Clutter Crush: Day 1

The first week of August is "Simplify Your Life Week!" Let's celebrate by talking about the art of de-cluttering.

Of course, there are hundreds of people who talk about reducing clutter on a regular basis, and if you don't know who Marie Kondo is by now, you probably live in a secluded cottage in the middle of the woods (and I envy you). But in the spirit of Simplify Your Life Week, I will do my best to suggest places to declutter that may normally slip your mind.

One of my biggest problem spots is my car.

My typical habits include: leaving fast food trash in my car for way too long, ripping off the straw wrappers and throwing them on the floor, deciding it isn't worth it to dig under my seat for that M&M I just dropped, and (when I was working 3 jobs) leaving DISHES IN MY CAR because I never gave myself enough time to eat AND get to work every day. And don't get me started on the explosion of dog fur that always covers my back seat, courtesy of Bleu, my yellow Labrador Retriever.

Cluttered spaces = cluttered minds. And I wonder why I get so frazzled every time I drive!

Whether you are conscious of it or not, driving in a cluttered vehicle can definitely impact your mood. It can put you more on edge during your morning commute and even sour your mood on the way home. Worse, if you leave the mess in your car for too long, you won't feel like cleaning it at all!

Let's CRUSH THAT CLUTTER. (I hope you read that in a game show announcer voice because that's what I was going for.)

Set Aside a Time to Clean

First and foremost, dedicate a specific time to clean your car. I've seen this all over Pinterest, the idea of assigning "special" chores to one Sunday per month, since they don't necessarily need to be done every week. Pick a day you normally have off every month and dedicate some of your day to decluttering your car. It won't take as long as you think it will. Just make sure to pick a specific day. Put it in your calendar if you have to!

I usually give myself about an hour and a half, but you probably don't need as much time unless you also have a dog that sheds more than Appa the Flying Bison.

Tackle the Mess in Steps

Here's what I bring out to the car: a trash bag, a tote bag, Windex, paper towels/cleaning cloth, and a disinfectant spray.

First, I take all the trash and toss it into the trash bag. If you're anything like me, this will be most of the mess.

Then I take everything that doesn't belong in the car and put it into a tote bag. (Or laundry basket, backpack, whatever... just don't mistake your trash bag for your "inside stuff" bag!) Usually for me, this includes dishes, hoodies, books, dog toys, etc. If you have things you want to keep in the car but don't use super often, grab a bin from the dollar store and keep it stashed in your trunk. I try to keep all of my reusable grocery bags in my trunk because otherwise I forget them on shopping day. Now, there should be nothing left in your car that doesn't belong!

Now that all the "stuff" is out of the car, I tackle the insides of the windows. My car has lots of puppy nose prints! Some people say that newspaper works great for cleaning windows and mirrors without leaving streaks, but I don't usually have any laying around, so I'll use either paper towels or a cloth.

Next, I wipe down everything I touch with the disinfectant. Steering wheel, command central buttons and nobs, the inner door handles, gear shift, everything. Don't spray directly onto anything in the car, especially the command center; spray your cloth instead. After that, I wipe down the dash board and cup holders.

The last thing I do is vacuum out the car. I was surprised to learn that not all of my friends vacuum their vehicle, but for me and my shedding buddy, it is a MUST. Even if you don't have dogs, spending that extra 20 minutes vacuuming can really make a huge difference, and when you're done, your car will look brand new!

Vehicle "Must-Haves"

As much as I love reading Buzzfeed lists full of Amazon products that are "must haves" for your vehicle/bedroom/road trip/kitchen/whatever, most of those items are not actually necessary. Nevertheless, I have decided to include a list of my own, but have no fear; my list is very short and sweet.

1) an air freshener. You can get these for as little as $1. Replace them once a month and you'll have a fresh-smelling car that is all the more wonderful to drive every morning.

2) a phone mount. TEXTING AND DRIVING IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM THAT CAUSES UNNECESSARY DEATHS EVERY DAY. I get it, the temptation to get on your phone is REAL, but literally nothing on your phone is worth someone's life, INCLUDING YOURS. Get a secure phone mount so you can access your maps or podcasts for your drive, but please don't drive distracted.

3) a trash bag. Just to keep the trash off the ground. You don't need a fancy car trash bin, just a Walmart bag looped on the back of a seat. Make sure you can reach it safely and won't smack anyone in the face and you're good to go.

That's it! Just those three things. If you feel like splurging on fun "car hack" items, just make sure you don't get so many that you clutter up your space!

The Extra Mile

If you really want to take it a bit further, you can get your car detailed or do it yourself at home! Paying someone else to do it can get a bit pricey, but it's better than a face lift. Make sure you find a place that will deep clean your seats as well! If you want to tackle it at home, Q-tips will be your best friend.

If you can't afford to splurge on a detail job, hitting up a car wash is the next best thing. Since we currently live in an apartment complex, I can't pull up to my window and stretch an extension cord in order to vacuum my car. Instead, we've tracked down a few car wash places that have some extra perks: FREE super power vacuums (this can seriously cut your vacuum time in half if you have tons of dog fur like me) and big trash bins so you can dump all those BK bags and Starbucks cups. You'll have to pay for a car wash to access the vacuums but it's worth it to have a squeaky clean car!

I know this isn't groundbreaking information, but sometimes things like cleaning our car slips the mind. I invite you to simplify this week by decluttering your car and turning it into a space where you can breathe easy and relax.

Question of the Day: Have you named your car? Drop it in the comments below!