Most of us spend hours in cars, running errands, and commuting. Though you stay more at the office or home, the car is an extension of your living area, so it needs organizing too. Your vehicle is your mobile space and a reflection of yourself. So whether you’re transporting your family, friends, or a client, make sure it’s something to be proud of by keeping it clean and organized.
Benefits of Keeping your Car Organized
Organizing your car is more than just aesthetics. You have a lot of reasons to keep it clean and organized, all for your benefit.
1. It eliminates distractions while driving
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of accidents. Searching for something you need as you are driving can distract you. So if these things in your car have their dedicated space, then it will be easier for you to focus on driving.
2. It allows you to find things quickly
Need a spare change to pay for the toll? Do you need to wear sunglasses because the sun is getting brighter? Organizing items will save you time searching for these things.
3. It saves you money
Sometimes, you forget something that you already have, then end up owning duplicated items because many things get forgotten or lost in cars. Think of how much you waste just because of car clutter.
4. It prevents further injury in case of an accident
The loose items in your car may become airborne and hit a passenger when you’re stopping short. If these loose items are kept in a proper place, you’ll be protecting yourself and your passengers.
5. It makes it easier for you to clean
Decluttered and organized car interiors are easier to clean and vacuum, which will save you time.
6. It makes loading and unloading the trunk easier
Need to load the trunk for a summer vacation at the beach? If your car is organized, it will be easier for you to remove the unnecessary stuff and load it with the things you need.
7. It helps save fuel
The extra weight carried by cars that are caused by excess stored items can have an impact on your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Decluttering your car can help you save gas money.
Steps for Keeping your Car Organized
1. Declutter
The first step to an organization is to declutter your space. Remove all the stuff in your car and clean it. Dispose of the trash, and remove the items that are better stored in your home or just brought to the vehicle when it was needed. There’s a fine line between being prepared for emergencies and making your car an additional storage place. Once you have drawn the line, remember that the space in your car must be as minimal as possible, so that there’s enough room for people to sit in and more room to place your items as you go shopping.
As you take everything out of your car, make a mental decision for each item – deciding if they must go to the trash can, inside your home, or if it really deserves to be inside the car. Don’t forget to look into these places: side door pockets, console, built-in ashtrays, cup holders, and small holders for random stuff, as these places are usually a magnet for trash and unwanted clutter. Be sure to Check out for more tips about Organizing your car.
2. Organize your car’s interior
This is the most exciting part (if you’re into organizing). Since you have limited reach while inside the car, you have to keep your essential items within easy reach. Also consider that many activities must not be done inside the car, especially when you are driving. So, keep safety in mind as you organize the contents of your vehicle. Here are some helpful tips:
Add a trash can
Having a trash can inside your car is very important for you to collect trash in a confined space. Your kids may love to eat snacks while you’re on the way somewhere, so a trash bag is certainly necessary. For cars, there are many trash cans and bags available. Some sit on the while some are attached to the back of a seat. Some trash cans that are weighted are also helpful to keep the trash from falling in case of sudden stops.
Use organizers for the front and backseats of your car
Sometimes, we get used to having the car seats as storage for some of our items. But you know that’s not the purpose of the seats. Make use of the underutilized area, such as the back of the seats. It usually comes with a single large pocket, and before you know it, it’s loaded with all kinds of random stuff.
Use a car backseat organizer for kids that has a tablet holder for keeping your kids entertained while keeping your stuff organized. This has all sorts of pockets for toys, pens, keys, bottles, and everything you may need while saving space. If you need one with simple pockets, you can also find a good organizer. Keeping your kids happy prevents them from screaming and yelling as boredom or moodiness kicks, and if so, you are also spared from the stress. This DMoose car backseat organizer can help you keep your sanity.
If you’re an on-the-go professional mom, you may prefer a smart backseat organizer for your laptop and tablets.
Organize the glove compartment
The next area to organize is the glove compartment. These are provided by car manufacturers, given that a car owner may always need some stuff handy in their car. Since this is a rather small space, keep only what’s essential inside it. Avoid filling it with stuff, because as you go along, you will end up filling it up.
Organize the car visor
Many of the small items that you keep in the glove compartment can also be kept on the car visor. Get a good visor organizer that can hold pens, notepads, sunglasses, chargers, earphones, flash drives, lip balms, and other small items. The advantage of having a car visor organizer is that you can keep the small things handier and easier to reach while driving. Just make sure the items are properly secured, so it doesn’t fall out and distract you as you drive.
3. Organize trunk
After you are done organizing your easy-to-reach items in the interior, the next thing to do is to keep your trunk organized as well. A car trunk is usually stuffed with random stuff, so if you’re not careful, then you may end up filling it with junk.
Empty your space to make it ready for transporting items
Don’t forget the main purpose of your trunk, which is to provide space for temporarily transporting items. It’s one thing to be prepared, but having too much stuff is another. Check how much you transport daily, so think twice about keeping an item in the trunk. There must always be enough space for things you often transport, such as groceries or other items you buy at the store.
Keep items you often need while out in the trunk
Think through the items you usually need while you’re out in your car, and keep some of them in your trunk. If your kids are still young, you may need to keep an extra outfit for each child and even for yourself to keep handy for accidents such as spills, vomit, spit-up, or anything that may occur while you’re out and about. It’s also helpful to keep some extra diapers and wipes in the car. Also, make sure to reserve a permanent area in your trunk for your reusable shopping and grocery bags to be eco-friendly.
