Night Elf Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Do you keep lots of stuff in your car, or is your car clutter free? I kept more stuff in the car when my kids were young, but it was tucked neatly away in a bag. We had hats, gloves, scarves, books, toys, and a first aid kit in a tote bag in the trunk. We rarely used any of it but I always felt prepared. Those days are gone. I just keep a jacket for myself now. My dd20's car is messy though. She doesn't know why it doesn't bother her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Before kids, my car was neat and clutter free. After kids, the van hasn't been vacuumed in a long time! It's not super cluttered, just dirty on the floor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieW in Texas Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 My van was very cluttered. When I had to clean it out to trade it in, I was surprised at how much stuff was hidden away in the van. My new car isn't cluttered at all (yet), but I do need to put some supplies in it. I haven't put in the jumper cables or emergency umbrellas yet. I do have a blanket in the car because our puppy has been in the car several times. Since there aren't a lot of places to stash stuff in my new car, I don't expect to have a bunch of stuff stashed away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 It seems like we are always in the car, coming from or going to lessons and activities. We keep the van pretty well stocked with extra clothes, books, paper & markers, etc. Plus, DD always has to bring her favorite Build-a-Bears every time we go anywhere. :auto::D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawz4me Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Clutter free, definitely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4ofus Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Oh, I wish! Our car has a blanket, case of water, bag of books, bag of winter gear, reusable grocery sacks, 2 TKD sparring gear bags, & a box of goodwill/used books to trade pretty much all the time :closedeyes:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 No it's full of junk most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Do you keep lots of stuff in your car, or is your car clutter free? I kept more stuff in the car when my kids were young, but it was tucked neatly away in a bag. We had hats, gloves, scarves, books, toys, and a first aid kit in a tote bag in the trunk. We rarely used any of it but I always felt prepared. Those days are gone. I just keep a jacket for myself now. My dd20's car is messy though. She doesn't know why it doesn't bother her. I think keeping things neat and tidy relates more to personality than upbringing. I try to keep the clutter to a minimum in my car, but some weeks are better than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diann Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Absolutely. I can't stand to have a messy car. Diann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I wish I were better at keeping it clutter free. I am not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I would say in between. There are usually a couple sweatshirts of dd5, a toy and a shopping bag or two. It isn't always vacuumed, but if it gets too messy I do vacuum it out. We live in a city so it doesn't get too messy unless we visit someone who live in the country and we drag leaves/dirt in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I wish I were better at keeping it clutter free. I am not. :iagree:Unfortunately, I live with an unapologetic pack rat. Dd squirrels things away and sticks them in every nook and cranny of the car. I've found bread crusts and socks between the seats on HER side of the car :glare: :tongue_smilie:. Bits of shell, acorn tops, pieces of foil, she keeps all of it. I need to be better about having her clean it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justLisa Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Oh my mother's car :tongue_smilie: She has the top of the line brand new Toyota Sienna and it is rotting with her work lunch tupperware and it doubles as a closet :lol: Mine is ok. I vacuum it weekly and keep all weather mats that can be hosed off because it's kinda wet here these months. I keep a crate in the back for stuff and I always have a bag of random things on the floor. But outside that it is not messy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 :iagree:Unfortunately, I live with an unapologetic pack rat. Dd squirrels things away and sticks them in every nook and cranny of the car. I've found bread crusts and socks between the seats on HER side of the car :glare: :tongue_smilie:. Bits of shell, acorn tops, pieces of foil, she keeps all of it. I need to be better about having her clean it up! Ugh, here too. I can't wait until our car seat days are over so there are fewer crevices to hide things in! My car is very messy, but I've been trying harder to keep it neater. The kids hate it, but I've been making them fill their hands with as much stuff as they can carry every time we come in from the car. Strangely, it seems their hands really don't have the same capacity when coming IN from the car as they do going OUT to the car :glare: But it's better now than it ever was when they were littler, so I'm considering it progress :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 It needs the clutter. Every time dh cleans out the clutter, I find myself somewhere in dire need of a tissue and no boxes of tissues. Or really tired as I'm driving and there's no gum. Or it's colder than expected and there's no pile of extra hoodies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalknot Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I live with extended family, and we have a fleet of cars. The largest one is mostly mine because it's usually me carting kids around, but it's not mine enough that I feel comfortable leaving everything I'd like to in it :) If it were up to me we'd leave all of the extracurricular stuff in there (sports bags, etc.) and changes of clothes, maybe boxes of shelf-stable snacks! But instead we leave that stuff in the garage and load it up every time we leave. Because we share the cars we have amongst several adults, two teens, and any relatives that are visiting ... we keep them neat and tidy, ready for someone else to drive. It's very much against my hoarding, clutter-preferring nature, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlktwins Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 It drives me nuts if my van isn't neat! There are days when it gets out of control, but I usually have it cleaned out and all neat again by the next day. I give it a full out cleaning and vacuuming every 6 months. We just finished soccer for the season so I'm going to put away the equipment that's in the back of the van and give it a good cleaning tomorrow (it will be 70 degrees where I am :D). The boys do not like to bring a lot of things in the van. They do have snacks, but now that they are 7, they are pretty good about not being so messy with them. I don't typically allow drinks other than water in the van while it is moving. If we are parked somewhere, other drinks are allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Ugh, here too. I can't wait until our car seat days are over so there are fewer crevices to hide things in! My car is very messy, but I've been trying harder to keep it neater. The kids hate it, but I've been making them fill their hands with as much stuff as they can carry every time we come in from the car. Strangely, it seems their hands really don't have the same capacity when coming IN from the car as they do going OUT to the car :glare: But it's better now