Many of us have experienced scratches in the paint job of our cars. Having a professional fix scratches can prove to be an expensive venture and you may wonder if it is even worth it. However, scratches often lead to rust spots, so it important to cover them before they sit for too long. With a little know how, you can cover your scratches at home and save yourself the expense of hiring a professional, or ultimately junking your car for the cash for junk cars one can receive.

You may want to find a friend to help you as this project takes a while and can be daunting to the beginner. The paint used to repair scratches usually comes from a touch up bottle that can be found at your local mechanic's shop. These come in a number of colors that are meant to blend with the coats on most vehicles. If your car is a unique color, however, you may need to look a little harder for touch up paint. Your dealer can sometimes contact the automaker and order a small sample of paint that will match your car's color perfectly. Keep in mind, this will be harder with an older car that is no longer being made.

In addition to paint, you will need several other supplies. Look for a good auto cleaning solvent. Rubbing alcohol will also work on most paint jobs, but test it in an inconspicuous place to be sure it does not remove paint. You will also need paper towels to catch drips as well as a sanding block. A sanding block can be found in the auto section of your hardware store. Do not try to substitute sand paper. This will not work!

Once you have gathered your materials and tested your solvent, you are ready to start. Clean the scratch area with the rubbing alcohol and allow it to dry. Next, use the small brush in the tough up bottle to apply a very thin layer of paint to the scratch. Do not use too much or it will drip and look terrible! Allow the paint to dry for about 24 hours, no less. The last step is to use the sanding block. This very fine block will not scratch your car. This step is necessary to smooth the paint. Sand only until the surface looks smooth and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Any parent with children knows that within a matter of seconds your car can turn into a disaster zone. When your car gets hit with spilled milk, cookies and toys, you can see the possibility of ever trading your car for cash vanishing before your eyes. Some parents say "No food!" "No toys!" in the car. But that's not a reality for all parents, particularly if you need to drive for longer than an hour. But there are some great tips to allowing your kids to be happy in the car, while minimizing the mess.

To start, make sure that there are car mats by the feet of each of your children. Car mats can easily be washed and catch a lot of the accidental food drops. In addition these are easy to remove from the car to shake out, and can be used to cover up the cracks where food can congregate. These can be purchased fairly inexpensively at any Target, Wal-mart, or auto supply store, if you need more mats than the ones that come with your car. You can also use old towels for this.

Another easy fix is organizers. These fit easily over the seat in front of your children and make convenient pockets for their toys, games and snacks. These make things accessible to your children in the car but give everything a home. Have your children clean out the car the same way that they clean their rooms. This also limits the amount of things they can have in the car. If it doesn't fit in the organizer it doesn't go in the car. These can be purchased inexpensively through amazon.com. (The Sunshine Stow and Go Kid organizer are great.)

Finally, invest in a handheld vacuum. Kids love these because they are easy to use and make a great loud noise. They also work great. After long trips in the car, have your children go over the car with the vacuum.

Staying on top of this really helps the car not become a disaster zone! These are the basics to keeping a clean car with a decent resale value. This can be done fairly inexpensively in a way that will preserve everyone's sanity!