Hey there and welcome to Day #7 of Operation Declutter. I’m so excited to tackle the subject of decluttering and organizing our cars. I’ve got five need to know car organization hacks that you’re going to love. This topic was requested last year by YOU and the 12 Days of Decluttering Reboot is the perfect way to get our cars, trucks and SUVs organized for the new year. Are you ready?

When it comes to organizing your car, I follow the exact same strategy as any other organizing project. If you’ve been around for a bit then you know I love using the ITS ON acronym to walk me through the organizing process every time.

• I = Identfy the area you want to organize. Start small. (Your car!)

• T = Take everything out. Yes, every single thing. Park your car outside the garage and use your garage floor as a sorting area. If you don’t have a garage, grab several bins, fill them up and bring them inside. Don’t leave a thing. Even the things you KNOW you will keep. Take this time to clean and vacuum too.

• S = Sort everything you took out of your car into three categories: KEEP, DONATE and TRASH. Take 20 minutes and make fast decisions. When in doubt, put it in the keep pile. We will come back to it later.

• O = Organize. Focusing only on your keep pile, further divide into KEEP in the car and KEEP elsewhere. When it comes to the car, less is more. Keep reading to see what you actually need in your car.

• N = (Keep) Neat

Here are a 5 need to know car organization hacks:

ONE: Pack out what you pack in. The car isn’t a storage spot for toys, drinks, books and food. I think thats where the car organizers go wrong (and why you won’t see me recommending any here). They encourage us to store things in a place that isn’t meant for storage. The best strategy for keeping your car neat and organized is to take out what you bring into the car - trash, bags, sporting equipment, toys, etc. Here’s to new habits in 2022!

TWO: Create a Just in Case Kit (another genius idea from the wonderful Karrie Locher who also gave us the nursing cart). Here are some ideas:

• For babies: Use an older diaper box or small clear container with wipes and a change of baby clothes. Store in the center console.

• For toddlers: Consider keeping a toddler potty in trunk or floor board. A change of pants and underwear roll up easily and can fit in the center console. And I have a whole post on eveyrthing you could ever want to know about potty training here.

THREE: Create a space for returns in your home. Move the bin to your car when its time to run errands and make returns. See how I did this in my own house here.

FOUR: Stop seeing your car as a storage spot and extension of your home. This is why I don’t recommend “car organizers” or “car trash cans” because they encourage us to store things in our car.

FIVE: Store car maintenance receipts in a separate folder in your home with other important documents. Here is what you actually MUST HAVE in your car:

1. Registration

2. Insurance (now available on mobile)

3. Emergency contact information

4. Owner’s manual (made to fit in the glove box of its respective car)

Last but not least, you only need one pair of sunglasses. You cannot wear more than one at a time. The same goes for pens, antibacterial soaps, phone chargers, and notepads.

Do you think this will help you keep your car organized?