Welcome to Mission #6 of our 52 Organizing Missions.
If you’ve completed our previous mission Get Organized Mission #5: Become A Smart Verbal Communicator, congratulations!
This week we’re about to tackle your chariot – a place you spend a lot of time and, if you live in a busy city, a place you might feel a lot of stress.
Whatever the traffic conditions outside, with this mission you can at least keep the inside of your vehicle a calm, pleasant place to *ride* out the hassles.
Remember – you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Organizing Mission Options are below.
Get Organized Mission #6: Detox Your Car
Step 1: Car Interior
Empty everything out of your car and discard anything you don’t need there. That includes food wrappers, umbrellas, drink bottles, clothes and whatever sundry items have taken up nomadic residence.
Grab your cordless hand vacuum* and whip it around the floor. Use that long skinny attachment to get into all the crevices in the seats, around the fixtures and along the rear windscreen.
If you have items that genuinely need to live inside the car (perhaps a few kids’ toys or drink bottles) place them in a compact basket and stow it under the front passenger seat. This is usually the neatest place; if there’s somewhere better in your car, use it.
*I rarely recommend buying stuff, since my philosophy is that less is best – but this is one tool that makes being organized much easier. Seriously, get yourself one.
Step 2: Glove Box
Empty everything out of your glove box and discard anything you don’t need there.
Return and neatly arrange the essentials, such as:
- Vehicle log book
- Street directory or regularly needed maps (consider storing touring maps with holiday stuff)
- Torch
- Other necessary items for your location – eg sunscreen.
Step 3: Boot
Empty everything out of your boot and run the cordless hand vac around the floor.
Return and neatly arrange the essentials, such as:
- Spare tire and jack
- Basic tool box if you’re mechanically inclined
- Snow chains or other weather necessities
- Umbrella, extra sweater, etc
- Gym or sports bag.
Step 4: Keys
This is a good time to detox your car keys.
- Keep your garage and car keys together on your key ring.
- Discard any keys you no longer need.
- Have a regular place to put your car keys at home – eg in your bag, on a hook by the door, on the hall table. Make this a habit.
Step 5: Maintenance
Next, it’s time for a quick car health check.
- Is your car due to be serviced?
- Book a service now.
- Are there other niggling concerns – brakes, clunking noises, tires?
- Book an appointment now.
Step 6: Car Exterior
Appearance does matter. It’s a strong indicator of self respect – both to others and to yourself.
If your car screams low self-esteem, clean it! Go to a car wash, pay a neighbor’s kid or recruit your own kids – perhaps in exchange for driving lessons or by whatever means you negotiate chores in your family.
Of course, you can always make your own raunchy music video with suds and swimwear and wash your own car – but this option goes beyond your 30 minutes, so feel free to outsource it instead.
Step 7: Tunes
Your car’s starting to look pretty appealing again, huh?
The final step in the detox will make it an even more pleasant place to alphabet hop.
- Grab some CDs to leave in the car. This doesn’t count as clutter as long as you store them in a neat case in the glove box.
- Choose music that’s fun to drive to and avoids fights with other family members. You might also like to add a selection of audiobooks.
- If you have an iPod-compatible car create some driving playlists or download podcasts.
Note: Forget anything too relaxing or meditative.
Voila! Your chariot awaits…
Dos & Don’ts
- Don’t let your car lower your self esteem. Respect yourself by choosing to keep a pleasant mobile environment.
- Do take trash and things that don’t live in the car with you when you return home. Make this a habit and your car will never need rehab again.
Extended Organizing Mission Options
Want to go beyond this 30-minute organizing mission?
- If you have multiple cars consider detoxing as a household. Everyone gets a task – glove box, hand vac, etc. I call tunes!
- Include your kids in the new habit of removing unnecessary items from the car with every trip home. Soon it will become a habit for them, too.
- If you have driving-age kids, consider making car care part of the learning-to-drive and/or using-the-car deal.
Ready, Set, Go!
Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.
