OH!: Trash on the Dash? Junk in the Trunk?

What you gon’ do with all that junk?
All that junk inside your trunk.
(Black Eyed Peas)

Got car clutter? How about junk in the trunk or trash on the dash? Perhaps you have no idea who the Black Eyed Peas are (lyrics above) but you are nonetheless asking yourself what indeed you’re going to do with all that junk. Conquer the car clutter!

Take the Homillers, a Cary family who needs to organize their family van in time for summer vacation. Annette, Dan, Sam, James and Pepper, their Portuguese water dog, are probably a lot like your family — busy and always on the go. And they have a minivan with too much junk!

Annette is a work-at-home mom and spends several hours a week in her minivan. In addition to chauffeuring her boys to basketball, karate, and choir practice, Annette plays soccer on a women’s soccer team in Cary, takes yoga classes, belongs to a book club, and does volunteer work for the Raleigh Boys Choir and her church.

Automobiles serve many purposes, but Annette’s minivan functions as an office, too. Waiting for her sons to finish activities allows time for her to sit in her vehicle and return calls, book appointments, open mail and process paperwork. The front seats act as a desk and can quickly clutter up with loose papers, notebooks and pens. The family vehicle also functions as a home away from home when the family is on the road. So, the Homiller minivan is also home to maps, spare change, food wrappers, receipts, coupons, CDs, books, sports gear, an umbrella and other miscellaneous items.

Join the Homillers as they say “happy trails” to the clutter. Start your engines!

1. Remove EVERYTHING from the car.
2. Wash the exterior, clean the interior and vacuum.
3. Visualize areas of your car as separate zones: front, middle, and cargo.
4. Consider the items that need to be put back into the car and how to stow them. Remember that loose items become dangerous flying objects in a fender-bender.
5. Preplan the use of organizing holders, containers and gadgets. If these organizers aren’t put to good use, then they become clutter, too.

The following organizers should help to contain the clutter.

Front Zone
Visor clip: great for holding sun glasses.
CD holder: the kind with a mesh pocket is useful for holding receipts, dry cleaning tickets, and parking stubs. If your car’s visor has a mirror on the underside, then purchase a one-sided CD holder, not the two-sided type.
Passenger-seat caddy: perfect for bottles of water, pens, maps, spare change and a mobile phone. Annette’s “office” couldn’t function without it.

Middle Zone
Back-of-seat tray table: handy for smaller children traveling with toys, books, and games.
Trash container with tissue holder: always keep tissues in the car for sneezes and runny noses. Extra fast-food restaurant napkins are good to keep in the car, too, for wiping up latte spills. A trash container for your car is a must!
Tupperware spaghetti dispenser: these long, cylindrical containers are terrific for holding cheerios, sleeves of crackers, trail mix, or granola. Taking emergency snacks for hungry kids in the car is a lot less expensive and healthier than stopping for snacks at the gas station or quick mart. These slender spaghetti dispensers are easily stored, don’t take up much space and are easily gripped by folks with small hands or even elderly passengers with arthritis.

Cargo Zone
Cargo net: besides groceries or luggage, a cargo net corrals sports gear, such as James and Sam’s rollerblades and soccer balls. Nothing is more distracting, not to mention dangerous, than having large or heavy items rolling around loose in the cargo zone. Fewer distractions and potential flying “missiles” make for a safer trip.
Bottomed boxes or bins: especially nice to help keep grocery bags standing upright and bottles from tipping over. They’re useful, too, for bringing home plants and flowers from the gardening center so dirt is less likely to get on the upholstery.
Gift-wrap boxes with lids: these long containers made to store rolls of wrapping paper under beds are perfect for team-sized snacks. Larger vehicles will easily hold them. When Dan is the designated snack parent, these gift-wrap boxes will keep bulk-bought snacks dry and clean. In addition, the lid makes a handy table for the snacks.

Other items to consider packing or storing in your car include:
1. A plastic shower curtain in the cargo area to keep the upholstery clean and dry. Especially useful if you’re traveling with a dog like Pepper who likes to run along the beach and then hops in the van sandy and wet! It’s also useful for bringing home plants from the gardening center.
2. A cotton sheet in the back seat for the kids to sit on. It is much easier to shake crumbs off a sheet than to vacuum the middle zone. In addition, it’s more comfortable to sit on a cotton surface in hot humid weather than dark upholstery or especially vinyl or leather.
3. Hand sanitizer and/or pre-moistened wipes
4. Bottles of drinking water
5. Flash light and batteries
6. First aid kit
7. A disposable camera—just in case Sam, James, or Pepper performs an incredible trick!
8. Sealable plastic bags for everything from seashells or wet clothes to leftovers that don’t need refrigeration
9. Soft-sided cooler
10. Collapsible crates

Various organizing gadgets and containers that are geared especially for your car can be found at the following websites:

ajprindle.com
axius.com
thebusywoman.com
carcrazy.net
cargogear.com
casedirect.com
drivewerks.com
drivingcomfort.com

The Homiller’s minivan will soon be ready for summer vacation. Once the junk in your trunk and trash on your dash is organized, you’ll find yourself at home in your car and ready to roll. Happy trails!