With the summer holidays well and truly upon us, it’s important to keep your car clutter-free and tidy with the prospect of those long drives in mind. It’s also much safer to secure small items in your car. Keeping necessities organised and within easy reach not only looks neat, it helps driver concentration.
Organising your car and keeping it tidy can be really quick and simple. Here at Cargiant we’ve pulled some helpful hints and tips together to help keep your car clutter-free.
Before you begin to organize your car, there are 3 important steps to cover:
1. Separate out the useful or valuable from the rubbish!
It’s stating the obvious but you really can’t start to get your car in shape without getting rid of the rubbish first. We recommend three bags, one for recycling, one for general waste that can’t be recycled and one for those of you that have foodstuffs lurking in your car.
2. Empty your car and organise your car essentials
Once you have identified all of those items that are useful and shouldn’t be thrown away, make a decision on which ones belong in your car and which ones should go back in your home, garage or shed. Keep only the essentials.
3. Clean and polish and make it smell new again!
Once you have taken everything out of your car take it to a valet service or give it a thoroughly good clean yourself. From the dashboard and the upholstery to the trim and the boot, wipe, brush, hoover and polish for that new car feel. There are plenty of air fresheners on the market that can help you recreate that unmistakable new car smell.
Now you’re ready to organise your car
Whether you are heading out for a long drive on vacation or just want to organise your everyday car-life there are lots of ways to help you keep your car clutter-free and organised.
Organising the glove compartment
Your glove box can become something of a dumping ground given that it’s in easy reach to hide detritus out of site. Make it work harder by firstly identifying which items from your useful selection (from step 2 above) need to be stored based on easy access and fit.
Use A5 popper wallets to group and file essential paperwork together. Small items such as cords and power adaptors can be stored neatly in a compact make-up bags or pencil cases. They will hold the items securely and also mould into the unique shape of the glove box.
Visor organisers
Sun visors provide an easily accessible space that can be optimised to keep the car tidy and ensure useful items are within easy reach. A range of suitable products exist which can be used to store driving glasses and sunglasses, car-park punch cards, membership cards and parking stubs.
Central console
A desktop organiser can convert the space between the seats into a spot for small necessities. You can also secure an emergency window smasher/seatbelt cutter into the console lid with a hook-and-loop for easy access in an emergency.
Organising your car door pockets
Another area of your car which is handy and can become messy is the door pocket. These can also be organised effectively with A5 popper wallets or a range of tidy removable wallets custom-designed to fit into the pockets exist and are ideal for storing pens, tire gauges and maps for quick reference.
Organising your car for children
A great idea which helps to ensure that your kids have everything they need on a long journey is the backseat organiser. There is a wide selection of styles available that share the common feature of simply securing to the back of the driver or passenger seat of your car. They have several compartments for storage of drinks, toys and snacks and will offer protection to the back of car seat.
Organising your car boot
Keep the boot of your car organised to maintain the necessary space for all of your luggage and shopping. Car boot organisers are an ideal way to keep all of your loose items together. There are a wide variety of options on the market that include shoulder straps for easy carrying and manoeuvrability allowing them to be used as shopping bags when out and about.
According to the AA, one in three motorists encounters a roadside breakdown or some other incident that prevents normal vehicle operation such as a dead battery, mechanical problems or a flat tire. Such incidents can occur away from home and the more remote an area the more the contents of a car emergency kit will come in handy and keep you safe until help arrives.
There are a number of pre-packaged car emergency kits on the market ranging in price from £10 to £50. Typing "roadside emergency kit" into a search engine will reveal a wide array of retail kits.
You can save some money by assembling your own car emergency kit boxed in your boot. Even if you purchase a pre-packaged kit, you will probably want to beef it up with some additional items. There are some must-have items for every car emergency kit; a spare charged mobile phone is ideal. Take a first-aid kit with an assortment of band-aids, adhesive tape, gauze pads, aspirin, antiseptic wipes, antiseptic cream or ointment, and anything particular to you or your family.
You might even want to include a fire extinguisher suitable for combustible liquids, such as gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene and energized electrical equipment such as switches, panel boxes and batteries. The AA also recommend three reflective warning triangles so that you can place them 50 feet apart to warn oncoming traffic.
Whether you are going on a long road trip or generally decluttering you in-car life we hope you will find this tips handy for keeping your car clutter-free and improving your driving experience.