The following post is from Becky of Organizing Made Fun: Five Ways to Keep Your Car Organized During the Summer Months
If you struggle with having your kids with you all the time and driving from place to place, swim lesson to swim lesson, activity to activity, and all the while trying to keep your car organized and clean, here are a few ways to keep it up without knocking yourself out. Here are five ways to keep your car organized this summer.
Table of Contents
1. Have the right tools.
Have a large cardboard box, tray, or bag in the back of the car that can hold the absolute necessities.
This box or tray should be able to be moved around or taken out quickly. Everything inside of it is necessary and contained. Some necessities might include a first aid kit, change of clothing/diaper {for toddler or baby}, a couple of emergency bottles of water, tissue or paper towels or some sort of wipes, an umbrella, and shopping bags.
2. Trash cans.
It seems obvious, but having a trash can within reach in the front seats and in the back passenger seats will help eliminate the excuses for leaving trash lying around. Be sure to empty them whenever you fill up for gas or get the car washed. If it fills up too fast, assign that job to a different child to empty every other time you’re in the car.
3. Set up.
If your kids are in the car a lot, have a container for them to share or one for each child with a small assortment of necessary items – coloring books and markers/pencils {crayons could melt in the summer}, busy books, DVDs, road games, etc. Mandi’s post on packing a to-go bag is great to have too.
4. Rules.
We have rules. It’s my car, and so my kids must keep it clean. I have rules – no eating or drinking in the car {I know some of you gasp, but I avoid eating in the car at all costs – one exception is water and road trips}. Even as babies and toddlers, I didn’t allow food or drinks. They grew up with it that way and just know that’s the rule. Whatever they bring in the car must leave the car as soon as we get home. If they leave it for a couple of days, I have the choice to do with it whatever I want since it’s Momma’s car. This also includes swimsuits, towels, and any other swim gear that may be left. It gets yucky and smelly if left overnight in there.
5. Keep it nice.
As with any of the stuff in our home, I have taught our kids that it’s important to take of the things we have. This means that we don’t put our feet on the backs of the chairs in front of us, wipe our dirty hands on the windows or roof of the car; and we don’t smear stuff on the seats, and we don’t eat in the car {except when we’re on vacation}. It might seem crazy and unattainable, but it’s possible.
If you care about keeping your stuff nice, you have to teach your kids – like not jumping on the couch, it’s the same for my van. If they make a mess, they have to clean it up – no matter how sad an attempt it may seem, it just shows them that they can’t be disrespectful of others’ things and must take care of it. I take my van to the car wash MAYBE once a month, but by keeping rubber floor mats and some spare towels in the back to protect the floors from dirt or debris I bring inside, I can keep it fairly clean in between vacuums and cleaning.
Is your car your baby? Or have you just given it over to the kids? How about some other ways you keep your car organized?
Becky blogs at Organizing Made Fun. She has been married to her college sweetheart for almost 18 years and is a mother to two children. Becky organizes just about everything and she enjoys motivating other women to learn to organize, schedule and run their homes imperfectly but efficiently. | |