How To Make A DIY Front Seat Car Car Organizer
My car is affectionatley called “The Dumpster”.
It’s always messy, sticky, and full of junk. When we purchased The Dumpster my oldest son was 4 and my youngest son was only a few months old. They have put that poor car’s interior through hell (and maybe, me too a little). In honor of The Dumpster’s 10th birthday (and our up coming road trip) I have decided not only to clean out and detail the car – but to organize it as well.
I’m taking baby steps, and step one is to clean up my own area – the front seat. To that end, I decided I needed a front seat organizer to hold all the junk that piles up on the floor boards (like trash) and miscellanous items that collect in the front seat.
Project Details
Cost: $2.14 + stuff around the house
Time: 30 minutes
The first thing I did was spend hours on Pinterest looking at all the fabulously organized and neat and tidy cars while I drooled – just a little. Then I realized that I had everything I needed already at the house and gathered up my supplies.
Supplies
1 sock organizer (from Dollar Tree)
1 drawer organizer (from Dollar Tree)
1 shipping box, approx the size of a shirt box. I used an old Priority Mail box I had around.
Spray paint
Clear Cups
2 Clothes Pins
Directions
This is so stupidly simple, directions aren’t really directions – but here is what I did.
Create a tray to hold the drawer organizers (so you can easily move the whole thing when you have a front seat passenger and so it keeps things tidy). You can use a box like I did, or re-purpose an existing tray or rectangular basket you already have around (a box lid from a copy paper box would work great too!). Just make sure it will hold your drawer organizers fairly snugly. I created my tray by cutting the top of the box, reinforcing the corners on the inside with tape and then spray painting the whole thing with some paint I had in the cupboard. Allow to dry.
Place the drawer inserts inside the tray. I selected a sock organizer and placed clear plastic cups in some of the “sections” to seperate items and keeps loose items like change handy.
In the second drawer organizer I inserted a grocery bag to hold trash. I can easily lift it out and toss the trash when it is full. If you don’t need a trash container, just leave as is and use for DVDs, library books, and other items that you need to have with you.
[box type=”info”] Hint: Keep extra grocery sacks at the bottom so there is new one ready to go when you toss the old one.[/box]
I attached 2 clothes pins to have on hand in case I need an extra set of hands to hold papers, driving directions, etc.
Fill your caddy with items you need on hand. I have asprin, a comb, an extra pair of sunglasses, a mini first aid kit (band-aids, q-tips, antibiotic ointment, carmex, etc.)
I also have another container that hold hand sanitizer and a travel sewing kit. I’m going to add some tissues too. I leave one of the spaces free to hold my phone. Another spot, I’m going to use to hold tokens and loose change for the toll booth. Think about your families needs and fill accordingly. Leave a few empty spots to hold stuff you didn’t think of (like french fries when you have to eat on the run). I’m also going to add a small container of sunscreen and bug spray. You can use the seat belt to hold the tray in place if desired so stuff doesn’t fly everywhere if you have to hit the breaks.
My front seat organizer is a success. It only cost $2.14 to make (plus the items I already had around the house). Now to figure out a configuration that will work for the back seat and meet the needs of my two growing sons. I’ll let you know how that one turns out!
Let me know if you have ideas on improving this car organizer or share tips on how you keep your car organized.
The Dumpster may have to get a new nickname if I keep this up!