A few months ago I told our story of debt and how we are working hard to get completely free of it. It's not easy to admit setbacks, but we are choosing to share so we can bless you by our journey. Not only have we been taking care of debt, but also trying to keep up with our needs. We have been slowly saving up for a used (but new to us) vehicle. As a family of 8 there are only so many vehicles out there that hold everyone at the same time. I told the story of our current Suburban in this post and how it came to be.
Our second current vehicle only held 5 people, so when our truck went down for repair, I went nowhere. This has been the case for 7 years...a long time. We proudly own our vehicles, no debt involved there ever, so we choose to drive older vehicles to save. A few months ago we began setting any bit aside we could into an envelope to start saving for another truck that would carry us all. (and all my trashure finds...ahahaha) Plus, not complaining at all, but being without interior lights, a/c, occasional heat, including a myriad of other issues for years has worn on me, but thankful to have wheels - truly.
JC and I and the kids would sit down as we would get more savings to put into our envelope. We would count it together getting excited at the chance to possibly make our dream come true. Meanwhile, one day my mother-in-law had come over and mentioned she might be getting a new, smaller car. She asked if we might be interested in her Yukon, and we said maybe - because we were hoping for a bit newer vehicle. We also figured they weren't in any rush to buy new and we wanted something before winter set in, if possible.
SHOPPING
Meanwhile, I had been shopping online and various places for something to fit our budget and needs. It's hard to find a truck that holds 8, since many hold a max of 7. The other hard part is buying used, you have to trust the owner. We are our own mechanics, so know enough to make observations, but you still never know. We were leery at starting the whole vehicle buying process, so we kept her truck possibility in mind since they take awesome care of their cars. When we finally got to the point we felt we had a good enough savings to get something suitable, we started to shop. Then, one day we got a text out of the blue from my MIL that said they were offering us their car as a gift. Our jaw hit the floor. You see, when JC's grandma Opal (that I mentioned in this story) passed away over a year ago, she wanted certain amounts to go to each grandchild. We had no idea she had such a gift in mind. We were offered to take the truck or the funds and we choose the obvious. What a gift!! Our long-term goal was to upgrade from the other car, then upgrade again replacing our older Suburban. We'll have to keep you posted on that one because we're just so excited to finally seeing our vision come to life. So now we have not only the truck we prayed for shown up above, but also a large sum of savings to boot. This has allowed us to start the work of replacing the broken dining room windows (all 7 of them) and have extra to put towards our other needs. God is sooo good! We have needed windows since we moved in 14 years ago, but replacing 7 at a time is expensive. Not only are we getting new, but I don't have to install them this time! No more rags stuffed into holes as winter blows in. Happy dance, indeed. We'll share more on this soon.CLEANING
Now, before I ramble any more, I do want to show you that owning even a used car is wonderful, especially when you take care of it. One of the things I like to do in the fall is to do some winter-ready car care. 6 kids + snow & mud = hot mess. nuff said. Because our gifted truck was new to us, we decided to make it our own by giving it a head-to-toe refresh just like I showed you on our other truck in this video.
*sponsored by HomeRight (see full disclosure)
You're going to have a chance to win one of these wonderful steam machines by HomeRight, so stay tuned. I'd like to to show you how easy it can be since even this mom of 6 can do it. ahem. Before starting your vehicle deep clean with the AutoRight Steam Machine, be sure to vacuum any loose debris and dirt up. Remove any floor mats, cup holders, emergency kits, etc. This will make the steam clean time more beneficial, and we all could use a quick clean-up, right?
Fill your steam machine with distilled water using the provided measuring cup and funnel. Add small amounts at a time to ensure you don't over fill the machine.
Once full, replace the cap tightly and press the button to see the orange and red lights both lit. You will hear your steam machine beginning to heat the water. When ready, the red light will turn off.
GETTING DIRTY
Decide where you want to begin and choose the correct attachment for the job. There are brushes for upholstery and others for harder surfaces, and also window and crevice tools too.
STEAMING
Once you've decided where to start, be sure to use your accessory holder to keep your parts organized for easy access while on the job. Nothing worse than searching around for that one part you need while you're trying to finish. Then, it's time to say goodbye to dirt and hello clean. I like to begin on the windows using the squeegee and then work my down to upholstery, then carpet. The fact that this all happens without any chemicals is so important to me.
For the seat upholstery, there are several different tools to get in all the tight spaces or tackle hard to remove spots. My favorite is the fabric steamer for a general cleaning. Simply remove the squeegee and attach the fabric bonnet.
Next, attach the fabric steamer to the straight adapter and steam as much as needed.
In a few passes I already see the dirt and grime coming out and makes my heart happy.
FLOORS
Now for the floors. Though we may try to keep our feet on the mats, inevitably there will be some extra filth that gets spilled or rubbed on our carpet. Easy-peasy to fix with the steam machine. Just hit with your wand and watch the dirt disappear. Use your cloth provided to wipe out the dirt and continue.
Check out this closeup after only steaming for a couple of minutes. What a difference!
Once the upholstery part of of our winter-ready car care is done, it's time to move on to the vinyl and/or leather parts. I use the soft nylon brushes (gray) for leather and it always amazes me how it gets in the creases and cleans like none-other. Proof is in the puddin', I say.
WOW, right??
TIRES
Last, but not least, head to the exterior to give your rims, running boards, etc. a good clean using your stiff nylon brushes (black). You know those parts need it too and are part of our winter-ready car care.
Time to step back and be proud of a job well done. Now you're ready for all that winter has in store for you. Oh, and be sure to empty and clean your steam machine before storing away. You'll be wanting to get a spring cleaning done before you know it and you want your machine in prime condition.
Plus, I gotta tell ya that I use this thing like it's going out of style. If you follow me on social media, I'm always showing how I use it to tackle various jobs. It's totally awesome for my grout in my bathroom and works wonders on my interior upholstery too.
GIVEAWAY
Time for you to get your DIY game on too! I'm excited to be able to give one of you this awesome steam machine. All you have to do is complete the widget below. Winner will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to claim the prize. Giveaway open to U.S. residents 18 years of age or older. GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.
Likewise, do pin and share so others can learn how to do winter-ready car care the chemical-free way.
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Also, more projects like my winter-ready car care:
