The warm weather has finally arrived!  As a result, you’ve probably “lightened up” by shedding your outerwear and sweatshirts for the season, it’s also time to shed the excess accumulation from your car and car trunk.

Because they spend so much time in their cars, many of my clients inadvertently use their vehicles as an extra storage area/dumping ground.  School papers, old newspapers, food wrappers, empty soda cans, and shopping bags end up randomly tossed around. 

Take advantage of the warm weather and spend an hour outside, emptying out the accumulation in your car.  Grab a trash bag and toss all the food wrappers, papers, and other unwanted items. Gather all of the winter car items (kitty litter, snow scrapers, gloves, de-icer, etc.) and store them in a labeled bin in your garage.  Collect all of your reusable canvas tote bags and fold them flat, with the handles tucked into the bag; store all the bags inside one bigger bag.  This will help organize the car, and make it easy to grab a single bag of bags as you’re walking into the grocery store. If you have young kids and keep toys, coloring books, or other items in the car to keep them occupied on long drives, consider corralling the supplies into an over the seat storage holder or a plastic tote.  It will make it easy to access, and prevent them from rolling around in the car.

Utilize zippered pouches to organize storage in the console by the driver’s seat; perhaps one for pens; another for coupons; a third for tissues, wet wipes and cosmetics.  Milk crates or plastic bins are great to group and organize items in your trunk, and prevent them from rolling around.  Keep some clear zipper-top bags in the car in case you need to pack up wet or dirty items (think spilled drinks, muddy soccer field).

Keep a trash bag on the floor of the back seat or hanging from the dash. Be sure to empty it several times each week.

Equip your car glove compartment for an emergency. Consider keeping an old, fully-charged, cell phone in the glove compartment.  Even if you no longer maintain phone service on the old phone, it can still be used in an emergency to call 911. (Your current cell phone may go flying under the seat, and may not be accessible, in the event of a crash.) A small bottle of water can be useful to remove the chemical powder that sprays when an airbag deploys. If your cell phone does not take pictures, a disposable camera is necessary for taking pictures at the scene of an accident. A small flashlight can be helpful if you don’t have an app on your phone. Be sure to keep a pair of jumper cables and a well-stocked first aid kit in the trunk.

At the end of the summer, be sure to restock your trunk with winter emergency items.  Again, a milk crate or bin is great for storing these items.

After you’ve gotten everything organized, run over to the car wash to make everything sparkle.  Then roll down the windows, or crank up the air, and go for a nice drive.