How to keep your car clean after muddy dog walks

If you drive to your walks, you'll know how it goes. The walk is lovely. The car, afterwards, is not. Mud on the bumper, hair in every seam and a smell that hangs around until spring. A bit of planning keeps most of the field where it belongs.

Protect the car before you go

Cover the boot. A fitted boot liner or a heavy old blanket stops mud and water soaking into the carpet. Look for something that covers the sides as well as the floor, because wet dogs lean on things. A bumper flap protects the paintwork when your dog jumps in and out, which is where scratches and muddy streaks tend to happen. Our car boot liner comes with one. If your dog rides on the back seat, a waterproof back seat cover does the same job there.

Add something washable on top. An old towel or fleece on top of the liner gives your dog something comfier to lie on, and it can go straight in the wash.

Pack a muddy walk bag. Keep a bag in the boot with:

• a couple of old towels
• a large bottle of water for rinsing paws and legs
• a spare bag for wet, dirty towels
• poo bags and a few treats
• a cloth for the windows

Keep your dog secure. A boot liner protects the car, not your dog. The Highway Code says dogs in vehicles should be suitably restrained, so they can't distract you while you're driving or injure you, or themselves, if you stop quickly. It lists a seat belt harness, pet carrier, dog cage or dog guard as ways to do it.

Clean up before they get in

The few minutes you spend at the car door save the most work later.

1. Paws and legs first. Rinse off the worst of the mud with water from your bottle. Or use a paw washer: fill it with water, put one paw in at a time and gently twist the cup back and forth.
2. Towel down. Squeeze water out of the coat, then dry the legs, tummy and paws. Our guide on how to dry a wet dog fast covers the full routine.
3. Cover up a very wet dog. A towel or drying coat over their back stops the worst of the drips soaking into the boot on the way home.
4. Bag the dirty towels. Wet towels go in their own bag, not loose in the boot to fester.

Back at home

Air the car. Open the windows or boot for a few minutes, if it's safe to. Trapped damp is where the smell starts.

Let mud dry, then brush or vacuum. Wet mud smears. Dried mud brushes off. Leave it until it's dry, then brush it loose and vacuum it up.

Shift dog hair with a rubber glove. Run a slightly damp rubber washing-up glove over fabric seats and carpet. The hair rolls up into clumps you can pick off before you vacuum.

Wash liners and blankets regularly. Shake them out outside first, then follow the care label.

Wipe the windows. Nose prints come off with a damp cloth, followed by a dry one. They'll be back tomorrow, but still.

Dealing with wet-dog smell

Wet-dog smell lingers in anything that stays damp, so the main fix is getting things dry.

• Dry your dog before the journey where you can.
• Don't leave wet towels or bedding in the car overnight.
• Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over fabric seats or carpet, leave it for a while, then vacuum it up. Test a small hidden patch first.
• Wash anything your dog lies on, often.

A five-minute routine

Before you go: liner in, towel on top, walk bag packed. At the car: rinse paws, towel down, cover a soaked dog, bag the wet towels. At home: air the car and brush out the dried mud.

It won't make your car showroom clean. Nothing that carries a dog regularly ever is. But it will keep the mud in the boot, off the seats and out of the conversation.