OPTED Magazine

This past weekend, I embarked on a scary, yet fulfilling, decluttering and organization project: the cleaning out of my car.  It was a several hour affair but has made a world of difference for my sanity, and it will for yours too.

Before I started, I imagined my 9 year old car and my vision for what I wished it to be.  It smelled fresh, was free of junk and made my driving experience an enjoyable one.  The state of my car before I started was anything but ideal (I had contents in my trunk dating back over 5 years ago!)

After an afternoon of clearing out, cleaning and washing the outside of the car in the sun, I felt fulfilled and content with the results of my project and am ready to share 3 tips to help you on your own endeavour.

Step #1: Empty, purge and sort

The easiest way to approach this is to remove everything from your car, and that means everything — down to the last scrap of paper or stray leaf on the floorboards.  As you remove the items, put trash in one bag, items to return to the house in a portable box and keep a pile for everything that needs to go back in.  Then truly clean your car — use glass cleaner on the inside of the windows, scrub the cup holders and vacuum out the dust and dirt.  Aim for pre-purchase conditions here!

Step #2: Deploy the “zone system”

Most cars have 5 major zones where items collect and where you can improve your organization.  I looked over my “goes back into the car” pile and I realized there are 13 things that actually belonged in the car, which should serve as a comprehensive list for you to use to limit what goes back inside the vehicle.  All these items were put into the 5 zones maintaining an organized space:

• Glove compartment: envelope with insurance and car documentation,  tire gauge
• Console: Ziploc bag of spare change for parking/tolls, pen/paper, flashlight, tissues
• Front seat section: flat CD wallet strapped to the visor, sunglasses tucked inside; map in the door pocket
• Backseat: umbrella, trash bag strapped to the back of the seat
• Trunk: “winter weather box” with an ice scraper and tire chains, blanket

Step #3: Your motivation

If you’re not convinced about the need for this organization project, consider a couple things.  First, imagine all the times when you’ve avoided giving a friend a lift or sidestepped using your vehicle as the car that transports clients to a business lunch, all because of the state of the inside of your car.  Oh, the excuses…

And if that isn’t motivation enough, consider your wallet.  Did you know that the extra weight in your car is costing you more at the pump?!  University of Illinois researcher Sheldon Jacobson explains:

“If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption.”

With gas prices as high as they are, this was a kick in the butt for me to take on this project!

For many, a car is a second home considering that commuting times are so long and many jobs require frequent travel.  We eat meals, make phone calls and shuttle ourselves all over the city in our vehicles.  On a lighter note, a car is not a storage vessel — it’s a work of art, our baby, our play toy and doesn’t deserve the conditions of a college dorm room!

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