I don't know about you guys but, for some reason, my car is always the last place I think of cleaning. It's no wonder that it had turned into a giant mess. The seats were stained, there was junk everywhere, and I don't even want to think of what fossilized food bits were lurking under the kids' booster seats. My poor car was in bad shape and was in desperate need of a deep cleaning. It was in such bad shape, that I actually took it in to have it professionally detailed. Not good!!!
Given how disgusting my car was, I must say that the money spent on having it cleaned was definitely worth it but not something that I want to do again.
Thus "Project Car Organization" began...
Once I had my nice clean car back, there was a huge box of "stuff" remaining that the car detailers had collected from my car. I went through everything and figured out what I needed to keep in the car and what had to be put away elsewhere. Like organizing any other space, you need to get rid of what you don't really need or use. If you are trying to figure out what items you should store in your car, keep a list in the car for a month and write down everything that you wished you had that you didn't. At the end of the month, go through everything that is in the car and ask yourself if you really need those items that you didn't use throughout the month.
Okay, now you need to organize everything!!
PAPERWORK
My Jeep Liberty has the teeniest, tiniest, glove box ever. Even my registration papers had to be jammed in there and they were constantly getting stuck in the back. Trying to add any maps or other paper work in there was pretty much impossible. So I ended up giving up on the glove box in favor of a folding file folder that I store under the front passenger seat.
I have a section for maps, insurance papers, the car CD manual, car receipts {such as oil changes}, coupons and trailer papers. The file folder is from the Martha Stewart line at Staples and I picked it up when I found my
planner.
Now that the glove box was freed up, I put in a dry cleaning sponge {this is great for dusting the dashboard}, an extra pair of sunglasses, and some pens and paper.
See? I told you it was the smallest glove box ever!!!
KIDS ITEMS
We have a car DVD player that hangs from the front seat head rests. I was initially reluctant to get one of these but it really is a sanity saver when we are going on long road trips. There are actually two screens but, most of the time, the kids just watch on the same screen. On the other head rest, I have a storage pocket for all of the other kids toys, games, books, snacks, etc. {and it also holds the second DVD screen}. My kids are both huge talkers so they are usually much more interested in yakking our ears off than playing. I think the toys are really much more for my benefit when I just need a little bit of quiet time. If we are doing a bigger road trip the kids do bring a few more toys but, in general, they just have a couple of items each that are stored in the car on a regular basis.
The organizer bag is from The Container Store. It actually looks like it is empty but there are really items in there! The pockets are just nice and deep.
ODDS 'N ENDS
Okay, now those odds 'n ends items. This is where I really narrowed things down. Here is my must have list:
- moist wipes for my crazy, messy children {also great for quickly wiping down the dashboard if I am waiting in the car}
- anti-bacterial spray which I use daily for work
- a little lipstick for those days that I have to run out of the house without makeup {this happens way too often!}
- my USB cable so I can play my iphone tunes
- a place to hold my quarter and loonie for shopping carts {I keep the change in an empty medicine bottle}
- little garbage bags {I use those rolls of small garbage bags that are supposed to be used to hold dirty diapers - perfect car size!}
- my dollar store back rest. Best dollar spent ever!
- sunglasses
Everything fits in the middle console or the cup holder organizer that I picked up at The Container Store.
I also have a sunglasses holder that is clipped above my sun visor. I have really light sensitive eyes and it can switch from rain to sun and back again many times throughout the day around here!
{Okay, I really should have cleaned those glasses while I was at it!}
EMERGENCY ITEMS
I have a bag of jumper cables and some basic repair tools {not that I would know how to use them!} that are stored underneath our floor mat in the trunk. I also keep six bottles of water, some granola bars, a flashlight, and a couple of blankets in a bin in the trunk for a little emergency kit. There is also an air compressor, an umbrella, and a few little parts for our tow bar that are stored in there as well.
I have two first aid kits - one with more basic, frequently used supplies {band-aids, Polysporin, anti-bacterial wipes, tweezers, Tylenol, After Bite, etc.) and one with less used items such as larger bandages and gauze, a triangle bandage, an emergency blanket, scissors, etc.
If you remember my
Boo Boo Box from last summer, this is just a simplified version. I'll usually add a few more items before we leave for a camping trip.
Now that the car is cleaned and organized, there is just a minute or two of daily maintenance to keep it that way. I am also trying to make sure I schedule in a little extra cleaning time about once per month.
MONTHLY CLEANING
STEP ONE - Clear out to the car.
Grab a garbage bag and two bins - one for things that are to stay in the car and one for things that do not belong in the car. Work your way through your car tossing the items into the appropriate bins. Remove car seats and shake out any removable car rugs. Once your car is organized, this step should be really quick!
STEP TWO - Vacuum
Get out your vacuum {or handheld} and any little attachments that it may come with. I have a long skinny attachment {that is great for getting into those little spaces} and I mini vacuum attachment that connects to the hose. Vacuum down floors, removable rugs, and upholstery.
STEP THREE - Wipe and Clean
Dashboard and other rubber or vinyl surfaces - I use a water bottle to spray down all of the surfaces and then wipe them down with a
Norwex microfiber cloth. If you have added grime that you need to remove you can make a paste with baking soda and water and use a small scrub brush {or toothbrush} to get into all of those little spaces. Once everything is clean, I give the plastic and rubber surfaces a final wipe using
Armor All spray for a little extra shine.
Upholstery and carpet - The Norwex cloths can also be used to remove minor stains from the upholstery. For deeper stains, I use a mixture of dish detergent and water and a stiff brush. Funny enough, the worst stains that I have had to remove on my upholstery have just been plain old water marks.
Mirrors and Glass - I use water and a Norwex window cloth to clean the mirrors and glass. I have also heard that the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work great on the front headlights although I haven't actually had to try this.
Now that things are more clean and organized, I can't believe that I spent so much time driving around in such a messy car! Two months later and things are still looking good!
Does anyone else have any great car organization tips to share? I would love to hear them!
Happy organizing!! Have a great week!
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