than it ever was when they were littler, so I'm considering it progress :D Did you see that my dd is 11?!!! It never ends! My son's car seats and boosters looked new when he was done with them. We practically needed HAZMAT suits for dd's :lol:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 It needs the clutter. Every time dh cleans out the clutter, I find myself somewhere in dire need of a tissue and no boxes of tissues. Or really tired as I'm driving and there's no gum. Or it's colder than expected and there's no pile of extra hoodies. Oh, that was my experience for YEARS! When my car was crazy messy, I always had what I or someone else was in need of. A friend and I used to joke about this phenomenon! I even once managed to come up with a diaper for someone, years after my youngest was potty-trained :lol: But every time the car was cleaned out, I was lost. Thankfully, now that the girls (and the majority of their friends) are older, we're not in need that often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 Did you see that my dd is 11?!!! It never ends! My son's car seats and boosters looked new when he was done with them. We practically needed HAZMAT suits for dd's :lol:. Oh dear :lol::lol::lol: Well, my older packrat is 10, but she's at least a "clean" packrat (no sticky, gummy nastiness). The Hazmat suit will be needed for removal of DD7's seat for sure. There's a layer of crud all over everything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I also use my car as the storage place for the things that need to go somewhere. The shop returns, the thrift store donations box, the stuff I need to return to people... If I tried to remember it before I left for places, it would all sit around the house forever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Χά�ων Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 I keep a bag for trash and have frequent discussions with DS about putting the trash in the bag. After I threw away his golf pass when I was picking up trash,he has got a lot better about it. I prefered the minivan to the tiny, fuel efficient car I currently have for ease of organization. DS loves sports and since we live so far out I combine all trips as a result I tend to have tons and tons of gear. Plus, I like to keep extra clothing in the car and one off season outfit each for when we end up at someplace like a gym in the winter or an ice rink in the summer. I have a tiny trunk and I flat out refuse to put the seats down full time. I like the idea of being able to take people someplace without notice. The library books are what really kill me. Just how do you manage to organize all the books in the car? We go through 2-12 audio books a week depending on their length. DS has books he looks at in the car plus there are the books that have to go back or have just picked up. I currently have 14 library books in my car. I use reuseable grocery bags but it does not contain the chaos of books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 :001_huh: :blink::smilielol5::rofl::smilielol5: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mytwomonkeys Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 clutter free almost always, bu it's a pet peeve on mine. having said that though, it needs to be windexed, vacuumed, and washed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merry gardens Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 It needs the clutter. Every time dh cleans out the clutter, I find myself somewhere in dire need of a tissue and no boxes of tissues. Or really tired as I'm driving and there's no gum. Or it's colder than expected and there's no pile of extra hoodies. this. (mostly) I keep spare training pants and a change of toddler clothes, assorted neccesary gear for children's events, etc. Some of the "needed clutter" comes when I'm in de-cluttering mode for the house. I use my car as the storage area for things to give-away to charity. They get there eventually but until the back of my car is nearly full, I don't make a special trip to Good Will. And if in the time that I'm driving around with it, I decide that I don't want to give it away, I can reclaim it from my car. That helps me de-clutter my house, (which I should be doing right now!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnbacademy Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 We rarely eat in the car, only on vacation. We buy used cars, but have always kept them clutter-free, out of habit I guess. It's rather an expensive investment, so I would have difficulty leaving trash in it or spilling drinks/ food on seats. Maybe it is because it takes much more energy to clean up the fabric seat from a spill, than to just go into a restuarant and sit at a table or take it home. When the dc were small, I felt like letting them eat/drink in the car was a set-up for failure/conflict, if they then spilled it because of the moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer3141 Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 We have one 12 year old car and one brand spanking new car. I vacuumed the new car last night because the little bit of dirt bugged me. I gave the 12 year old a thorough cleaning earlier in the fall but I haven't vacuumed it since. I have to tell the kids 10 times when we get home to get all their carp out of the car because we really did let our old one get too dirty. No more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted November 11, 2012 Share Posted November 11, 2012 just cleaned it out, so right now it's immaculate. I try and empty it out every night of any clutter, toys, wrappers but that doesnt always happen. My good friend's van is so bad that when she opens the side door she has to literally hold in all the garbage so it doesnt spill onto the street :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 My car is not "tidy" but not completely trashed either. It does need a good vaccuum out and dd's stuff put back where it belongs. Thank God for those little pouches in the back of the front seats, those things are stuffed in my car with window scrapers, umbrellas, toys, extra clothes and lord knows what else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 My truck is clean. No food, no drinks except water, no trash, no toys. There is stuff in the door pockets - lotion, chapstick, flashlight, knife, tire air pressure gage, directions to the music teacher's house. In the center arm rest is a collection of extra cd's, an extra flashlight, a catalog to browse while stuck somewhere and emergency snacks. Under the flip-up back seat is my cloth grocery bags, a picnic blanket, an emergency blanket, 2 bottles of water, and a first aid kit. In the pocket of the seat, are some colored pens, paper, a bouncey ball, a pair of headphones, and a pack of wiki sticks. Even though I haven't vacuumed this week, I count my truck as clean, not messy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 No. Not neat. But not as messy as someone I know. (My brother at times. He once cleaned out his car with a shovel) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Messy. It's my "office," as I'm walking dogs during the day and eat lunch in the car, so I have papers (notebooks) and detris from lunch. I also tend to keep things in it, like my bible study/church tote, because I'm all about convenience and don't want to bring things in and out. I can never seem to keep leaves and dirt out, either--even if I use dh's car for a week or so (when I'm off and he isn't home), it always gets stuff on the floor. It never does for him, and he doesn't vacuum it out. IDK, maybe I have "sticky shoes" or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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