9 Simple Car Organization Tips Anyone Can Do

Keeping a car clean when you have kids is nearly impossible! I struggled for years to keep my car clean and I have learned a few things through the years that have really helped. It is by no means even close to as perfect as my pictures look – it only lasts for a few days after I clean it. But my tips work! They make great strides in keeping my car clean and I can absolutely see a difference when I am following my own advice. Here are some of my very best car organization tips!

Want more ideas? Check out my post for ideas of How to Personalize Your Car, Mess-Free Road Trip Snack Ideas, and Mess-Free Road Trip Activities.

I grew up with a Dad who was very particular with his cars. I was trained from a very young age not to touch or lean up against the car (no writing ‘Clean Me!’ on the paint!), and I definitely have many memories of my Dad washing and waxing the cars.

When I was 16 I got my own car. In order to keep my car clean, we even went to the extent of buying new black towels to cover the car mats so they didn’t get ruined. Which, really is a genius idea if you think about it – you can just throw the towels in the wash when they get dirty! So to say that keeping my car clean is important to me is an understatement. I have waxed and waned in my intensity but I have always tried to make an effort to take care of my cars.

Products I use:

Sometimes having a few organizing supplies in your car can make an incredible difference. If you have an effective system in place, things stay organized so much longer!

Clean it Weekly

This is the exact same tip that I gave about cleaning the fridge in my earlier post but if you can clean it every week, it will be so much easier to maintain. I know it sounds impossible, but if you make time to do a DEEP clean once, and then it will only take you 10-15 minutes to clean it every week after that (including vacuuming!).

We used to have a membership to our local car wash so I got in the habit of washing and vacuuming out my car every Wednesday when I was out running errands or getting groceries. This made it SO much easier and it just became a part of my routine!

If you can create that habit then it is significantly easier to keep it clean because you only have 1 weeks worth of crumbs, not 12 weeks worth. One reason people hate cleaning the car so bad is that it is such a big job, but if you take an open Saturday and do a deep clean and commit to yourself to clean it weekly, you will be amazed at the difference.

Organizing the Center Console

Organizing the car is just as big of a hassle. But one thing I have discovered is that less is more. This is more difficult to do when you have teeny kids but my youngest is 4 now and I can already see a huge difference in the amount of stuff that we need to keep in the car.

This is my favorite way that I have found to organize the area between the 2 seats. I found this clear acrylic organizer at Dollar Tree! It fits all of my things perfectly and it actually stays looking this nice, all of the time and it is so easy to find things.

Another way you could organize your center console is through pouches. It will take a bit more effort to remember what is in each pouch, but this is another great way to help keep things organized.

No Food Policy – Most of the Time

I do have a No Food policy in my car but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. So I keep a small container of semi-healthy snacks that my kids can grab if they are on the run. I try to keep the snacks as mess-free as possible.

Granola Bars are particularly great for snacks to keep in the car. They can be kept in the car for a long time and still stay fresh. I also like how they have fewer crumbs than something like goldfish crackers or similar snacks. I keep this Sterilite container under the front passenger seat so my kids don’t see it and want to eat every time we get in the car, but it’s easily accessible when I need it.

Pack Out what you Pack In

You can see here that I really do make an effort to keep as little as possible in the car as I can. The kids always bring their junk in the car or leave their sports equipment in the back seat but I am slowly trying to teach them to pack out what they pack in.

I try to remind them that they need to take everything out of the car that is theirs when we get out of the car. Particularly on a long car ride or after practices. I’m not sure why my kids all feel the need to take off their shoes when they get into the car, but we’re working on that.

Car Organization Tips for the Glove Box

Organizing the glove box is really simple. All you need to do is buy a small accordion file and label each of the sections. That way, the next time you get pulled over, you can easily hand over your license and registration….because you know right where it is! 😉

I also purchased these awesome rainbow bags to keep loose items from making a huge mess. I use these bags for things such as mints and gum, charging cords, tampons, gift cards, and coupons, etc. This looks so beautiful inside the glove box and it really helps to cut down on the clutter.

Emergency Supplies in the Trunk

Because my son plays sports during the warm months, I always keep 2 folding chairs in the back of the car. I also have an awesome black crate that I purchase at Costco about a year ago that I keep some emergency supplies in.

Here’s what I store in our crate:

• Waterproof Picnic Blanket
• Emergency Roadside Kit
• First Aid Kit
• Water Bottles
• Emergency Supplies we may need if the car breaks down
• Packable, down blankets that have come in handy more times than I can count

Making your Car Smell Nice

Your car can be the cleanest car in the world, but if it stinks, nobody will notice how clean it is. Smell is so important! That’s why I make an extra special effort to make sure that my car smells nice and fresh. There are so many different kinds of car fresheners on the market today but I feel like I have tried most of them!

My favorite fresheners are the Bath and Body Works fresheners. My next favorite are the Yankee Candle fresheners. Here are a few of my other favorites:

Buy Short Containers for Under the Seats

Have small containers that will fit under your seats to help you contain all of the necessities that you keep in the car. For example, have a container with emergency diapers and wipes if you have a baby, etc.

Here are some other ideas of things you could store under the seat in your car:

• Diapers
• Wipes
• Ziploc bags
• Umbrella
• Snacks
• Car-sick bags
• Important Car documents
• Tissues
• Tire Pressure Gauge
• Car chargers

Make It a Family Affair

My last piece of advice for maintain a clean and organized car is to get everyone in the family involved. If you have kids, this can be a really great chore for the m to do. Cleaning out the car is one of the chores that at least one of my kids does each week. I typically don’t make them vacuum out the car at this age, but I do have them empty out all of the garbage, toys, shoes and sports equipment that inevitably gets left in there.

So here’s a recap of my tips and tricks to keep your car clean:

1. No food allowed in the car (that prevents 75% of the mess!)
2. Clean your car out weekly (vacuum, wipe the dash and windows)
3. Do a quarterly deep clean
4. Less is more – try to take everything out of the car that is not a necessity
5. Have some sort of air freshener so it stays smelling nice
6. Have containers to keep loose items corralled so they aren’t rolling all around the car.
7. Make it a family affair – ask for help from a family member or assign it out as a chore for your kids
8. Create a system for the Center Console
9. Create a system for the Glove Box

Thanks for reading and check out my other related posts:

• 15 Screen-free, Mess-free Activities for the Car!
• Healthy Road Trip Snacks for your next Road Trip
• Bling out your car to fit your personality!