How to Organize your Automobile and Recognize it Again!

Entry #383,  January 12, 2011

Let me start off this post by saying… on most days, I am a pretty organized person. When it comes to my automobile, where I have to share it with two teenagers, and a five year-old, the line between organized, and “I don’t care anymore’ is a very narrow line!

As we continue organization month, I thought of my own automobile and how organization is surely needed! This article from About.com on how to organize your automobile is perfect! Hey, once you organize your car… don’t forget the garage!

Glove Compartment:

Since our glove compartment is always closed, it is tempting to throw a bunch of items in there until it accumulates into a big old mess. Not only does this mess make it difficult to close your glove compartment without applying excessive force, it also makes it difficult to locate important vehicle documents such as your insurance and registration.

Begin by removing all the contents of your glove compartment. Throw away or relocate (outside of your auto) any items that you don’t utilize on a regular basis. Simplify this space with functional items:

• Automobile owner’s manual – this contains your auto information, insurance and registration.
• A small first aid kit – you will be glad you have this in emergency situations.
• Cell phone charger – in case of an emergency, you always want your cell phone to be charged.
• Flashlight – this will come in handy if your car battery dies.
• Napkins or paper towel – helpful for spills or cleanups.

Center Console:

The center console in my car happens to be pretty small which at first, I was disappointed, because I would have preferred more storage space. However, two years later after successfully utilizing the space with a minimal amount of functional items, I can’t imagine what I would do with more space. The key to occupying this space is to keep it simple and functional:

• A small notepad
• A workable pen – I stress workable to save you the aggravation of it not working when you need to use it.
• Kleenex – You can never be too prepared for the sniffles.
• A little container – I use this for hair elastics and extra band-aids, little items that I need readily available.

Side Compartments:

There is one thing you can do to guarantee that your side storage compartments remain clutter free – keep them relatively empty! On the driver’s side I have a mini garbage attached to the compartment, and on the passenger’s seat I have an umbrella inside the compartment. Some form of a garbage can or container is required to prevent you from using the side storage as a garbage can. Although an umbrella is used infrequently in Arizona, I still like to be prepared. Keeping these compartments fairly empty will provide space for temporary storage such as retrieving or delivering mail or work documents for example.

Trunk:

The trunk can easily resemble a junk drawer if you don’t maintain some type of organization. To help you keep things in order, I recommend investing in storage containers to hold your trunk necessities, secure your groceries, shopping bags or sports equipment.

For more home organization ideas on Stagetecture, click here.