Tips to Keep Your Car Organized

It’s no secret that cars get messy. It’s especially true if you have kids or pets or are always on the go! However, you likely try your best to keep things clean amidst your busy life, which is probably why you’re here reading this guide.

Whether you have a new year’s resolution of keeping your car cleaner than last, added your car to this year’s spring cleaning to-do list, or discovered the KonMari Method of tidying and you can’t stop, Christian Brothers Automotive is here with five things you can do to get your car organized, and we hope it will spark some joy in your life in the process! After all, we are all about Driving Joy.

1. Take Everything Out of Your Car

To do things right, you’ll want to start by removing everything from your car – and we mean everything! Everything needs to come out, from change to hand sanitizer to makeup to earbuds.

This gives you two things:

1. A chance to clean the inside of your car without having to work around items.
2. A chance to consider if certain items should be taken inside, put back in your car, or removed from your life completely.

If any items don’t belong in your car, you’ll want to save yourself the time and take them inside (just make sure you find them a good home, though).

2. Separate Joy from What Can Go

A lot can be learned from the KonMari Method. One of the most popular rules from the method includes: “Rule Six: Ask Yourself If It Sparks Joy.” This is great when looking at everything you pulled out of your car.

With each item, we recommend the following:

• Look at your item – whether it’s a CD or just a box of tissues – and ask yourself, “Does this spark joy in my life?” If it does, great! Go ahead and set it to the side in a KEEP pile.
• If it doesn’t, and you could honestly live without it, place it in your GET RID OF pile.

After sorting your items, you’ll want to go through your GET RID OF pile and see what items can be donated and what should be tossed. It can be hard letting go of frivolous items, but it’s well worth it – because a clean car will positively impact your mental health!

3. Deep Clean Your Car

Once all of your items are taken out, you’ll want to give your car a deep clean. You can take your car someplace to be professionally detailed, but there are a few things you can do at home to freshen things up and save some money:

• Start at the top by wiping down your air vents, dashboard, steering wheel, controls, and other interior areas. You’ll notice a lot of dust when you look closely!
• Prime the upholstery for cleaning by using a brush to agitate the fibers of the carpet, seats, and more.
• Vacuum the upholstery starting with the headrests and seats, followed by the floor mats and the flooring. Slide the seats forward to get into every nook and cranny.
• Treat any stains throughout the cabin with a spot treatment product and perform any other deep cleaning with hot water, light detergent, and a clean rag. A carpet cleaner may also be used.
• Remove smudges, streaks, and smears from your windows using a glass cleaner and microfiber cloth.
• Finish with another wipe-down of the entire interior, starting at the top. You can use specialty interior cleaning wipes on your car’s hard surfaces to make things look like new.

4. Make Sure Everything Fits into Place

To keep your car organized beyond your cleaning spree, you’ll want to ensure that everything has a designated spot. Throwing the pile of papers back into the glove box or shifting around your change won’t do much to spark joy, and you might even end up feeling like you didn’t make any progress.

Consider these organizational tips for your most essential items:

• A shoe holder can be attached to the headrest to hold children’s toys and activities
• Use pouches or a small plastic organizer to keep your center console tidy
• Purchase an accordion file system to label and sort your important glove box documents
• Keep a laundry basket in the trunk to keep items from rolling around and make it easier to take items in, reducing the chance of leaving them in the car
• Silicone cupcake liners fit perfectly into cup holders to keep things less sticky

Having a place for everything helps you know where to find it when you need it, making traveling much easier! Say goodbye to scrounging around in your center console!

5. Add Car Cleaning to Your Normal Routine

As with anything in life, the deep clean won’t last forever. Soon enough, you’ll notice dirt and dust manifesting themselves yet again. Adding car cleaning to your monthly or even weekly chore list can make a huge difference. Plus, since the deep clean is already done, follow-up cleaning won’t take half as long! And, the more consistently you clean, the less you’ll see clutter, which actually does reduce anxiety and tension.

number one in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power for the third time in a row!

And remember, cleaning doesn’t have to be a chore: Grab a tasty beverage, blast some music, put on a podcast, whatever – make it fun! Here are some other tips for keeping your car clean:

• Consider a no-food policy
• Adopt a “what’s packed in must be packed out” mindset
• Install seat covers to protect from wear, tear, and dirt
• Use blankets or other protective gear to manage pet hair build-up
• Use a small container or trash bag for a car trash can and empty it regularly

Whatever you do, don’t neglect your car’s interior! It may seem like a tough job at first, but by taking things slowly, giving yourself grace, and following the simple tips we outlined above, we’re confident you can make things shine!

About Christian Brothers Automotive

At Christian Brothers Automotive, we're all about Driving (or sparking) Joy. We provide drivers like you with the repairs and maintenance they need to ensure their cars perform as well as they look and feel. From our Nice Difference Warranty to our wide range of automotive services offered, there’s no wonder why we’ve been rated number one in customer satisfaction by J.D. Power for the fourth time in a row!