Your car is your moving home which needs just as much attention as you’d give to your bedroom. And if your car gets driven by many of your family members, it’s likely to collect mess way faster than you think. It’s where you unknowingly keep those gas station receipts, takeout menus, coins, glasses, water bottle, food bills, keys, cell phone charger and a lot more stuff. And before you can realize, it’s cluttered with items that don’t even belong there.
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I have used my car as a storage unit for a really long time, and it never really occurred to me that it’s just as important a place to declutter as any other corner of my home. I remember how I used to dump shopping bags and donation boxes inside the car trunk and wouldn’t even care to deal with them for days. The fact that the car is not a part of my home doesn’t make it any less valuable because it’s still a motor home that makes my life easy.
If you have all sorts of stuff sitting inside the seat pockets, glove compartment and trunk of your car, maybe it’s time for you to expand the scope of your decluttering efforts. And if you’re worried about the fact that you don’t have the time to keep your car clutter-free, know that it won’t take more than a few minutes but will reap long-term benefits that will make you happy.
Here’s some daily habits that you must incorporate to cut the clutter in your car:
1. Clear Out The Garbage Daily
Make it a habit to clear out the garbage in your car immediately after parking it in the garage. Look for any take-out bills, wrappers or tissues in the door pockets and seat pockets. Check the glove compartment, car trunk and under the seats to see if you find anything that doesn’t belong in your car.
Many people have the habit of putting the gas station/takeout bills in the glove compartment or the door pocket and they don’t even realize it until the clutter gets out of control. Look for empty coffee glasses or wooden cutlery that you might have stuffed in the cup holders.
Making time to declutter your car once in a while can be difficult which is why it always helps to keep clearing out the clutter on a daily basis.
2. Take The Household Items Inside The House
Now that you’ve gotten rid of the garbage in your car, it’s time to clear it of anything that doesn’t belong there. Take the grocery bags or any items that you’ve recently shopped inside your home. It’s common for many people to leave shopping bags in the car trunk for days, or even weeks. Remember that your car isn’t a storage unit and it shouldn’t be used to keep anything that won’t be needed while driving.
3. Organize What Belongs In The Car Daily
Now that you’ve cleared your car of the items that don’t belong there, it’s time to organize what remains. Try not to keep anything in your glove compartment apart from your driving license, a pen, a notebook and a tissue box. The Registration certificate and other documents related to your vehicle can also be kept in the glove compartment if required.
4. Wipe It Up
The interior of your car is prone to attract dust way quicker than you can imagine. Make sure that you keep a pack of some good-quality car wipes inside your car and use it to clean the steering wheel, armrests, dashboard or any other dusty surface on a regular basis. If you don’t want to invest in wipes, a simple cleaning rag from your house would work just as good.
5. Clear Out Visual Clutter
If you have kids who spill or stain your car with food items, make it a habit to treat these stains daily. The mats are also prone to get dirty with muddy shoes or wet umbrellas if it gets rainy. You can use a carpet cleaner to treat the stains before wiping them out with a microfiber cloth or cleaning rag. Look for any stains on the seats, doors and pockets, and wipe them up using a good-quality disinfectant.
Having too many cords and cables in your car can also make it look overly cluttered. Try not to have anything more than a car charger in the glove compartment of your car.
6. Get Creative With Organizing
Use a backseat organizer in your car to organize kids’ toys, games, mugs, water bottles, books or anything else that your kids might need while travelling.
You might also need to get a small decorative jar to keep loose change which comes in handy while paying at gas stations or toll plazas or while ordering takeout food. This jar can either be kept in the cup holder or the centre console of your car.
Apart from the above items, make sure that you get a magnetic phone holder for your car if you regularly need help with navigation. Also, use a good-quality smell diffuser to keep your car smelling good all the time.
7. Clean Car Mats At Least Once A Week
Now this may not be something that you need to do daily, but make sure that you take time to clean the car mats at least once a week to keep your car free of allergens.
All you have to do is take the mats out, shake them off of dust and vacuum before slipping them back inside. Many people like to wash their car mats instead of cleaning them, which is okay if the instruction manual suggests so. You can also vacuum the area underneath the mats, if needed.
Now that you know how easy it is to keep your car clutter-free, I hope you don’t find yourself stuck when you find it stuffed with clutter. It only takes a bit of intent and a strong shift in mindset to think of your car as a place that is as important as your home.