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Easy Tips to Keep Your Car Organized and Clutter-Free

I love when there’s a place for everything, and my surroundings look and feel orderly. My house is usually in pretty decent shape. There are Magnatiles and cars in our family room, but the toys are all stored in pretty baskets. It works. The kitchen is a drop zone for anything and everything, and needs to be cleaned up at least 2-3 times a day. I haven’t quite figured that one out yet, but try to stay on top of it. But I’ve always managed to have a clean car, even with 3 kids. If you want to finally figure out how to keep your car organized, I have a great system, and want to share some easy car organization tips with you.

Easy Tips to Keep Your Car Organized and Clutter-Free

There are few things better than a good organization system and feeling like I’m prepared for anything. And I love a tidy car. From a mini trash can and trash bags for car trash to a first aid kit and emergency supplies, I like to always be prepared. And it’s so nice when there’s a designated spot for everything. I always have a travel stroller and picnic blanket, and all the diaper bag essentials when I need them. And I don’t go anywhere without a first aid kit, because you just never know. The driving experience is so much nicer when you’re driving around in a clean and organized car. Here are my favorite ways to keep my car clean and organized.

Declutter Your Car

The most important part of car organization is reducing the amount of stuff you keep inside the car. Taking everything out of your car at the end of each day is the only way to keep your car clean and organized. My kids bring water bottles in the car daily, so we always empty cup holders, bags, and any trash that might be left in the car. They know that it’s ok to bring a few special toys with them, but that they can’t leave them inside the car. Your car interior stays a lot cleaner when you don’t let the stuff pile up.

The only sport we really play is tennis, and we keep our sports equipment in the garage.

Use Car Organizers

Invest in car organizers to keep toys, baby gear, wipes, and other necessities organized. I have one in the back seat next to my girls’ car seats. It holds all the toys and tiny things that they might want to play with, or want while we’re on the go. I keep one more on the floor behind the driver’s seat, and use it to store extra wipes, tissues, diapers, a baby carrier, and my toddler’s toys. It’s water-resistant and great for emergency supplies, toys, and daily essentials. These are a great way to keep loose items organized. I prefer floor organizers to seat organizers that hang on the back of a seat. Those feel a little too cluttered for me.

Keep important documents like your vehicle registration and insurance card in the glove box, and anything you might need easy access to in the center console. There, I like to keep a small box of essential items, personal items, and emergency items I might need, like hand sanitizer, scissors, and headache medicine. I don’t like anything in my cup holders, so I keep a regular tissue box in the center console instead of a round tissue canister in a cup holder.

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All the toys I take on the go.

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Invest in All-Weather Floor Mats

All-weather floor mats are easy to clean and provide excellent protection for your car’s carpet. I strongly prefer these over carpet since they’re a lot more durable, and are ideal for spills and messes. Whether you live near the beach or the mountains, they are a lot more durable against the elements. I do have a small car vacuum cleaner, but found it’s easier to bring my full-size vacuum with a smaller handheld vacuum attachment to vacuum the car once a month.

Establish a Cleaning Routine

I like to vacuum the car every few weeks. I’ll take the rubber mats out, shake them out, vacuum underneath, and wipe the mats down. At the beginning of each month, I like to check our tissues, wipes, and other stocked items to make sure we have everything we need. Wipe around your child’s car seat once a month, too.

Having cleaning supplies readily available in your car makes it easier to clean up spills and messes. I recommend keeping microfiber cloths, cleaning wipes, baby wipes, and trash bags in your car at all times. Wipe down your dash with a microfiber cloth once a month, and keep wipes on hand to wipe down leather seats.

And I do take my car to the car wash, but it’s so expensive to detail the interior, so I’ve found that it’s better to stay on top of things, so it doesn’t need as much work.

My Favorite Products for an Organized Car

Calpak

Car Organizer

This car organizer has 3 main compartments that are each individually collapsible, so it can be as large or small as you need it to be, and they have handles for easy transportation. It's the perfect backseat organizer and fits on the floor behind the driver or passenger seat.

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