Our cars are becoming like second homes to us. We spend hours in them, driving, talking, playing, enjoying the outside view, eating, reading, and listening to music. But amongst our busy lives, we find it difficult to keep our cars organized and clean. Needless to say, junk continues to accumulate in the car until we finally decide to spend one day to clean it, and then the cycle begins again. But if you follow these easy steps below you won't have to dread the day that you have to clean out the piles of junk that have accumulated over time.
First step: Clean and Empty Out
- Remove EVERYTHING out of the car. Throw away garbage and put everything that you don't use or did not need to be in the car aside.
- Use a mixture of water and Baking Soda to clean any spots from the seats.
- Vaccum: I use a Small vacuum like this one
. Use the thin attachment to clean between and underneath the seats. For a small vacuum, it does wonders.
Second step: Organize your Mommy Car
Trunk:
I bought a big box from Ikea for about $7 to store what I need for the girls. My friend recommended it to me and it works great. It's big enough for the trunk and has a zipper to keep everything tidy. I suggest to put umbrellas, a bag or backpack for each child with extra clothes, toys, books, coloring books and crayons, snacks, and water. Here is what I have in mine:
- A backpack for my four year old: it has a ziploc bag for extra clothes, books, crayons and small coloring books, and a bottle of water.
- Two baby bags: One that I take with me instead of a diaper bag (I don't like diaper bags, I just think they are too big and heavy to be carrying around all the time, don't you think ?) It has a changing mat, extra sheet, big ziploc bag that contains diapers and wipes, baby food, baby spoon, nursing cover and small toys. The other bag contains a blanket and a Ziploc bag with extra changing clothes.
Glove compartment:
- Car Manual
- Insurance and Car registration Information
- Phone Charger
- CD organizer: I have the Visor Organizer but I keep it in my glove compartment instead of the visor.
- Map
- Small Flashlight
Center Console:
- Small brush and hair ties for my girls in a small ziploc bag
- Change (quarters) in a small ziploc bag
- Bug Spray
- Sunscreen spray and baby sunblock
- Lipstick and lip balm in a small bag
- BandAids or a small first-aid kit
- Notepad and pens
- Sunglasses
- Kleenex
Side compartment:
I keep the side compartments empty except for some coupons sometimes and napkins.
Underneath The Seats: Two boxes under each seat
- Snack Box: I keep baby Snacks like baby Mum Mum
and kids snacks and juices in this handy box. You never know when you need them. You can use the right size tupperware or something similar, but just make sure it seals tightly.
- Busy Box: I put some coloring books, small books, small toys, and crayons in a small ziploc bag.
Last Step: Keeping your car clean
Garbage Bag Tip
There is no reason for the garbage to end up on the floors, on the seats, are elsewhere in the car. Garbage goes in the garbage. This is another great way to reusing your grocery bags. Keep one to several grocery bags in your car that you can use for the garbage. When you get home, tie and toss and have another one handy for your next outing. I bought the Froggie bag at the dollar section of Target. I lined it with a grocery bag and kept it in the back so that my girl knows where to throw the garbage.
Extra tip: Every time you get home, make sure that you remove anything that does not belong in the car.
OrgJunkie
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