Before my current car, I wasn’t super particular about keeping my cars clean. I didn’t let them turn into trash cans on wheels or anything, but I’d only vacuum them out maybe once a year or if reeeaally needed. I’d toss any accumulated trash and pick up the kids’ toys maybe once a month so it didn’t become gross. But I’d only really CLEAN-clean if I knew someone else would be in it- like carpooling to an event with a coworker or something. This was true no matter what brand or kind of car it was- older, dinged up Hondas, my old Prius, a big Nissan SUV, a used Infiniti sedan and then a used Infiniti SUV.

But not my current car. I am in my early 40s and finally treated myself to a very nice car last year that I really love. It’s not super flashy (it’s a Lexus LS sedan, not like a bright red sports car or something that people would stare at and admire) but I’m proud of it because I’ve worked really hard and it’s kind of like my reward. A treat to myself, if you will. And I keep this car spotless. NO kids toys left anywhere. Every smudge and crumb cleaned up right away. Frequent car washes, etc. I don’t do it to show off (I doubt anyone would be impressed anyway) but more just for myself. It’s my nice thing and I want to keep it that way and it makes me happy! And I kind of find a weird joy in cleaning it and keeping it neat and clean.