Maybe your car looks a little like mine... and if it doesn't, lie... it makes me feel better.
But I used this as an excuse to get in there, contribute to the 2010 in 2010 and also figure out a few solutions that will hopefully help keep the clutter at bay... and hopefully it will help you too!!
When I cleaned out my car I used a trashbag (for trash) and a reusable tote (for anything that needs to go back into the house). I didn't have a "sale" pile here since most everything we use in the car is either currently needed or trash worthy.... not much middle ground.
I ended up with a full bag of trash, including scraping out candle wax from 2 birthday candles that melted in my cupholder... the birthday boy yelled "I gotta potty" on arrival... so they got left in the car and forgotten in the Arizona heat. Ugh... that was a mess... but it felt good to get it cleaned out.
To Trash:
199-208. One full bag.
Now... here are some ideas for keeping things tidy in the car!
I use little bins like this right in between the boys carseats. I drop all their cars/toys/sunglasses in there so they can easily reach them! Available at Target for $6.
Because if you drive like I do, you will hit your brakes eventually... causing all those papers to end up on the bottomless pit of a floorboard.
You did see the before pics, right??
Also, always try to take everything out of your car each day. I learned the hard way that even items without lots of value can look real enticing through a car window and windows can be shattered to get them. If my car had been clean and empty... probably wouldn't have happened!
So, the afters!!
Great job! I have small trash can (like the kind you get for your bathroom) sitting behind the passenger seat. It's great for typical car trash like wrappers, gum, cups, tissue. That way when I get gas I can just dump it out and the trash doesn't end up all over the floor :D
ReplyDeleteI always dump trash when I pump gas, too. It's all the other junk that accumulates in my car! I should keep a tote in the back, and then bring it in everytime I unload groceries or something like that.
ReplyDeleteI don't have room in my little car that hauls us 5 for a trash can! But I do keep those little bags from the grocery stores, you know the ones they put greeting cards and things like that in. I use those for trash. I also use the fuel up time to dump trash..it just makes sense!! I usually do 2 grocery bags when I clean the car, but I really like the reusable tote idea Tabitha!! I may have to adopt that one!! Thank you!!
ReplyDeletemy father always kept his car pristine on the inside, so i do the same. the only things i keep in my cabin all the time are some Altoid smalls in the ashtray (which can be covered to make them disappear), a quarter (to get a cart when we go to ALDI), and re-usable shopping bags. i chose re-usable shopping bags that matched the color of my interior (black) and that helps the car look clean too, since they kind of disappear into the foot well behind the driver's seat when not in use.
ReplyDeletewhen i do have trash generated in the car, i try to put it all into the driver door pocket. that way i see it as i'm stepping out and can empty it easily if it looks like it's overflowing or might blow away in the breeze.
Mine looks nothing like yours - but ONLY because I spent an hour cleaning it out last night in preparation for a road trip. With one messy mom, and one kind of messy 10 year old boy, and one walking mess-monster of a 7 year old girl - it's pathetic. But, on the plus side, I found the brush attachment to my vacuum under one of the seats. Oh, and a book from the school library that was supposed to be turned in in June. Sheesh. 14 - yes, 14 lip balms (my daughter is an addict). Three sports bottles. One Nintendo DS game. I am not sure how many bags of trash, because I JUST WHEELED THE TRASH BIN OVER TO THE CAR!!! Woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteDid this last month and boy did it need it! Even blogged it: http://teri-gonewalkabout2.blogspot.com/2010/07/cleaning-up-my-ride.html
ReplyDeleteoh that looks fantastic!!! you probably vacuumed it also!!! boy does mine need a good cleaning - I'm seeing goldfish crumbs in my nightmares
ReplyDeleteThanks for this - I was the one who asked the question on Facebook! I have started by taking five things with me everytime I get out of the car (and I count the baby as this was always my excuse for not taking stuff out - that I was already carrying her). But there are of course lots of times I get out of the car without her - so no excuse there really! I am going to buy one of those baskets to put between the kids seats to hold their toys etc as the backseat does look like a bomb site! Thanks!!
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