Is your car your closet?

As a working mom, I find myself with a messy car ALL THE TIME! Anytime I try to organize or clean it, it only lasts for a day, if that! I’m not the cleanest or most organized person in the world, but having somewhat of an order to my madness would help in my hectic life.  

I’m a huge pack rat (thanks mom), I think everything is important, therefore I need to keep everything. This includes “important items” I need for my 20-month old, you know just in case the world falls apart and we’re stuck in some remote location. And, to top it off, I have other miscellaneous items that wind up on the floorboard. However, I will say, I am much cleaner and more organized than when I was in high school and college. That’s a different story; my car was practically my closet on wheels. From sports gear to books and school supplies to food and drink containers, anything and everything would be on the floor board and in the trunk. I had a Jetta at the time, and those trunks are huge! I guess the bigger the space, the more opportunity to hold more junk.

 

Researching the Internet and taking best practices from my husband, family members and friends; I’m hoping these suggestions will not only help me, but other pack rats like me.

 

1. Keep your car from clutter. Cup holders, the console, side door panels and floor board wind up becoming cluttered with junk. Here are some other tips I’d like to try… 

• My husband always keeps trash in one location of his car and when he parks somewhere, whether at home, a store or a gas station, he throws it all away.
•  My mom keeps a bag handy (either in the back seat floor board or between the console and the passenger seat) to use as a trash bag and empties it when she gets home.
• On some retailer sites, they have storage bins or trash bins that you can keep behind the passenger seat.

 2. Organize your must-haves for Moms. I’m not talking about the important papers that you need for your car, like the registration, proof of insurance, manual, and tire pressure gauge. That’s what the glove box and/or center console is for, among other little items you want to store. But for me, what about stuff for my 20-month old, like extra diapers, her sippy cup, her pacifiers, snacks, etc? Believe it or not, there are organizers made especially for this! There available at most retail stores and online. You can do an online search for “car organize accessories” and a slew of results come up. Another great reason to shop!

  

3. Organize your must haves for people whose car is their office. Same as above, there are organizers designed especially for those who have their office on wheels. I particularly like how Organize.com has a section especially for travel, called Auto Organizers. Or for those on a really tight budget, try creating a makeshift organizer with extra boxes you have around the house. A friend of mine used a box on her passenger seat as a desk and for her laptop! It’s not very appealing, but it works.

  

4. Make it habit to clean your car frequently. At least once a day or every other day, throw out any unnecessary items that have piled up on your recent trips. However much time you have available, make it a habit to clean your car frequently.

 

These are only a few suggestions I had, let me know what you’ve tried on organizing your car.