How to Declutter Your Car

TIPS OF THE WEEK

If your car is disappearing under family clutter, here’s how to sort through it.

Whether it’s school runs or family days out, you may find the cleanliness of your car has reached new lows post-half-term. We’ve put together a guide to sorting through the mess and ways you can prevent future clutter!

1. Clearing out your car

First things first, clear out all rubbish. Start from the front and work your way to the back, including under the seats. Organise items into those that are to stay in the car, those that belong in the house or garage and what you’re going to throw away.

2. Wipe upClean the dashboard, armrests and steering wheel with wipes. Halfords Car Dashboard Wipes come in packs of 24 and are ideal for storing in the car, but you don’t need a speciality product, as regular baby wipes are equally effective.

3. Cleaning car mats

Remove, shake out and vacuum the floor mats. Treat spills and stains with a carpet cleaner – Simoniz Upholstery & Carpet Cleaner is simple to apply, and you just wipe it away with a damp cloth. Before you slip the mats back in, try sprinkling with baking soda overnight and vacuuming the next morning, as this will get rid of any lingering odours.

4. Cleaning door pockets

Transform the door pockets from a space for empty wrappers and plastic bottles to a useful one. Fill an empty cleaning-wipes tube with plastic shopping bags for rubbish, wet umbrellas or muddy shoes and store it in the door pocket.

5. Cleaning glove compartment

Your glove compartment should contain essential items, such as insurance and registration documents, and roadside assistance information. A pen and a small notepad are also handy additions.

6. Visor

An organiser attached over the passenger-side or driver’s side visor means you can store sunglasses, a phone or receipts easily. Amazon and Ebay stock a wide range.

7. Cup holders

To avoid cup holders becoming sticky, pop in a couple of silicone cupcake liners to keep them clean. Lakeland does a variety of sizes and colours. Keep loose change in a small empty jar and store it in your centre console.

8. Back seats

Toys, food wrappers, and items of clothing can all add to the clutter in the rear of the car, so utilise the back of the front seat for a hanging organiser to store books, games or whatever else your little ones need in the car. The Diono Stow N Go Backseat Organiser comes with seven full-sized pockets and two drink holders in a washable, waterproof fabric. You can also make use of a shoe organiser, as the pockets are the ideal fit for toys or snacks.

9. Car boot

We all have things that we shove in the boot, only to leave them there for months on end. Sorting through and removing these items will save a Tetris game later when you actually need to fit something in there.

The boot is also a handy storage space for essentials such as a first aid kit. A boot organiser is worth investing in for those ‘just in case’ items.

(Source: Goodhousekeeping)