Organize Your … Car!

Benefits of a Clean & Orderly Car

Your car is a means of transportation, so its focus should be functionality and safety. But those can’t be achieved without organization! Fortunately, if you keep your vehicle in a well-organized state, you’re less likely to be stressed or distracted while driving, and therefore, safer. Make your car a place of function, convenience, and cleanliness with these helpful hints.

By Katie Faulkner

Getting Started

As with any good organization project, the first step must be – clean it out! Take every single item out of your car. Don’t forget to empty the pockets on the backs of the seats or your glove box and console compartment. You can even stack your floor mats in the back seat.

Once you’ve stripped your car of trash, collected items, and even the essentials (which we’ll put back later), it’s time to clean!

You have a few options when it comes to cleaning. You’ll have to choose based on the state of your vehicle and your budget.

If your car is in bad shape, you might consider having it detailed by professionals. This can cost anywhere from $50 to $150, depending on the size of your vehicle. But it will cover cleaning interiors and exteriors to a pristine degree.

If you’d prefer to do the dirty work yourself, you can save a good bit of cash. Find a self-serve car cleaning station with a drive-through car wash. Ranging from $5 to $20, you can gain access to the station’s cleaning spaces with vacuums, floor mat cleaners, microfiber towels, glass cleaners, upholstery cleaners, and spray scents.

Of course, there’s no reason to go anywhere if you’re able to clean your car at home. A hand-held vacuum, glass cleaner, carpet or upholstery sprays, and leather cleaners would all be helpful.

Organizing Items

Now that your vehicle is sparkling clean, it will be much easier to find a place for everything to be put away. There are a few items that are essential to keep in your car, a few that are good ideas to have in case of emergency, and still a few more that are good to have for convenience’s sake. You’ll have to decide what best fits your lifestyle.

Essentials:

You should always keep your registration and proof of insurance in your car. A common choice for their location is the glove box. If you keep other documentation like medical information, emergency contacts, or the owner’s manual in this space, there are small accordion-style document organizers that can keep all your important paperwork protected and organized.

In Case of Emergency:

In addition to your documentation, it’s a good idea to have some emergency equipment stowed in your vehicle. Whether in your trunk, a bin in the back floorboard, or the hidden compartments under the back seat, there are places to keep these items out of the way, as you won’t be using them every day. Some items you might consider keeping in your car include:

• Jumper cables
• First aid kit
• Flashlight
• Water bottle & energy bars
• Blanket
• Ice scraper
• Umbrella
• Car phone charger
• Tire jack with spare tire or tire slime (to temporarily patch a leak)

For Convenience:

Once you have your essentials and some safety items, there are still items that can help you stay organized.

Trashcan | Undoubtedly trash will accumulate, so a small trashcan or bag is very useful. Get in the habit of emptying this container every time you hit the gas station, so trash doesn’t pile up.

Cellphone mount | You likely don’t get in your car without your phone, and you probably use it to navigate or make calls while driving. Make these uses more streamlined and safer/handsfree by investing in a phone mount for your dashboard where you always put your phone.

Organizer | Like most people, you probably have several other small items that you use in your car often. From lip gloss to pens and pencils, sunglasses, and so on, they need a specified place if you want your car to stay organized. There are visor organizers and trays for your console or cupholder.

There are countless options for organizational gadgets and items to stow in your car, but at its most basic level, you can keep your car clean by having a place for everything. Don’t allow documents, trash, emergency equipment, or additional small items to accumulate, and you’re sure to maintain a highly functional, and most importantly, safe vehicle.