But since there’s a possibility of the items rolling all around because most of the space is empty, you may benefit from getting a trunk organizer. You may opt for a netted one or something rigid with designated compartments.
Consider function first
No matter how your car may appear inside or out, it’s crucial to keep in mind that aesthetics shouldn’t be your top focus. Although some of the suggestions on this list may seem unusual and result in unsightly results, we advise prioritizing functionality and safety before appearances.
Consider how your family utilizes this area. Make use of it by identifying the places that tend to accumulate clutter or dirt the most. Make this change even if it means removing something from your interior’s aesthetic appeal.
The safest organizational alternatives may not be the prettiest ones, either. Consider just soft objects or anything that can be fastened down because anything else in the automobile would dangerously fast bounce about your vehicle in the event of an accident.
Find a safe place for purses or diaper bags
Although they don’t stay in the car, purses and diaper bags are constantly present when your family is leaving. You should store these items in a location that is both convenient and secure. You have a few alternatives for where to put your bags in your car.
Purse holder
Each of the front car seats has a purse holder that attaches to the headrest to create a handy opening for your bag. Instead of slipping around the console lid or passenger seat, it now has a spot where it will fit perfectly.
With this choice, getting to your goods while driving will be simple. To prevent it from spilling into the floor during a U-turn or moving around in a collision, you should check to see whether the holder has a tether or add one using an elastic cord or clip.
*Be advised that some vehicles, mainly because of sophisticated airbag sensor systems, forbid anything from hanging from or attaching to the front seats. Before investing in things like these, verify sure your automobile is equipped with airbags by consulting the handbook.
Under the seat
Pushing your bag under a seat or into a compartment beneath the center console, if available, is a great way to put it away safely and keep it from cluttering your car, even though your purse won’t be accessible while you’re driving! Once you get there, getting to it won’t be a problem. So that items inside stay put in the case of a crash, zip or button it up.
Buckle it up
If you typically throw your diaper or purse onto the passenger seat, go one step further! Place the bag’s seat belt on. This prevents it from spilling, slipping, or becoming a projectile.
Get a baby car organizer
For a busy mom, having a supply of children’s necessities is a terrific idea to keep your stress levels down. Your car kit can be a lifesaver, whether you neglected to include wipes in the diaper bag or your child outgrew both their primary and backup outfit.
All of your children’s requirements should be kept in a soft-sided caddy or basket, as recommended. Just be certain that everything within is soft. Toys, diapers, clothing, and blankets for children are wonderful to keep inside the caddy because they won’t be a threat in case of an accident.
Up-cycle round tissue containers
The cup holders in your car are all rounded. Make use of them to your benefit! Recycle and refill cylindrical tissue containers. Place them around the vehicle to contain trash bags, plastic bags, and tissues (obviously).
Pull a trash bag out of your tissue boxes the next time you’re returning from a soccer game in the mud. Then just dump the damp sneakers inside. You won’t need to clean up the mess in your car or look under the seats for a dropped grocery bag.
Use shower caddies for car meals
Eating in the car is undoubtedly one of the messiest activities you and your family engage in. Wrappers and food might spread all over the place when you grab takeout on the way home or take out the packed lunches!
The best advice we can give is to distribute food throughout the car using plastic shower caddies. Kids will have a simple means of holding food and preventing it from falling to the ground. In addition, it is a handy spot for holding leftover waste or utensils.
Just be sure to store your caddies in one of the bins in your trunk when they’re not in use! Even if the plastic isn’t particularly durable, we don’t want those flying around either.
Keep pop-up laundry basket in the trunk
You will undoubtedly return home from a shopping or road trip with more items than you started with. Shopping bags, dirty clothes, and any other extra items you picked up along the road can be stored in pop-up washing baskets!
Utilizing these pop-up baskets has the advantage of prompting you to remove objects now rather than delaying their removal. We are aware that once we tell ourselves that, it adds up. Simply collapse these and place them between your bins when not in use.
Strap everything down
Any loose items you have in your car, including those bins we discussed previously, should be secured with bungee cords or clips. Consider how much weight a stroller, spare tire, or lug wrench have! Make sure these things are locked up for the safety of your family.
Why Keeping Your Car Organized Matters
1. Safety – From the driver’s position, you had to be able to reach what you required without struggling. Anyone in the car isn’t safe while the driver is distracted.
2. Convenience – You will be able to travel further in less time because you were prepared with all the necessary road trip basics in place and won’t need to stop more frequently to obtain food and drink or pull over to retrieve something out of reach.
3. Less stress – Being unable to find what we needed added to the already stressful experience of taking a road trip with children. The drive was far more pleasurable in a clean and organized vehicle.
Conclusion
It’s important to keep your car organized when you have kids for several reasons. It promotes hygiene by minimizing the accumulation of trash and crumbs and assures safety by preventing objects from becoming hazardous projectiles. It also lessens driver attention. Everybody in the car benefits from an orderly car as well because it makes it simpler to find what you need when you need it and gives you more room to sit comfortably. You can make driving with kids more fun for everyone by keeping your car well-organized.