When I very first bought my Subaru, it was the first time in my life that I was driving a new (to me) car. I kept it relatively clean, I got the oil changed regularly, and I brought it to the repair shop as soon as any weird lights came on the dash. I also drove my sister’s dog to the vet and she peed in the backseat, a kid dented my car with a frisbee, I dropped a freshly made blueberry pie onto the carpeted trunk, and I exploded an icy root beer all over my lap and my seat. None of these things bothered me, it’s just a thing that gets me from point A to point B.
Until 2017, my car was the “new car”. That’s when we replaced Chad’s 1993 Jeep with a newer car. Now his car is the “new car” and while I still always made sure to take care of my car, I also stopped keeping it clean. For the most part, I travel light, so there isn’t too much that stays in my car from day to day – except dust and dog hair. Recently, I’ve been inundated with TikTok Car Porn, or car interior cleaning videos. I decided that it wouldn’t take too much to get my car back into decent enough shape.
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Blue Tooth & Smart Phone
My car is a 2008, so I have the brand new technology of a 6 CD-Changer (yes, I still have one CD and it is in my car because that’s the only place I can play it). Fortunately, I also have an aux port in the center console and once my iPhone upgraded passed being able to port my phone directly into my car, I got this neat gadget that makes my car blue tooth compatible. I also got this phone holder so that I would stop dropping my phone down in between the seats.
Glove Box & Center Console
The glove box has my car manual, an Emergency Escape Hammer/Cutter, a small folder that holds my current registration and most recent repair receipts (I scan them onto my computer every few months). The center console has my one CD, my work badge, hand sanitizer, spare change, tire pressure gauge, kleenex, and a mini first aid kit.
Backseat
I purchased two sets of headrest hanger hooks which are really useful for hanging shopping bags, my gym bag, and a work tote – so they don’t topple over and spill their contents under the seats, never to be seen again. I also usually have a jacket that I leave in the car in the spring and fall in case I find a need for it, so having a place to hang it instead of wadding it up on the back seat is a nice change.
I also keep a small umbrella, sunscreen, and a lint roller in the front passenger door drink holder area (pictured at the top of the post) – showing that not all car organization requires purchasing of organization tools.
Rubber Floor Mats
My car came with carpet floor mats – which I’m pretty sure is common. I don’t know where you live, but in a state where we have snow every winter and mud all spring, that doesn’t work out too well. After a couple of years of soaking the mats in febreeze routinely to get rid of the musty smell, I gave up and ordered trimmable, or cut-to-fit, floor mats that came in tan (to match my interior).
For some reason, I didn’t order a set that came with a mat for my trunk, so recently I ordered a trunk mat – it only came in black. It’s really nice because now I don’t have to scrub mud and whatever else, out of the carpeted trunk. I just rinse it off with a hose or vacuum it and voila! all clean.
Trunk Organizer
As I mentioned, not too much lives in my car, which may be a carryover from when I lived in the Avenues (an area with pre-war houses) and I had to park outside and didn’t want the windows broken for spare change or a gym bag. But there are a few things that are nice to just keep in the car. For instance, Princess Bella goes to therapy once or twice a week, and so she has a “travel bag” (the small white bag) which has a muzzle, a leash, her special seatbelt, and a poopy bag dispenser. The large blanket is part of that kit because it is Bella’s car seat/napping pad.
I also usually had shopping bags hiding under one of the car seats where I could consistently forget about them, but now they have a visible and easily accessible home. I also keep a bag of disposable surgical masks just in case. I like that this trunk organizer folds up so I can move it easily if I need the entire trunk to transport plants or a large Target pick-up order.
I have a small stick on trash bin in my Amazon cart currently, but otherwise, I feel that a few swipes of cleaning spray and a towel every month should keep everything else in order until it’s time for the old girl to move on to her next home. Which will probably still be several years yet, I hope.
Blue House Yellow Door 