This week on KUTV 2 Fresh Living, I am helping Kari Hawker Diaz with her biggest organizing problem: her car.
Like other busy mamas, Kari is coming and going from place to place, and her car becomes a dumping ground between activities. She sheds her jewelry before she makes it home, creating more clutter as it floats around in the car. And the crumbs! Eating on the go with her little girl, we definitely need to address how to keep the crumbs at bay.
So where to start?
If this car chaos feels familiar, you’ll need the 2-step solution I recommended to Kari.
First step: Containers
The one thing we know is that life isn’t going to get simpler for Kari – or for you. There’s not much we can do to stop the stuff from getting into the car…which means that the stuff needs boundaries so it doesn’t spill all over into the backseat. That’s what containers are for.
Jewelry
Let’s start with the jewelry. Jewelry needs the easiest and most convenient container possible to be dropped into. For this we will utilize a spot every car has – cup holders. You may already use this as a holding tank for odds and ends, but it’s not always easy to dig small things back out and transport them into the house. But with these silicone baking cups, you can catch everything you drop – and cleanly and easily transport things back to the house. Click HERE to order.

The Back Seat
Whether you fling stuff in the trunk or just in the back seat, aim for a container. It will keep the stuff corralled AND make it much easier to carry into the house. I love THIS backseat container with convenient carrying handles.
 
 

 
Garbage
Listen, you know you need one. This waterproof garbage hangs in a convenient spot, and will keep the car feeling so much nicer! Click HERE to order.
 
 
 

Zippered Pouches
Here’s a favorite for many things – your purse, diaper bag, brief case – any spot that hosts a lot of little things. But for the car? Definitely need one of these for your registration and insurance card. But I bet you could use another one for bandaids and Ibuprofin, etc. Click HERE to order. 
 

 
Drop Stop
Are you like me, and drop your keys, phone, and Air Pods in the cracks by your seat? I hate that! I have LOVED this Shark Tank product. No more fishing around in the cracks! Click HERE to order.
 
Second Step: Routines
The right containers is only have the battle.
To keep your car clean, you’ve got to empty them out. That’s step 2 – and it isn’t as hard as you might think.
Putting stuff away just needs to become a habit, and the way we create a good habit like that is to hook it onto a habit we already do. In other words, use a Habit Hook.
For example, you likely fill your car with gas once a week. Pull the car around to the vacuums after filling up and vacuum up the crumbs.
You also likely walk into the house every night after work. Let that habit be a trigger to remind you to grab the silicone baking cup full of jewelry and take it into the house – or grab the car organizer and empty it out each night. Pick something you routinely do, and take the time to program your brain to attach a new habit onto the old one. After a little conscious effort, your brain will surrender and you will begin vacuuming crumbs or emptying the containers without even thinking about it!
If you like the idea of Habit Hooks – or if you are ready to take organizing to the next level, check out my new Get Organized Bootcamp. This is a 7-Day jumpstart to an organized life, and you should hear what people are saying about it. It’s easy, it’s fun, and you can do it!
Click HERE for more information about The Get Organized Bootcamp.