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Reclaim Your Life™ & Get Organized for Good

 
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Getting Organized

Organizing Your Car

Vicki Norris
Restoring Order

CBN.com Do you need to organize your car before that next road trip? Here's an easy process:

1. PREP

  • Start with nothing in the driveway except your car (you’ll need the space for staging)
  • Place a garbage, recycle, and shred bin for use as you remove things from your vehicle

2. EMPTY

  • Empty absolutely everything from your car (including any kiddie car seats, stuff stashed in the seat pockets, console, and glove compartment)
  • Sort removed items in the driveway by type so you can see what you carry in the car
  • When you’re done emptying, carefully assess your belongings for frequency of use (you may find that you no longer need toys and books in the car because your kids are in high school!)
  • Repair, toss, or donate any items that are broken, soiled, or in poor condition

3. CLEAN

  • Give your car a thorough clean, vacuum, and wash
  • From now on, carry wipes made especially for cars in your car so you can mop up messes and keep your vehicle pleasant.

4. GROUP

  • Once you know what you need to load back into the car, now is the time to purchase any appropriate car organizers to store items of like type IF you need them (like back-of-the-seat organizers, grocery bins for the trunk, car trash bins, sun visor CD storage, etc.). Don’t make the mistake of buying products prematurely or you may find that you didn’t need them at all or you may get the wrong size, fit, etc.
  • Establish zones in your car (the recessed bin in the trunk can be “purposed” for emergency preparedness; the glove box can be “purposed” for documents; the console could be “purposed” for extra napkins, wipes, and antibacterial lotion.)
  • Organize the trunk for easy access (consider crates, boxes, or cargo organizers to group your trunk's contents by type)

5. RELOAD

  • After selecting the right containers (if you need anything at all), reload only the necessary contents back into your car
  • Re-install kiddie car seats, suction window shades, etc.

6. MAINTAINENCE

  • Consider preparing  a pre-packed bag or two to stow in the car (emergency baby changing kit, a selection of snacks and drinks for older kids, everything needed for a day trip, etc)
  • Always keep one or two garbage cans or bags in your car to collect trash
  • If the glove box and console don’t offer enough storage, use over-the-seat organizers to keep maps, umbrellas, gloves, and other essentials at hand

Take advantage of the good weather and restore order to your car before your next family outing..


About the Author: Vicki Norris is an expert organizer, business owner, speaker, television personality, and author who inspires people to live out their priorities. She is author of Reclaim Your Life™ © 2007 by Vicki Norris (available now at www.RestoringOrder.com) and of Restoring Order™ to Your Home, © 2007, a room-by-room household organizing guide, both published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Norris is a regular on HGTV’s nationally syndicated Mission: Organization, and is a recurrent source and contributor to national lifestyle publications including Quick & Simple magazine, Better Homes & Gardens, and Real Simple magazine.

 

 

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