Before You Go – Please Check In
You’re now accountable to your organizing mission-mates! Once you’ve completed this week’s Get Organized Mission please add a comment to let us know you’ve done your assignment and you’re keeping your commitment.
And see you back here next week!
Update
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Image by Alan_D
I’m a few weeks behind and partly because I got tripped up by this one! I don’t have a car, I have a motorcycle. The keys are uncluttered anyway so they don’t flap around when I’m riding. The under-the-seat space is only big enough to carry tools and a spare taillight bulb, so that’s all that’s in there. I’d just had it serviced, and then repaired (a week later – long story). It did need a clean, but since I can’t take it to a carwash that’s a several hour job, not a 30 minute one! Anyway, I cleaned and oiled my chain today so that can count. (about 2 hours including a little ride to warm the chain up before oiling).
So… done!
Hi Rue –
Your car sounds like a model of vehicular organization!
If you’d like to send me a pic, I’ll put it in the upcoming
★52 Missions Hall Of Fame Gallery★.
Please send it to: Photos@GetOrganizedWizard.com
Everyone else is welcome to send in their pics too.
M 🙂
The car is the one place I always try to keep clean and decluttered. The important papers and a CD case are in the glove box, phone charger in the center console, and an umbrella and pressure gauge in the map pocket. I keep a velcro litter bag in the car for the little bits of trash that inevitably end up in the car (straw wrappers, etc) to go. Nothing in the trunk except maybe a sweater!
again no need – car is usually nearly empty
Oops – I did it but I forgot to leave a comment. I really should keep it clean and more organized then I do. Oh well, no time like the present. My car is now in the high esteem column – feels good.
Have had her cleaned on the ouside and vaccuumed inside, gloveboz and boot cleaned but just need to wipe over everthing inside. Getting there though
Will report back when all done
Just sold my old car and bought a new (to me anyways!) car. So this was perfect timing. I’m now committed to keeping it clean and using the trash bag that hangs off the front passenger seat – a tidy out of the way place to put trash and one that is easy to reach when driving. Love having the car becoming my clean machine!
after taking 3 large bags of leftover yarn to the nursing home and then 2 large bags of clothing to goodwill, I cleaned out the car. My husband to the car to the dealership and we had a go- over on the car. After the tune up and oil and filter change and tires rotated, I had the car detailed. Today I went through the cd’s and then the glove box. The car is a 2002 but looks brand new again. Thanks for the tips.
I finally got my car cleaned out and relly feel great. Amazing how good it feels to have really clean vehicle.
It’s amazing how a clean, shiny car can make you feel! I really should do this more regular. I love a clean car. Thanks for this mission!
Done. Feels good, as usual. Thanks a lot!
Wow, my car feels like new on the inside (just needs a good wash now).
I collected half a small shopping bag of rubbish and even found some money under the mats.
Love storing necessary items in a small container and placing under the seat! I drive 4,000-5.000 per month. My car seems to smell just because of getting in and out so much (wet feet, etc). I don’t want to spend the $ for interior car detailing. Any ideas?
Finally that job is done. Car (& I) feel so much better now.
A really useful mission. I often use my car in connection with work as well as for domestic errands and if I need to give a work contact a lift, it looks better if I’m not moving half a ton of clutter from the footwell before getting in!
Spent my 30 today emptying the interior and trunk; also dealt with fuel, screenwash; tyre pressure etc. On my list to do:- Torch (useful reminder); sweater (ditto); drinking water and energy bar; and I’ll also check out the contents of the mini-medical kit.
This is something I really need to do and always put it off. I am looking forward to completing this task and reporting back with excellent results!
Cleaned out the car! Hubby asked if it was so I could trade it in for a new car! 🙂 I said it needed to be done regardless! (But yes, I am thinking of trading it.)
RT @micheleconnolly Get Organized Mission #6: Detox Your Car | Get Organized Wizard http://bit.ly/wuVSR (via @tweetmeme)
This is a great post! Cars always seem to be neglected, love all the tips!
RT @MicheleConnolly: Now available: ★ Get Organized Mission #6: Detox Your Car ★ http://is.gd/KWTA – More great ideas as usual.