8 tips to keep your car clutter-free

Is your car clutter 'driving' you crazy? These suggestions may help.

Keep a small plastic laundry basket on the floor behind the driver's seat and use it to hold all those magazines, videos, cleaning supplies, catalogs, maps and anything else you accumulate. Your clutter will be confined to one spot, and when you give someone a ride, you won't have to scurry to make space for your passenger. You also won't have to fib about how you've been "meaning to clean up all this mess."

It's important to keep your car's registration and the records of mileage, maintenance and repair warranties where you can put your hands on them quickly. If they regularly get lost in the mess in your glove compartment, store them in a self-sealing plastic bag.

Store spare coins in a used pill bottle and keep it in your car's cup holder. This way, you'll always have the right change ready for paying tolls or using in drink or candy machines along the way. No more, "Can you please give me change for a 20?"

Keep a number of plastic trash bags in your car for unexpected uses. You never know when you'll need a container for things you acquire on the road or when you'll need to wrap something greasy to keep it from soiling your upholstery. Likewise, if you spill something on your driver or front passenger seat, simply pull a trash bag over the seat if you have to drive before the offending spill dries. The bags can also protect your upholstery and carpet if your kids or pets pile in the car while wet or muddy.

If you have a worn briefcase, don't throw it out; put it to good use. Fill it with the tools you need to carry in your car and store it in the trunk. If you get a flat tire or engine trouble on the road, the tools will be neatly packaged and readily at hand.

If you're likely to be driving through snowy areas, keep a shovel handy in case you have to dig out your car. Your best bet? A child's sturdy toy shovel, which works better than you may think for digging out your car — and of course, it will take up less room in the trunk than a cumbersome full-size snow shovel.

If you're a woman who likes to hold on to her old handbags, you could stash an old oversized one with lots of pockets and zippered compartments in the trunk as an emergency kit. Pack it with a container of motor oil, a can of multi-purpose lubricant, a wrench, bottled water and any other odds and ends you might need.

Make a convenient carrier for the various fluids you need to keep on hand for your car, like bottles of motor oil and transmission fluid. Simply take one of those multiple drink carriers from a local fast-food joint and reinforce the bottom with duct tape. It will ensure all of the containers are in one place and keep them from sliding around in the trunk.

Your reliable old car will take on a whole new look once you de-clutter and organize the interior — plus, you'll always have everything you need close at hand.