a locking lid. I prefer the locking lids because there is less chance the tote will simply pop open on it’s own. 

I created a Road Trip Kit label for the tote. I like to label everything. Then, there is no confusion where something should go. I also created a printable checklist for all the items that should be in the kit. I printed it out both and laminated them. The list, I simply placed it in the bin so I can remember what items need to be replaced. The label for the outside, I attached with clear packing tape.

You can download and print both of these printables out for yourself below. For personal use only.

Road Trip Kit Printable | Road Trip Essentials List

1. Wet-Nap® Antibacterial Hand Wipes – 40 Count Canister: These are great for wiping up dirty hands after we play somewhere or before we eat. Since I no longer carry a diaper bag, I just keep this container in the car so we always have it when we need it. They also work great for wiping up spills in the car that seem to inevitably always happen. These are great because they are safe on your face and body and they moisturize with aloe.

2. Wet-Nap® Antibacterial Hand Wipes – 24 Count Packettes: I like to have these to throw in my purse. I keep the full box in my car kit and then I can grab some to put in my purse, or even my pockets, because they are so small. This way I don’t have to bring the larger container in and we can all keep clean.

3. Small first aid kit: Our kit contains basic items we might need in case of minor injuries while we are out. Bandaids and Neosporin for minor cuts and scrapes. Bandage tape and gauze pads for larger injuries. Bug bite lotion for any bug bites we might get. My daughter and I are always the first to get bit by mosquitoes and we get tons! Children’s allergy tabs. My daughter has a peanut allergy and these have been helpful in the past to have, plus you never know when allergies will strike. I can take two of these in a pinch if mine get bad. Ibuprofen tablets for me and my husband. 

4. Paper towel roll: I seem to always forget to pack napkins when we do a picnic lunch. These are nice to keep in the car for that as well as cleaning up any larger spills. Plus, they can act as paper plates in a pinch when we are having a picnic.

5. Sunscreen: Often we lotion up before we head out, but sometimes I completely forget about it or our plans change at the last minute. I like to keep a bottle in the car for these times. 

Note: Be sure to check expiration dates on your sunscreen and replace as needed. At the very least, I replace the sunscreen that is in my car every 6 months to a year to be sure the heat hasn’t affected it’s effectiveness.

6. Bug spray: Remember how I told you my daughter and I are bug magnets? This is a must have item in the car for us. You never know when an area you are going to is going to be particularly buggy.

7. Tissues: I like to keep a small pack that I can throw in my purse in case we run out. I have a larger pack up front for while I am driving, but again, these are nice to have if I need them.

8. Change of clothes for the kids: I keep these in a gallon size bag – one for each kid. We have had a lot of times where the kids have become unexpectedly wet from playing at a splash pad or got dirty by spilling an entire ice cream cone on one of their shirts. It is nice to have a change of clothes in case we need it.

9. Ziploc plastic bags: I like to keep a couple of gallon size bags in the car as well. These are great for wet clothes, trash when we have a picnic, and so many other things. 

10. Snacks: We always bring refillable stainless steel water bottles with us whenever we go out, so I don’t worry so much about water, but sometimes we end up out longer than I would have expected, so it is nice to keep some non-perishable snacks in the car. Granola bars, goldfish crackers, almonds, dried fruit, sunflower seeds, beef jerky, or protein bars are all good choices. Obviously any of these can go bad sitting in the car for too long. I make sure to check them and change them out as needed, but since the kids know they are in there, they usually don’t last too long!

10. Picnic blanket: This blanket stays in the car. We always have it for anything we need. A trip to the park, a picnic, sitting out at a summer-time concert in the grass. (Mine doesn’t fit in the tote, but it is always in my car.) I would recommend one that folds up nicely and has a carrying handle. I don’t know about you, but when we go places with the kids I always end up with full hands! This one even zips up so it really stays together well.

All the contents (other than the picnic blanket) fit neatly inside.

And the whole bin takes up hardly any space in the trunk of my car.

Other items you might want to include in your road trip kit: paper plates, plastic cutlery, napkins, extra diapers and wipes, jackets, hats, umbrella, bottles of water, flashlight, or matches. 

Basically having all these items in my car all the time helps to get us out the door faster because I have less things to remember to bring. I am also able to be a little more spontaneous with our plans since I know I am covered for almost any situation. 

Visit Walmart for all your Wet-Nap® needs: 110-Count Hands, Face, & Body Cleansing Wipes, 24-Count Packettes Antibacterial Hand Wipes and 40-Count Canister Antibacterial Hand Wipes.

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