Declutter Glove Box {15 Minute Mission}

Today's mission is to declutter your glove box, removing trash and things that don't belong, and then restocking it using the list I've provided below to make sure you've got the right stuff in there.


This mission is designed to be done while working on the Car Organization Challenge here on the site, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge.

The steps for completing this mission are simple and straight forward.

First, open up your glove compartment or glove box, and remove everything.

Second, look at the stacks and piles of stuff that had been in there and throw away any trash.

Finally, third, now put away anything else, most likely back in your house, that does not belong in your glove compartment that had previously been stashed in there. For example, organize or throw away receipts, and file or shred other papers (with a few exceptions I will mention below that should stay in your glove box at all times).

Similarly, condiment packets, hair bands, and more most likely need to get put somewhere else, at least if you've got a whole lot of them.

Anything that you keep in your glove box, just like anywhere else in your car, needs to basically earn its spot to belong in this space.

Below I've created a list of essential and recommended items to keep in your glove box to help you choose the right items to keep in this small space.


Photo courtesy of emily @ go haus go

Before & After Photos From Reader Who Has Done This Mission

Here's before and after photos sent in by a reader, Brandy, who's done this mission.

She got rid of some of the trash in there, and got rid of some of the papers not needed, so there was now plenty of room for what she was keeping.

List Of Essential And Recommended Items To Store In Your Glove Box

Once you've cleared the clutter from your glove compartment now you will have room to add to it what you really do need.

Here's my list, with most of these items being recommended, but a few that I specifically note I consider essential.

Some of these items are there because legally they are required, or because they are helpful to you while you're driving, or are part of your car emergency kit.

Others are listed for this location because they're small and might get lost in a larger storage location like your trunk.

• Proof of insurance and registration (essential, because typically it is the law that you must have these in your vehicle while driving)


• Critical medical information in case you or a family member are in an accident and cannot communicate


• Emergency contact information (for the same reason as above. You can fill out this free printable emergency contact information form for both this information and for the vital medical information notes I mentioned above)


• Contact information, membership number and other info for your roadside assistance service


• Pen and small notepad (if you are in an accident you may need to exchange information or write down information)


• Vehicle maintenance log to track your vehicle mileage and maintenance information (you can get free printable vehicle maintenance log forms here) or create your own (the link tells you how)


• Owner's manual for your vehicle (assuming it fits, some of them these days are huge!). This can help you identify what the lights mean that come on, on your dashboard, and simple but important things like the size of the wiper blades you need to purchase periodically to fit your car.


• Small flashlight (I suggest a wind up flashlight (referral link) if you tend to forget to replace batteries)


• Tire gauge (referral link)


• Extra fuses for vehicle lights (these are small, so your glove compartment is a good place to keep them), they come in really handy when you realize a tail light or headlight is out while traveling


• Phone charger (you may want to consider a wind up USB phone charger (referral link) if you are concerned about losing power in your vehicle to charge your phone)


• Small first aid kit (optional, it depends if you have any first aid supplies in your trunk, and how convenient you want them to be while traveling in the car, since getting in the trunk is more hassle than getting into the glove compartment)


• Hand sanitizer or small package of baby wipes (for times like after you pump gas, or similar things, when you want to clean your hands


• Paper map of your city or town (yes, I know there is GPS on phones and other navigation systems, but this can be really handy in an emergency)

What do you think should be in your glove compartment? Tell me below in the comments.

In addition, once you do this mission I would love to see how it goes, so please send me your photos here. The best ones will be featured here on the site.

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!

Get This Vehicle Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home

Right now you're decluttering your vehicle, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in this space.

Get your 1 page vehicle decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.

I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.

In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!

Check Out These Car Organizers

I've created a round up list of over 30 car organizers in my Amazon store (referral link) that you can check out, if this article has inspired you to get your car organized. Once at my store scroll down to find the list of car organizers.


Top photo courtesy of HighTechDad

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