Car Owners Will Save Tons of Money & Space With These Tips

Ashley - March 3, 2023
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Cars are literally one of the best inventions of the modern age. They’re an absolute necessity for most people, and even those who live in areas with excellent public transportation like to keep a vehicle on hand for emergencies or big trips. Despite all their many benefits, cars aren’t perfect. Plenty of issues pop up from time to time, and many of them require a trained professional to handle them. However, there are dozens of hacks, tips, and tricks that will save you a boatload of time, money, and space once you learn about them. Every car owner needs to read this list and take notes because we’re about to make your life a million times easier!

DIY Car Air Freshener

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Every car owner needs to have an air freshener in their vehicle. Smells stick in the fabric and upholstery of cars, and without an air freshener, you’ll be left rolling down your windows constantly for a breath of fresh air. This DIY air freshener is super easy, effective, and way better than those little air fresheners you hang from your rearview mirror. Just grab a mason jar and some scented candles for this hack. Poke some holes in the lid of your jar (or other container) and put the candle wax in the jar. Then, place the container in your car’s cup holder. Every time your car gets warm, the wax will begin to melt and emit a pleasant scent. This is a hack that keeps working for you every time you use your car! All you have to do is add more wax when the container starts getting low.

Shoe Organizers Aren’t Just for Shoes!

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All car owners struggle with storage space at some point. Perhaps you work a job where you keep a lot of materials in your vehicle, or you’re a busy parent struggling to contain all the things needed to keep your kids entertained. Well, you’ll never have to worry about storage space in your car again with this trick! Grab some shoe organizers and hang them over the backs of the driver and passenger seats. You can store a ton of stuff in this organizers, and it’s a great solution for items you want to have in easy reach.

Ceiling Storage Hack

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This is another great storage hack every car owner needs to keep in their back pocket. Whether you’re heading out for a trip or simply want to keep some items in your car for emergencies, this hack gives you the ability to store a bunch of extra stuff without it taking up a ton of passenger space. the ceiling of your vehicle is a hidden oasis of storage space. All you need is a mesh net and some bungee cords to bring this hack to life. Just take four bungee cords and tie a mesh net between them. Then, attach the bungee cords to the four grab bars in your car, and you’re ready to roll!

Gas Station Tip

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All the space-saving hacks in the world won’t help much if your car runs out of gas! Gas prices can get a little crazy, which is why it’s essential to know all the tricks you can about getting your money’s worth at the gas station. When you rush your visit to the gas station, you tend to get a good amount of air in your tank, which minimizes the amount of gas you’re getting. Take your time when filling your tank up, and don’t jiggle to nozzle or hose! This is how you avoid getting air in your gas tank.

Hand Sanitizer to the Rescue

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Everyone started carrying hand sanitizer around back in 2018, and it’s a habit that many continue to this day. Hand sanitizer is great for destroying nasty germs and giving you a little peace of mind, but it has another use that makes it an invaluable tool for car owners. Those who live in areas with freezing temperatures and heavy snowfall know the struggle of discovering their keyhole is frozen solid. All you need to do is pour some hand sanitizer into the keyhole to melt the ice! You’ll be able to unlock your car in minutes with this hack, and you’ll never be late to work because of an iced-over keyhole again!

No More Scratches

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Owning a car comes with a lot of expenses. There are the registration fees, insurance payments, the cost of gas, and the cost of repairs if your car gets damaged. Many people are super careful drivers and manage to avoid dings while out and about, but one of the most common causes of scratches on car doors is an inadequately sized garage. If your garage doesn’t have the correct width, then you’ll end up scratching your doors along the walls every time you get in and out of your vehicle. A simple solution is to grab some cheap pool noodles and stick them on the walls. This provides a cushion for when you open your doors and prevents costly scratches.

Avoid Awkward Moments at the Gas Station

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How many times have you pulled up to a gas pump and realized your gas tank is on the other side? Then you have to do that awkward loop of shame around the gas station to get your car’s gas tank aligned with the pump. It’s a moment we’ve all experienced and one that no one wants to go through again! Take a look at the gas gauge in your car. You’ll see an arrow pointing in the direction of your gas tank, just like shown in this picture! This is a simple trick to remind yourself how to park every time you visit the gas station.

