I love keeping my family car organized. If you missed it, this month's organizing challenge is to go through your car and organize it. Not only will this help you find items in the vehicle more easily, but it will also help you keep your family safe (affiliate). This post is all about my six favorite tips and tricks to organize the car.
Jump to:
- Key Takeaways
- 1. Holder for Cellphone for easy viewing
- 2. Organize Console - organize the space already in your car
- 3. Trunk Organization - Organize this area for more room
- 4. Side Door Storage - Easy access for kids
- 5. Storing My Purse - storing the bags.
- 6. Car Trash Can
- FAQs for Family Car Organization
Key Takeaways
- This month's challenge is to organize the family car to make it safer and more efficient.
- Use a SCOSCHE MagicMount to hold your cellphone for easy viewing while driving.
- Implement a console organizer for quick access to essentials like tissues and pens.
- Consider a trunk organizer (affiliate) to maximize storage space and keep items secure during driving.
- Add a car trash can (affiliate) to maintain cleanliness and organization in your vehicle.
1. Holder for Cellphone for easy viewing
My first favorite gadget is the SCOSCHE MagicMount- Magnetic Window Mount for Mobile devices. It's great and comes with two magnets for attaching to the backs of phones or phone cases. My husband and I took one to use as a window mount. I received it as a present for Valentine's Day. Great present, right? To me, it's true - I'm a gadget girl. My husband knows me so well. When I installed it, I drove around the neighborhood, driving over all the rumble strips and speed bumps I could find. It did pretty well. And it didn't drop my phone while driving. Nor did the holder separate from the windshield - even in hot temperatures. It only moved a small amount, but it wasn't very noticeable.
2. Organize Console - organize the space already in your car
I love having a place nearby where I can easily grab tissues and other essentials instead of reaching for the center console. It's too far back and difficult to reach. This one is right in the middle of the dashboard, and the lid locks in place. I store things like tissues, a nail file, a pen, and a mini lit brush in it. It works great for those quick, "Darn, I broke my nail" moments.
3. Trunk Organization - Organize this area for more room
We have a crossover vehicle, so the trunk (affiliate) area has minimal storage space. So, I found this two-section storage bin for the trunk (affiliate) area. However, Amazon (affiliate) has a three-section storage bin (affiliate)
. I store things like my mini vacuum (affiliate) cleaner and grocery cloth bags in it. It stands up pretty well on its own, even when I make sharp turns. It has pockets all around the outside, but the items would fall out easily.
Be sure to measure the backseat before buying a trunk organizer (affiliate). Some can be really large (affiliate) and take up a lot of space. Resulting in no room for your grocery bags.
Perfect for the Trunk
Buy Now → (affiliate)
4. Side Door Storage - Easy access for kids
I like storing extra miniature umbrellas, one for each child, in the side pocket doors for impromptu spring rain showers.
5. Storing My Purse - storing the bags.
This one is my new toy; it's a purse holder called "Purse Pouch
TM". My husband doesn't like it when I place my purse at his feet. Go figure; if I put it in the backseat, I can't reach it. So, we found this handy gadget. Depending on how you install it, it can hold large (affiliate) and small purses. I've added a link to Amazon (affiliate) here if you'd like to see more pictures. The photo below shows it doesn't take up too much space in the backseat area, either.
In recent years, I replaced this one with a hook-style one that attaches to the passenger headrest bar. This works out even better when I want to hide my bag in the tinted backseat.
Great options for hanging bags
Buy Now → (affiliate)
6. Car Trash Can
In the same picture aboe, we have a car trash can (affiliate)
hanging from the back of the passenger chair (affiliate). It's black (affiliate) and compact and surprisingly holds a lot of trash. The Amazon (affiliate) link here is similar to mine.
My Favorite - They are not bulky
Buy Now → (affiliate)
FAQs for Family Car Organization
Start with one zone at a time - I like to begin with the console since it's what you reach for most. Pull everything out, wipe it down, and only put back what you actually use. Then move on to the trunk, doors, and backseat.
