Cars, kids, dogs, life; that's essentially what happens, and often in that order, when you have a vehicle. However, the chaos that invades your vehicle and your life as a result of having kids and pets shouldn't remain in your car. In fact, if you continue to drive around in a vehicle filled with junk and trash, you may find that your driving is hampered at the least, dangerous and distracted at most.
Granted, there are probably lots of things you need to keep in your vehicle, and for good reasons. Yet, there are ways to keep things neat and tidy too, no matter how many kids and/or pets you have. An organized vehicle is much easier to do than you think too.
Let's Start with the Backseat
Kids and pets can leave quite the mess in the backseat. Among the snacks, drinks, toys, and pet hair all over, it's not surprising that the backseat ends up being a terror even when the front seat looks clean and tidy. There are three organization and prevention products that can help with this situation.
One, use back-of-seat hooks to hang reusable garbage bags. If you recycle plastic grocery bags, this works too. Train the kids to put their wrappers and juice boxes in the bags when they are done, or if they are too little to do this, do it before taking the kids out of their car seats. It helps to keep things a little tidier.
Two, utilize a pet "sheet" protector that fits over the back seat and secures around it. If you transport your dog(s), the fur sticks to this protector and not to your car's upholstery. It also prevents your upholstery from getting mud and wet dog smell ground in, should your favorite furry friend(s) get in the vehicle wet and/or muddy.
Use the seat pockets for storing small toys and devices that entertain the kids. It will keep the toys and devices off the floor and within reach when the kids are getting whiny or fussy being in the car for a while. It also makes these items easier to find because you know exactly where you put them.
Organizing the Trunk
Let's face it-- the trunk is the dead man's zone for literally everything you don't want to put away or don't' have time to put away. Sometimes you don't have a space for something, and the trunk just seems ideal for storing these odd-out items.
Organizing your trunk is fairly simple. Get special trunk organizers that have slots and pockets. These are usually made of canvas and can fold up or down to make room for other stuff. When you have them fully opened, you can store all of the loose stuff in your trunk with zero difficulty. If you don't want to purchase these sorts of organization totes, heavy duty cardboard boxes or clear plastic totes work just as well. Leave yourself enough room in the trunk for groceries, and you're good to go.