The spring is a great time to get your car serviced, organized, and trip ready.
It happens to be early spring, and my car was looking rather haggard.
I allowed it to get to a point of really bugging me. For one thing, our car wash, that we are monthly subscribers to, had a broken water pipe, switched owners, and remained closed for an extended period of time.
Not only was the interior of my car in disarray, but now so was the exterior.
I had let my car go for too long! Now instead of just driving through the car wash and vacuuming it out, I wanted an all out revamp.
The Mess
I seemed to be collecting an arsenal of face masks, sanitizer, and a myriad of other things.
Additionally, I had a collection of wires belonging to multiple types of chargers that were everywhere!
I don’t like to see them, and yet my hubby likes the convenience of all of his wires at the ready. Errghh.
I also had a car seat, for my grandson, and my yoga mat.
In my trunk I have three little basket organizers that I can grab & carry in with me to a store. They have little handles, can fold down, and they fit perfectly across the back space in my car when my seats are up.
They are quite functional, as I can fit two paper bags in each carrier for a total of 6 paper bags, if I need to.
Where to Begin?
To begin organizing my car, I decided I needed to completely empty it out, sort all the contents, decide what I want to keep and what was just taking up space.
Every little storage compartment in my car was full and in complete disarray.
Emptying It Out
I used grocery bags and completely emptied all the little cubbies and compartments of my car.
Once I brought everything into my house, dumped it on to my kitchen table, I began the sorting process. Can you imagine all of this fit in my car? Shikaka! As my daughter likes to say for “shocking.”
I sorted things by categories. I put all of my pens together, my wet wipes and hand sanitizing agents, anything that had a “like” category, I put together.
I did not realize how many things I had in my car. I had toys, gloves, emergency food, face masks, spray sanitizer, scissors, lint brush rollers, paperwork for my vehicle, hair ties, and nail files.
All the things you could possibly want to use… someday.
Good grief! Let’s lighten the load.
Deciding What to Keep in the Car
After sorting, and once I determined what I wanted back in my car, I gave some thought to how I could make it more user friendly and logical.
I was brainstorming on ways to use my door cubbies, and how I could keep them more organized. I was hoping I could find something that could keep all my little things in their own compartments.
I thought, what could I use that would help keep things organized and upright so that they weren’t falling all over and getting lost underneath?
I went to the Dollar Store to get some ideas.
I looked at all of their storage items, desk organizers, boxes, and the like. I was needing something that would fit into the narrow spaces of the door and be functional.
I ended up buying some foam drink koozies. They were flexible, would fit in the space, and be able to keep things upright.
I had to go to two different stores to find enough blue or black, as I wanted more neutral colors. Mostly they were red, yellow, and green. The objective here was simplicity and not overly stimulating.
They also turned out to be the perfect size to hold either a sunglass case or some index cards and pens or my small hand sanitizer packages.
I took my car from utter chaos to organized and user-friendly.
Now I know where everything is. And it’s handy and accessible.
While I’m driving I can reach down and grab wet wipes if I want to, or my sunglasses.
If for some reason I need to make a list, jot down a note, I have index cards and pens right at my disposal.
The Trunk
I also organized the trunk of my car using my little totes.
Some of the things I like to keep in my car are reusable bags, extra water bottles or cans, an umbrella, and my yoga mat.
I also keep emergency items including a first aid kit, a sewing kit, shout wipes, and some other random things you just never know if you’re going to need, like scissors, a toothbrush, and a make-up bag.
I used a divided wine bag for sticking different things in each slot to keep it more organized.
I completely filled up one of the bins with things that are just to be kept in my car, for use as needed.
The other bins I left empty, except for my yoga mat, to be used for groceries and the like.
Car Organizers
There are many car organizers on the market that can be purchased either online or in a store.
There are also organizers that sit on the back of the front seats and have little cubbies. Additionally, you can purchase trunk organizers or flexible envelopes. There are both universal fit as well as vehicle specific options.
If you have little ones, having the kind on the back of the seat with handy things can be very helpful. Think books, wet wipes, snacks, extra clothes or diapers. Kind of an emergency kit for parents.
If you’re looking to get trunk organizers, I recommend taking some measurements and doing a little homework on the sizing and durability of supplies.
Extras
I also love my little elastic woven envelope for the trunk of my car. I like to use this when I have small loose containers that could tip over in my car. I can stick them in there and keep them from rolling around.
I think it is a very useful tool.
In the end, I like to be able to keep my car as free of clutter as possible.
I like to have as much open space and a clean, new car vibe.
Automotive Papers
I also decided to label all of my automotive paperwork so that I could find them easily, should I ever need to. I put them together in a gallon sized ziploc in my glovebox.
They will be handy when I choose to sell my car, finding when I did a particular repair, and tire replacement information.
I have a clip for my current registration and insurance information too.
Cleaning
When I cleaned out my car, I vacuumed, wiped everything down, applied a leather conditioner to my seats, and organized everything.
I felt so much happier to drive a clean and fresh car. Everything in an appropriate and logical place.
I know that I still keep more things in my car than many, but I don’t like to be wishing I had something and not have it.
Every car has different sized cubbies and storage. Each person needs to decide what they want handy and what they don’t need.
Another useful automotive tool is a magnetic phone mount. We keep ours on our vent for handy navigation. I have found putting it on the passenger side makes more sense for me. I am usually the only one in the car and it lets the air flow better to me for heat and air conditioning. WinWin.
I was just driving with a friend of mine, and she had a little automotive essential oil diffuser.
I think that will be my next little unnecessary accessory that I get.
We may as well enjoy our time in our car. It is a little extension of us, so it’s better to have it orderly and maintained, efficient and soothing.
I hope you enjoy getting your car trip ready for your next adventure! Happy trails!
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