I do a quick declutter every week (grabbing trash, stray receipts, etc.) and a deeper organize once a month as part of my car challenge routine. That monthly reset keeps things from piling up.
My six favorites are a phone mount, a console organizer, a trunk storage bin, side door bins for small items, a purse hook or holder, and a car trash can. Together they cover the areas that get messiest fastest.
It depends on your trunk size, so measure first! Crossovers and smaller trunks do better with a two-section bin rather than a bulky three-section one, or you'll lose all your extra room.
A headrest hook on the passenger seat works great - it keeps your purse off the floor, out of your husband's way (ha), and out of sight if your windows are tinted.
There you have it: my favorite six organizing items in my car. What is your favorite organizer helper in your car or truck? Is there a specific area in your vehicle where you struggle to keep organized? Feel free to leave a comment or question below. I would love to hear from you.
Please note that these are affiliate links through Amazon (affiliate). At no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Visit our other posts about Garage Organization!
William Rusho says
They have a lot of neat products for your vehicle now. I personally use a cargo organizer in the back of my SUV.
It seems to help, when I take the time to store stuff in it.
Thanks for sharing this with us.
Marquita Herald says
Oh Wow, could I have used a few of these back when I was still working out "in the world" and practically living in my car! These days more often than not I walk or take public transport, but I still love a good road trip. Thanks for the great tip Sabrina. 🙂
Donna Janke says
I like that purse holder. It is a nuisance to put my purse in the back seat when I have passengers and can't just sit it on the passenger seat.
Phoenicia says
We need these in our car!
Driving with children is no easy doddle! The number of times I have to stretch my arms as far behind my back as they can go in order to hand my children a drink, tissue or snack.
Sabrina says
Glad the post helped, Phoenicia. Thanks for commenting. =)
Rose Mary Griffith says
I like the purse holder idea. In my Rogue, there is zero room for a purse if I'm driving with a passenger. It ends up everywhere it shouldn't be. I always buckle it into my seatbelt, no matter what, but it still takes little trips all its own. Good idea and I'll look it up through your links.
Sabrina says
Thanks, Rose Mary. Glad you found it useful.
Ken Dowell says
Usually I read your posts Sabrina and end up thinking I should probably sort some fo this stuff out. My closets, my bookshelves, my basement all do surely need help. But for some reason when it comes to the car I'm right on top of this .
Sabrina says
That's great, Ken. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Erica says
Wow, that is an organized car. I never thought of putting a purse holder in a vehicle, but that makes sense. My personal car needs are really low-key. It doesn't ever rain where I live so I don't even bother to keep an umbrella in my car. I think for me, the most helpful would be a tissue holder. It hasn't happened to me in quite a long time, but I used to get these allergy attacks, (perhaps to my makeup getting in my eye?) where my eyes would tear, making it hard to drive. That hasn't happened in a long time, but tissues would be helpful in case it did happen again.
Sabrina says
Tissues are great in the car. With the kids, I always have them. The smaller traveling size works great and can be stored in smaller compartments. Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Erica.
Doreen Pendgracs says
Very neat, Sabrina! I've never read an article on how to organize your car before! I agree that it's very nice to have a clean and organized car (and house!) and I try really hard to keep things organized. My husband is one who likes to just throw stuff in the back seat. Slowly, he's learning that everything SHOULD have its place!
Sabrina says
Thanks for stopping by, Doreen. Glad you liked the post.
Catarina says
Excellent ideas for organizing a car, Sabrina. Have stopped having a car because of environmental reasons (in Europe you don't need a car). So I will share your post will car owners.
lenie says
Sabrina, these are great tips and the one most appealing to me is the console organizer because it really is annoying when you need a tissue and it's hanging from a bag in the back seat. The other ones I've pretty well made for myself but not everyone is a DIYer and the tips are very practical for those who aren't.