Another Garage Parking Tip

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Garage parking is a skill that can take a while to master. Even when you have enough room to park width-wise, you still have to make sure you stop short of the front wall. Many bumpers get scratched this way, and the cost of fixing the same scratches over and over will really add up over time! Here’s a great trick to prevent this from happening and give you peace of mind when parking. Take a tennis ball and hang it from a length of a string. Then, hang the string from the ceiling of the garage a safe distance away from the front wall. You can even measure the distance between your windshield and the wall if you want to get super specific with this hack. Then, when you go to park your car, you stop once you run into the tennis ball. This makes for easy, effortless parking every time.

Let the Sun Work for You

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Living in areas of heavy snow and freezing temperatures can cause a ton of issues for car owners. There’s the obvious issue of driving on snowy, icy roads, but there’s a less obvious issue that causes daily problems for car owners. Ice will freeze over your windshield and make it impossible for you to go anywhere until you’ve let it completely defrost, which can take forever! A simple trick is to park your car facing east and let the morning sun defrost your windshield for you.

Summer Cooling Tip

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We all know the struggle of driving through the muggy summer heat. It’s nearly impossible to stay cool while driving during the warmest months of the year unless you have the air conditioner constantly blasting. However, if your a/c dies on you, then you’re left sweating until you figure something else out. Many people will try rolling down all the windows in a desperate attempt for fresh air, but this isn’t the best way to cool off. Only roll down the front driver and passenger side windows when you need to cool down. This creates the perfect path for warm air to flow out and cool air to flow in!

The Best Keyring Hack

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Keyrings are an easy way to keep all your small, invaluable keys together, but trying to add or remove anything can be a difficult and painful process. Those little keyrings are powerful and can pinch your skin until it feels like it’s going to fall off! Rather than risk the skin on your fingers and hands, try this trick the next time you need to get something on your keyring. Just take a staple remover and use it to pry open the keyring and hold it while you attach your new key. It’s easy, effective, and way safer for your fingers!

Essential Ice Melting Hack

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Car owners living in colder climates have it rough. How many times have you been late to work because the ice on your windshield took too long to melt? When ice builds up on your windshield and threatens to ruin your day, don’t panic! Just think back on this hack. All you need is a spray bottle, water, and vinegar. Pour the water and vinegar into the spray bottle, then spray your windshield with the solution. Boom! The ice will start melting away instantly, and after a quick wipe, you’ll be on your way.

Easy Organizer Hack

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Cars can get cluttered pretty easily between purses, umbrellas, reusable bags, and garbage bags. There are plenty of times when you want to keep your seats and the floor of your vehicle clear of clutter, and this hack makes organizing your stuff super simple. All you need are a couple of carabiners. Just attach them to the seat adjusters, and bam! You have the perfect spot to hang your purse, umbrella, bags, etc. This trick will keep things off your floor and seats while still keeping them in a secured spot.

Pool Noodles for Sealing Gaps

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The seat gaps in cars are like little black holes. Anything that falls down there is nearly impossible to retrieve and can cause a major headache for car owners. Thankfully, there’s a super easy solution to this problem. All you need to do is grab a cheap pool noodle from the store and cut it to size. Then you can stick it in the gap to seal it off. You’ll never have to worry about dropping your keys down there again!

Weight Matters in the Winter

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One of the worst parts of driving in the winter is dealing with icy roads. Black ice is basically impossible to see, and you won’t know you’re driving on it until you feel your car losing traction. It’s a scary feeling and makes many car owners cautious about driving in extremely cold weather. However, there’s a way to combat the danger. Placing a few heavy bags of salt in your trunk will help add weight to your rear wheels, which can increase your traction and control on the road. Of course, this trick only works for rear-wheel drive cars. Still, the salt could come in handy for any car owner who encounters an icy sidewalk, so keeping salt in the trunk is probably a good idea for everyone!

Keep Your Wipers Clean

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How often do you clean your windshield wipers? Probably not very often. Most people don’t think to clean these manually and assume they’ll get a nice wash every time it rains. It’s actually very important to take the time to clean your wipers because rain isn’t enough to keep them in top shape. These wipers are what give you visibility when it rains or snows, so you want them to be at peak performance all the time! Just use a microfiber cloth and glass cleaner once a week to keep your wipers squeaky clean.

