Clean up and organize your messy car.
While you might think of your vehicle as simply a means to get from point A to point B, in reality your car is a portable household with everything you need and want while you're on the go. Setting up regular routines to maintain your abode on wheels will keep you humming happily down the road.




4 Steps to Conquer Car Clutter
Step 1: Upload your "before" photos

Step 2: Start decluttering your car

Step 3: Maintenance and must-haves

Step 4: Upload your "after" photos
You never know what's lurking in that trunk... Before you move a thing, photograph your car as-is. Peter just might be able to help you out if you have questions—or you could be on the show!
What You'll Need to Get Started
Digital camera
Computer

Upload your photos

Improve Your Chances of Appearing on The Oprah Show !
1. Don't pick up your mess before you take your "before" photos. The messier, the better!
2. Take a photo from each and every part of the car. Get the widest angle possible—the more we see, the better.
3. Get creative! Take a few photos of specific areas—the trunk, back seat, glove compartment or under the visor.
4. Make sure the area is well lit. If not, use a flash.
5. Make sure your camera settings are on the highest resolution possible.
6. Turn off the time/date stamp.
7. Don't include anyone in the photos. Cars only, please!
8. Try not to submit blurry photos. We may not be able to use them.
9. Remember, you can only submit up to three photos, so pick your best ones!

In 10 simple steps, your car can look like it's just left the lot.
1. Empty everything out of the vehicle and trunk, discard the obvious garbage and return coffee cups to the kitchen. If there's any trash that held milk products (latte cups, yogurt containers), dispose immediately before they start to reek.

2. Sort the remaining items into piles, such as maintenance supplies, kids' stuff, music and videos, manuals and maps.

3. Clean all interior surfaces. Vacuum the floors and seats, wipe down the dash and doors, clean windows and shake out the floor mats.

4. Keep a trash bin on the floor of the back seat, or hang a trash bag from the dashboard.

5. Stash kids' toys, small books and travel games in a behind-the-seat organizer (a hanging shoe bag works, too), within reach of backseat passengers. Periodically rotate items in and out to keep kids interested.

6. Stow tapes and CDs in visor organizers. Separate kids' tunes from adult music.

7. Store the following in the glove compartment: owner's manual, maps, vehicle registration information, auto club information, accident report form, notepad, pen, disposable camera, flashlight, list of emergency contact names and numbers, tire gauge, paper napkins and any other frequently needed or essential items.

8. Purchase or make an emergency kit for your vehicle and store it in the trunk or the rear of the car. Include booster cables, a tire gauge, flares, reflective tape, a help sign, a screwdriver, pliers, a first aid kit, work gloves, a blanket, an old towel or rags, a jug of water and motor oil.

9. Put together a survival kit, especially if you live in a cold-weather climate. Include candles, waterproof matches, energy bars or candy bars, large plastic garbage bags and rubber bands. Keep larger items, such as cat litter (for slippery roads), a collapsible shovel, an extra blanket and heavy socks, hats and mittens (enough for several passengers), in a duffel bag or tub in the truth or rear of the car.

10. Tackle the car again every season. Restock all your kits; check your maintenance schedule to see when servicing is needed.

See how one couple decluttered their car!
Start a cycle and stick to it. Any time you bring something into the car, get in the habit of taking it out when you exit your vehicle. It's about your routines, not about the stuff.

Visor organization. Keep a heavy-duty rubber band on the driver's side visor to hold parking tickets, directions, mileage logs and any other papers relevant to the day's travels.

Your new-car smell. Keep your car smelling sweet by placing fabric softener sheets under the seats or filling the ashtray with baking soda.

Keep a small cooler in the car. Keeping a cooler in the rear or trunk to carry refrigerated and frozen groceries helps you run more errands after shopping (and keeps them from disappearing in your trunk, too!).

Spare clothes. Keep a small travel bag with a change of clothes in the trunk, just in case.

Maps. Protect them from travel spills by storing them in zipper-lock plastic bags.

A versatile tool. An old, clean shower curtain stored in the trunk comes in handy as a cover for a summer picnic table, a drop cloth for changing a tire or a protective tarp.

Prepare for trips before you leave home. Check traffic and weather reports before you head out and make sure your emergency kit is stocked. Make important phone calls before you get in your car to avoid talking on the phone while driving.
By now, you should be on the road to keeping your car clean. Show us how far you've come!
What You'll Need to Get Started
Digital camera
Computer

Upload your photos

Improve Your Chances of Appearing on The Oprah Show !
1. Don't pick up your mess before you take your "before" photos. The messier, the better!
2. Take a photo from each and every part of the car. Get the widest angle possible—the more we see, the better.
3. Get creative! Take a few photos of specific areas—the trunk, back seat, glove compartment or under the visor.
4. Make sure the area is well lit. If not, use a flash.
5. Make sure your camera settings are on the highest resolution possible.
6. Turn off the time/date stamp.
7. Don't include anyone in the photos. Cars only, please!
8. Try not to submit blurry photos. We may not be able to use them.
9. Remember, you can only submit up to three photos, so pick your best ones!

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