New Year’s Clean Up: Tackle Your Vehicle
January 19, 2015
Is your vehicle a disaster? Do you have piles of flyers and mail in your backseat? Perhaps your children left juice boxes or empty snack packs in the cupholders? Are you embarrassed to let an “outsider” climb into your passenger seat? If so, it might be a great time to tackle the mess that has infiltrated your vehicle. Here are some suggestions for taming the mess:
Have a Mail Bin
Gone are the Leave it to Beaver days when we could just open our front door and grab our mail without even stepping foot onto our porch. Instead, many of us have to walk down to a communal mailbox and retrieve our items. As a result, we tend to check the mail as we enter or exit our vehicles. Rather than have loose mail floating around, buy a small bag or clear plastic bin to put it in. That way, the mail is kept from being stuck under someone’s muddy boots and it’s easy to carry it all into the house for sorting.
Contain Your Bags
It’s becoming more and more popular for people to use their own bags at the grocery store. The only problem is that they can look pretty messy in the trunk of your car. Get in the habit of folding them after each use and putting them in a designated bin in your car. They will be easy to find and transport when you need them!
Be Ready for Clean Up!
Spills happen and, just like anything else, it’s easy to address a fresh mess in your vehicle than to try to go back and clean it up later. Have a small kit with a garbage bag, latex gloves (if desired!) and wipes to tidy up in a pinch. Also, make sure you have the supplies that you need to clean ice or snow off of your vehicle in inclement weather.
Be Entertained
While many people enjoy the simplicity of digital music since it saves space, you may prefer to have CDs in your vehicle. Use a CD holder attached to your visor for the most streamline storage and, if you use DVDs for in-car entertainment, you can store those similarly. If you have small children and like having something for them to do on long rides, store crayons and paper in an old travel-sized baby wipe container. It doesn’t take up a lot of space and could save everyone’s sanity!
Manage Important Documents
There are some important documents, such as your registration, owner’s manual and insurance, kept in your vehicle. You may also want to keep track of your last oil change or repair bills. Invest in a small file folder to keep these organized and in one place so that they never get lost or damaged.
We spend so much time in our vehicles these days that we end up bringing our indoor clutter into our outdoor life. With a little organization and planning, we can eliminate the mess and focus on the road.
