Car Organization 101

Car organization - now that's a topic that gets you excited, huh?!?  Sure it's not the most visually interesting thing for us to talk about, but it can be essential to keeping your car space as neat and orderly as possible.  Pre-child, I always had a pretty clean interior in my car.  I even opted for the seemingly luxurious light beige interior finishes, which I definitely regret now...

Once our babe's toys started taking over the backseat - mind you, they're typically flug from the carseat, ending up on the seats, on the floor, under the seats, you name it - we decided to head over to The Container Store to find an inexpensive solution to our containment problem.  We ended up purchasing a flexible plastic tub that fits perfectly under the carseat and nicely holds all the spoils of backseat entertainment attempts.

My little containment inspiration...blatantly ignoring my pleas to say "cheese!"

Now for the useful information.  Here are a few great containers I found that may help you meet your own car organization needs, kids or not:

For the floorboard...

Small Rugby Stripe Bin ($10) from containerstore.com

Large Tribeca Bin ($12) from containerstore.com

Household Essentials Tapered Bin ($10) from amazon.com

For the trunk...

Folding Trunk Organizer ($12) from containerstore.com

Nesting Trunk Trays ($28 for all 3) from containerstore.com

For under the seats...

Clear Document Cases ($8-$10) from containerstore.com

Silver Square Mesh Lunch Box ($13) from containerstore.com

For your seat back...

Backseat Organizer ($16) from containerstore.com

Munchkin Backseat Organizer ($10) from amazon.com

A few things to consider:

1) Make sure you measure the space for your tub or container before going out to make a purchase. It was important to us to find something that wouldn't encroach on the floor space of the other two seats, so we weren't taking up valuable leg room of any guests in our car.

2) A bin or container with a little give to it - something made of malleable plastic or canvas - will be more forgiving of your dimensions and allow you to fit it into a tighter space under the seats or along the floorboard.

3) The beauty of these organization items is that they can be moved around or removed depending on your space requirements.  You're tidying your space without making a permanent commitment.

Do you have any other good ideas to share with the rest of us as we approach Summer Car Trip season?  Any great car containers you've seen?  Please leave a comment below!  -Kristen