How to Declutter a Car: Organizing My Hoarder Husband's Vehicle

1. Emptying out the car

So, to get started, we will put all these main things that must go into the new car onto the side of the road, hopefully allowing us to get rid of all the other junk. We're making progress. We officially now have the start of the rubbish pile. We are tight on time, so I want to do this quickly.  

All right, so a new pile. This is the random type of stuff Tom has in his car. Not only are more missing Tupperware containers, but this is foul. That is covered in hair fluff and green growing mold. There are lids everywhere. Have we ever put anything in the bin? I also found more cutlery. He also has a bag of hay in his car.  

Just when I thought it couldn't get any more disgusting, I found a used toothpick that I think is the end that has been chewed more than the actual brush has been used.

I'm filling up just bags and bags of rubbish, and I was going to work out and go through all the recyclables separately later, but there's just so much stuff. What I've got is a paper bag, which is recyclable, and I'll start filling up all the recycles. 

I'm going to be a little bit more efficient, hopefully. So while Tom is in the car and he can't see what I'm doing, I'm just going to throw stuff out seriously. I don't care. It's all going, and he won't know any better. 

2. The back seat and trunk

Okay. So we're now doing the back seat of the car—a breadboard. I've washed the keep cups and will put them neatly into the coffee cup holders where they belong. I'm making progress. This feels good.

I seriously don't know why Tom didn't get a four-wheel drive with a big trunk in the first place. I don't know. He could never have fit all his stuff in his existing car. So the trunk is done. 

3. The passenger front seat

I will tackle the most significant part, the passenger front seat. I have a feeling we'll find some sweaty stuff here. It's like this car was designed for Thomas. Even his deodorant fits perfectly in the driver's seat.

I found an unopened present he had lost and paperwork. I found my credit card and a check. There's a check here for $175. Among the things that didn't belong was an ice scoop.  

As I clean, I'm just discovering the neat hides-holes where I can neatly put Tom's stuff into the new car. 

The passenger seat was filled with junk, and when I thought I was done with the worst of the passenger seat, I peeled Tom's car seat back and found socks attached to a hat.

So Tom has been looking for this credit card for about a month. It was canceled or locked, but it was in the front passenger seat.

It's seen better days. There are countless batteries, a sunglasses lens, and some loose change glued with dirt to the bottom of the car. I will be having a long, hot shower after this. No words. 

I'm making progress because he's not here, so he can't see all the stuff I'm throwing out. I found a five-dollar bill and a check for $175, but I also found $10 and my driver's license, which I lost ages ago. You can see the seats for the first time in a long time.

I have two bags with me. One is a recyclable bag, where I can throw anything that's paper or plastic or anything to be recycled. The other bag is just pure, absolute rubbish. As you can see, it's a lot bigger and heavier than the recyclable one. 

4. Finished decluttering and organization 

I did it. I have decluttered Tom's car. It's taken me, I think, 3 hours, and I'm now going to take it to be professionally detailed because this needs serious, hardcore industrial cleaning.

Now, I will show you the new car and how I've organized things in the wonderful compartments within the new car. So it is easy for Tom to keep the new car while we borrow it. Neat, tidy, organized, and clutter and junk free. 

I have organized all of Tom's stuff, so he has his money, hay fever medication, and some keys neatly organized in this little deep pocket so nothing can roll around the important coffee cup holder or water bottle holder.

In the door, we have Tom's home grooming salon. We have deodorant sunscreen and thickening hairspray, which I never knew he was using. It's like this car was built for Tom. Over in the passenger side, we have an umbrella and a beanie for cold, wet weather days.

I think this car's most valuable storage part is the side armrest. We have Tom's dental salon. Here we have some toothpaste, mouthwash, a pen, and a charger.

We also have Tom's portable coffee machine, some Panadol, and some plastic bags to help keep his car neat, tidy, organized, and clutter-free. Now, because of the massive trunk, I've neatly put all of Tom's stuff into the trunk. 

We now have three spare seats. We can be a family again or travel in one car together. I need to get the kid's car seats installed. 

How to declutter your car

Have you had to declutter your car? What was the oddest thing you found while decluttering? Share your car decluttering stories in the comments below.