Paper Towel Roll in the Trunk

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Paper towels are such an awesome resource to have available. They’re great for cleaning up little spills and messes, placing over the steering wheel when it’s burning from the summer sun, and checking your oil stick. But you can’t just throw a roll of paper towels on the floor of your car because they’ll get covered in dirt and grime. An excellent solution is to use a length of rope to secure the roll to your trunk just like the person in this picture did! You’ll have easy access to clean paper towels whenever you need them.

No More Messy Cupholders

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Cupholders are like magnets for dust, dirt, and other debris to gather. No matter how hard you try to keep your car clean, these little spots will constantly accumulate a mess. A super simple trick to keep your cupholders clean is to line them with cupcake papers. These little papers will fit perfectly in your cupholder and collect all the dirt and dust that circles around the inside of your car. Then, you just toss them when they get dirty and replace them with clean papers. It’s an easy and effective solution!

Easy Sticker Removal

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Car stickers are a fun phase every car owner goes through at some point. It’s fun to throw cute little animal stickers or ones detailing your favorite movie on the bumper of your car. But these stickers can be incredibly tricky to remove and often leave an unappealing residue. An easy hack to remove stickers without all the hassle is to use your hairdryer! Grab your hairdryer and apply heat to the decal for a few minutes. Then, peel away the sticker and your bumper will look good as new underneath!

Slime for Easy Cleaning

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Cleaning your car’s interior can be seriously time-consuming. Paying for a professional to do the job is an option, but it’s pretty costly. Instead of spending hours using different cleaners on the different surfaces in your car, try this easy hack to get everything looking sparkling clean. Use a wad of slime to get all the dust, dirt, and debris off your car’s interior. This is an incredible hack that works way better than using microfiber cloths because the slime can get into all those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies.

Toothpaste Isn’t Just for Cleaning Teeth

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Your car’s headlights are a vital component of driving safely. You need your headlights to be nice and clear so you can see curves and dangers in the road, especially late at night or in poor visibility. When most people realize their headlights have gotten foggy and less functional, they bring their car to the garage to get them replaced. Save yourself a big garage bill and grab a tube of Colgate instead! Rub the toothpaste onto your headlight with a toothbrush, then wipe it away with a clean cloth. Your headlights will look good as new.

Another Epic Cleaning Hack

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Car dashboards get dirty no matter how hard you try to keep them clean. All types of dust, dirt and other super tiny debris will settle there and give your dashboard a sketchy fuzzy appearance if you don’t clean it regularly. This awesome hack will clean your dashboard and keep it looking clean for longer. Simply grab some olive oil, a coffee filter, and a clean rag to get started. Pour a couple of drops of olive oil through the coffee filter and onto your dashboard. Then, rub the oil over your dashboard and leave it to dry. You’ll have a shiny, squeaky clean dashboard that lasts way longer than dry dusting!

Socks On the Windshield Wipers

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Your windshield wipers are your best friends during rough weather. These little guys make it possible for us to drive through rain or snow, which is why we need to make sure we’re taking proper care of them. It’s important to give your wipers a good wipe down every once in a while to ensure they’re not full of dust, leaves, pine needles, and other debris. Another excellent trick is to cover your windshield wipers with socks during harsh weather. It will keep snow from piling up on them and make it easier for you to get going in the mornings.

Eccentric Extra Cup Holder

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There never seem to be enough cupholders when you’re taking a trip with friends or family. When you desperately need a drink but have nowhere safe to put it, what do you do? Well, the next time that happens to you, remember this trip! Most adult shoes provide a snug fit for cups and will hold them steady during the drive. Wedge your shoe somewhere safe, like your side door’s pocket or between the front seats, and ta-da! You have a very eccentric, yet very functional, cup holder.

Avoid Foggy Windshields

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Condensation forming on the windshield isn’t just annoying for drivers; it’s also dangerous. The little dew drops on the inside of your windshield are challenging to get rid of, even when you try to wipe them away with a cloth. A great way to combat this issue from happening in the first place is to take some white rice and place it in a little baggie, then place the baggie on your dashboard. Rice absorbs moisture, so it will absorb the condensation instead of letting the moisture build up on your windshield!

