How to Organize Your Vehicle and Keep it That Way!


When someone gets into your car, do you have to apologize for the mess and/or move a lot of clutter out of the way?

or…

Do you love your car? Does it facilitate and enhance your lifestyle? Does it give you Peace of Mind, Freedom and Time? 

If our vehicles are fairly clean and organized, they are a pleasure to use. They comfortably take us from point A to point B and carry our cargo, precious and otherwise, with little effort on our part. If your vehicle has become cluttered and messy, we can help to get it organized and then keep it that way!

SAFETY FIRST…

When keeping items in your car, less is more. Remember that anything not in a compartment or tied down will become a projectile in an accident.

Proper and regular maintenance is important so that your car will be reliable. Nothing throws a wrench in the day like car trouble. Be proactive by posting reminders to schedule oil changes, annual inspections, important safety maintenance and of course, cleaning and organizing!

…FOLLOWED BY FUNCTION 

Organizing even the messiest of vehicles takes no more than a few hours to tidy up. The process is the same as any other organizing project. The goal is to keep and have the things you need while on the road stored in a functional way that makes sense to you.

Set up a card table or other sturdy work surface near the vehicle. Get a few boxes and trash bags to use for sorting by topic:

  • Stays in car

  • Bring into the house

  • Donate

  • Trash

WORK FRONT TO BACK

Begin with the glove box and move to the front seat area including console, side door compartments, the dashboard, visors, seats and floor. Next, tackle the back seat and then the way back, trunk or truck bed, depending on the vehicle. Don’t forget all the nooks and crannies like pockets behind the seats, overhead storage, etc. 

Finish one section at a time using the following process: 

  • Pull everything out and place it on the card table. 

  • Sort through each item that you removed. 

  • Discard anything you no longer need. Items that will be returned to the car stay on the table. 

  • Distribute other items to the house, trash or donation bin. 

  • Vacuum, dust and wipe the spaces while it’s empty. 

  • Place everything back in a tidy way that makes sense to you, meaning it is in the place that you will look for it when you need it. 

  • Give each item a quick wipe with a damp dust cloth as you return it to its designated space.

ESSENTIALS

Make sure your registration and insurance cards are up to date and easily accessible. They should be protected in a folder or envelope and be within reach of the driver in case you need to demonstrate compliance. 

Other useful items to keep in your glove box, console or rear storage include:

  • Road service account information/emergency contact

  • Registration and insurance cards

  • Car manual

  • Jumper cables or portable jump starter

  • First aid kit

  • Hand sanitizers and masks

  • Napkins, wet wipes

  • Umbrella

  • Sunglasses

  • Blanket

  • Gloves

  • Pen and paper

  • Chargers

  • Lint brush and sundries such as suntan lotion, hair clips, hat

  • Reusable bags 

  • Water or snacks in case of breakdown, or extended traffic delay.

  • Trunk organizer

If you work from your vehicle, transport children or spend a lot of time in and out of your car, these tips and processes will keep your vehicle and your day in order. 

  • Do not store anything important or valuable in the side doors! 

  • Your trunk or cargo space is where the bulk of your possessions should be remembering that anything not secured in the passenger area could cause an injury or worse. 

  • Consider a divided storage container in the trunk to keep necessities, reusable bags, children’s items, purchases, returns, etc.

KEEPING IT THAT WAY

We understand the challenge of keeping a tidy vehicle. As organizers, we store a lot of supplies in our cars so we need to keep it, well…organized! Staying organized is much more about behavior than about stuff. Here are some tips:

  • Incorporate regular vehicle cleaning times into your monthly schedule 

  • Have a place for everything and always put things away

  • When filling the tank, discard trash while at the pump.

  • For passengers, require that anything brought into the car should be removed when they leave. 

  • When returning home, always bring everything into the house, even if it requires multiple trips.

AESTHETICS 

Exterior maintenance is also important to protect the finish and maintain good visibility through your windshield and headlights. Schedule a time to wash and wax your car regularly. Clean and shine the interior hard surfaces. If you can afford to have someone detail your automobile, even better! This will also help to retain the resale value of your vehicle.

Our vehicles are often extensions of ourselves. Transportation is an important part of our lives and an organized ride is part of an organized lifestyle!