car-trunkA car serves many functions, but as with anything, overuse tends to lead to misuse and the important uses become compromised. Organize your car better and it will serve your needs better.

I always know it when I see it. It’s a shopping bag filled with abandoned schoolwork, empty Snapple bottles, an overdue library book, a promotional ice scraper, outdated catalogs, an orphan glove, a pizza-stained atlas, a beanie baby, a sticky sippy cup, and an expired gift certificate. At first glance these items may seem unrelated, but experience tells me that this is a make-it-go-away bag from the car. Busy moms, in particular, will identify with this. You get sick of looking at all that junk in the car and maybe you’ve got five minutes between soccer practice and piano lessons, so you chuck everything into a bag to make-it-go-away, but you don’t actually have the time to distribute the contents, let alone establish a plan to keep these items from coming back. These tips will help.

Trash Removal.

Space is at a premium in the car, so only a small trash bin makes sense, but by all means do establish a dedicated bin, not a multipurpose shopping bag. This bin will fill up fast, so you need a plan for easy emptying, possibly daily. This is a challenge that is not going to go away anytime soon, so if you don’t already have an easily accessible large trashcan in the garage, start one. Frequency merits facility.

Dashboard & Windshield.

Question:  What should go on the dashboard/windshield area?”
Answer:  Nothing.
Anything more than an EZ Pass, GPS, and permit stickers compromises visibility and creates a safety hazard. There are more important things to focus on when you’re driving than the junk flying off your dashboard.

The Trunk.

I am skeptical of a lot of “organizers” because if not used with a purpose they can quickly become clutter traps. In the photo above, you can see my trunk organizer and how I am using it. The contents all fall under the just-in-case category and are therefore tucked away in the back. Also important is the minimalism of the items. For example, it doesn’t make sense to keep enough motor oil for an oil change, but if I happen to be running low on the highway, I’m covered. In this way, I have enough room for an emergency kit, jumper cables, wiper fluid, etc. The ads for trunk organizers show them being used for grocery bags, but I find this unrealistic. To keep shopping bags from tipping I like the flexibility of trunk dividers.

Coupons & Gift Certificates.

You may be wondering why I am talking about coupons in this car post when you have a perfectly good coupon file in your home. If your coupon file really is perfectly good then fine, but in my experience these coupon files are too complicated and largely go unused. My advice is to limit the coupons to only the ones you are really likely to use then keep them in a clear envelope in your car door. That way the next time you find yourself at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, you will have the 20% off coupon with you instead of sitting at home on the dining table. Same thing goes for gift certificates.

Glove Compartment.

The glove compartment is small, so don’t overuse it. Again, multipurpose leads to no purpose. If you don’t give much thought to what goes into the glove compartment, you may find yourself producing a handful of Dunkin Donut napkins instead of a current insurance card.

Seats.

Do you keep forgetting to return your friend’s empty casserole dish or library book? Keeping your seats uncluttered will help your memory. With your car supplies securely stowed in the trunk and your trash circulating out reliably, you stand significantly better odds of emptying your car. The remaining return items will stick out like a sore thumb and demand action. That’s not a guarantee, but it is a guarantee that items-to-return will get lost in a sea of clutter.

What do you do to keep YOUR car organized?