5 Must-Have Items For Your Car

We use our cars every day, so sometimes it can feel as though they become an extension of our handbags and backpacks, our briefcases and even our homes!

Many aspects of our material lives seem to spread into our cars and stay there for months. That book you meant to return to a mate two weeks ago, the backup shoes you took a party, your gym gear… the list goes on. When all of these items pile up, it can be difficult to find the stuff that we actually need in the jumble of mess that has accumulated. That’s why having a good car cleanout at least once a month is essential. In fact, you should be cleaning your car far more often than that! Once you’ve given your set of wheels a decent muck out, it’s time to replenish it with a few essential and nifty items that will vastly improve your day-to-day life. Here are 5 must-have items for your car!

1. Jumper Cables

This is often the most important and obvious accessory to keep in your car. Not only for yourself but for others too. Being a good driver means taking the time to help out someone with a flat battery. You would hope that they would do the same for you in return, should you find yourself in their shoes. A flat battery always seems to strike at the most inconvenient times; in the carpark of your local supermarket, on the side of the highway or at the gas station. Carrying a set of jumper cables can get you out of a few sticky situations in a jiffy, and prevent a nightmare day of late appointments from occurring!

2. Enviro Bags

As of July 1, plastic supermarket bags have been banned in QLD. This means that you need to remember your enviro bags whenever you head to do the grocery shopping. There’s nothing more frustrating than getting there and realising that you’ve left them at home! Keep a couple of enviro bags in the boot of your car to avoid having to purchase more every time you pop into Coles or Woolies for a couple of items. They also make great mats for dirty shoes if the kids jump in the back, muddy after soccer practice – just whack them in the washing machine afterwards!

3. Wet Ones

Mothers worldwide sing the praises of Wet Ones! But it isn’t just mothers that can benefit from having them close by at all times! We’ve all had a sneaky snack or two on the way home from work, in the car. Everyone knows that this can lead to sticky fingers messing up everything from your steering wheel, to your gear stick and even the dash. Keeping Wet Ones stashed in your glovebox, or easily accessible in your centre console, will combat the grease stains left by these guilty pleasures. Leave zero traces the large chips from Maccas drive-thru that you annihilated in two seconds flat, and it’ll be like it never happened!

4. A Car Seatbelt for your Pooch

Many people don’t realise that car safety for dogs is very important. You want to ensure that they are secured in case of an accident too, so providing them with their very own harness seatbelt is a wise precaution for all car trips. Seatbelt harnesses work much like walking harnesses, but are made to loop onto, or plug into, your existing car seatbelts. Be sure to find one that fits your dog snugly so that they don’t wriggle out. Opting for a harness that plugs into the seatbelt is the best option. It will keep your pooch on a shorter lead so that they cannot distract you while you’re driving, and it will also prevent them from surging forwards should you break suddenly.

An important note on car safety for dogs: Never travel with your furry friend in the front seat! Children cannot handle the pressure from an expanding airbag in the front passenger seat if you crash, and neither can dogs.