Why Lint Rollers Are The Road Trip Tool You Didn't Know You Needed

Getting behind the wheel and hitting the open road comes with big potential for fun. According to a recent survey by The Vacationer, nearly 85% of adults in America plan to travel during the summer of 2023. That same annual survey showed that in 2022, almost 80% of traveling Americans were making room on their calendar for a road trip. This type of outing with family and friends can feel like an adventure with endless possibilities, but it can also feel like an exercise in endless disorganization. Life on the road requires some strategy to be successful. Occupying a vehicle for hours on end is made better when you look for easy ways to deal with big messes along the way.

One simple, affordable, and useful tool you're going to want to be sure to have during your next road trip is a lint roller. While it's often thought of exclusively as a product to get pesky pieces of lint off clothing, the possibilities go beyond its intended purpose when it's time for a road trip. This is especially true if you're traveling with kids.

Packing for a road trip with kids means a backseat brimming over with snacks. This inevitably leads to crumbs that find their way under car seats, floor mats, and more. The good news is, rolling over these surfaces with a lint roller can pick up crumbs in no time. Leave the bulky handheld vacuum behind when a simple lint roller can do the exact same thing.

Beyond the essential snacks, parents understand the importance of having stuffed animals available for little ones on the road. These items certainly need a thorough deep cleaning every once in a while. However, a lint brush can work wonders during road trips for cleaning stuffed animals that are on the receiving end of crumbs, dust, and dirt. A rollover can get them cleaned off and back to kids in no time.

Those traveling with really small children will likely need to unload a stroller at every rest stop. Much like the nooks and crannies of car seats, strollers have a way of collecting crumbs and debris during travel. A lint roller can be useful when it comes to getting tricky crumbs out of fabric folds. Have one ready to go every time you stop — and getting that car seat and stroller looking their best — will be refreshingly easy.

For many road-trippers, the experience wouldn't feel complete without a favorite pet or two along for the ride. While the company of your canine companion can be wonderful, it also means your road trip is going to include some unwanted pet hair. Having a lint roller readily available in the car is an easy way to keep flyaway pet hair at bay. It can also be used directly on your pet to keep shedding at a minimum in the vehicle if they're mellow enough to let you use this technique.

A notorious road trip debate that drivers and passengers inevitably confront is what music to listen to along the way. Passionate pleas are often made for one genre or song over another. Road trip music selection is serious business, and so is keeping car speakers clean and clear for top-quality listening experiences. Travelers won't want to overlook the usefulness of a lint roller when it comes to easily removing dust and small debris from speaker grills in the car. This is a gentle way to clean the speakers without damaging them.

If your road trip takes you through forested terrain or involves extended stops at national parks, there's a good chance some small crawly creatures could make their way into your vehicle. While this is expected in nature, what's less straightforward is who is going to be responsible for removing them. Make the job easier for everyone with a lint roller that can be used to pick up and dispose of insects as needed during your travels. You won't have to worry about touching bugs with sticky surfaces to do the work for you.

For some travelers, a road trip also includes remote work. If you're bringing your laptop along for the ride, you'll find it's easy for screens and keyboards to collect dust in the car. A lint roller is an easy solution to remove debris from these surfaces as you travel without having to worry about damaging anything while you clean.