The Penny Trick

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Replacing your car’s tires at regular intervals is necessary to prevent wear on your car and to protect you on the roads. However, unless you’re a trained mechanic or very knowledgeable about cars, it’s not always easy to know when it’s time to change the tires. Here’s a simple trick to tell when your tires need to be changed. Take a penny from your cupholder and place it upside down in the tread of your car’s tire. If you can see Lincoln’s forehead, then it’s time for a change. If you can only see half, then those tires still have some time left!

Easy Fix for Scratches

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Every car lover knows that heart-stopping moment when you walk out of the store and realized some idiot had scratched your car. It sucks, and it’s a moment that makes you reevaluate your choices that day. Did you really need to go to the store today? Could you have parked somewhere else? Well, don’t torture yourself with endless questions. Scratches happen, and there’s a super easy trick for covering up minor ones. Just find some nail polish in the exact same shade as your car’s paint and use the nail polish to cover any minor scratches. It’s a cheap, easy way to keep your car looking it’s best.

Garbage Bin Trick

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Anyone who’s spent a significant amount of time in their car knows how quickly trash will pile up. Empty drink containers, food wrappers, and other pieces of garbage will gather on the floor of your car and become quite the chore to clean up. Rather than deal with the mess, try this easy garbage bin trick. Grab an empty cereal container, line it with a plastic bag, and stick it anywhere in your car that’s easy to reach. Now you have a working garbage bin that will contain your trash and make it easy to keep your car clean.

Keep Your Food Warm

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There’s nothing more disappointing than looking forward to devouring your takeout when you get home, only to realize the food is stone cold once you stop driving. It’s the type of thing that will take the wind out of your sails for the rest of the evening, but we have a simple trick to keep your food warm on the drive home. Turn your seat warmers on while driving to keep your takeout nice and toasty! Just make sure to put any drink bottles on the floor because no one wants to drink warm soda!

Rubber Band Trick

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Let’s set the scene here. You’re in your car, and someone calls you desperately needing a ride. You agree to go get them, but you’ll need to watch your GPS closely to find your way. Looking at your phone while driving, especially in an unfamiliar area, is super dangerous, so you need to come up with an alternative way to keep your phone accessible. All you need are a couple of rubber bands for this trick to work. Just take the rubber bands and run them through your ac vents and phone to keep your phone propped up and easily accessible. This is a great tip for those emergency situations where you really need help finding where you’re going.

Safe Transportation for Groceries

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How many times have you put groceries in your trunk and realized everything was out of their bags once you got home? It’s a giant pain and a huge waste if delicate items like bread or eggs get ruined. A simple trick to safely transport your groceries home is to place your shopping bags inside laundry baskets. Put the heaviest items on the bottom and the lightest items on top. This will keep your groceries together and prevent them from sliding all over the place.

Keep A Plunger Handy

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Plungers are a staple in bathrooms, but they should be kept in the trunk of your car as well! Plungers work really well for fixing minor dents in your car. Make sure to clean the dented area really well with hot water first, then use the plunger to pull the car’s frame back out and into its proper shape. You’ll never have to pay hundreds to repair a minor cosmetic dent like this again!

Don’t Lose Your Car

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It’s easy to lose your car in a sea of similar-looking vehicles, especially when you’re parking in a major city or a massive parking lot. An easy tip for keeping track of where you parked is to take a picture of your car and the surrounding area. Make sure to include something in the photos you can reference on your way out, like a specific lamppost or sign. You’ll never spend hours searching for your car again with this trick!

Protect Your Eyes

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Driving on a sunny day may seem like a fun, relaxing activity, but it can actually be quite dangerous. The sun can be blinding when it’s in your eyes, and the car’s visor often doesn’t cover the entirety of the sunlight, especially for short people! When this happens, you end up shifting around a lot or messing with your visor, which isn’t safe to do while driving. Instead, grab one of these tinted plastic sheets from any convenience store and paste it onto your windshield! It will protect your eyes from the sun and give you peace of mind while enjoying the sunny day.

Tip To Save The Day

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Most newer cars use electronic locking systems. They’re great as an anti-theft method but can be a huge headache if the battery ever dies. When this happens, you’re locked out of your car unless you know this trick! Most cars still have a manual lock located underneath the door handle. Simply remove the plastic from your door handle to access the manual lock! Then you’ll be able to get into your car, pop the hood, and hopefully get your battery running again!

DIY Air Freshener Hack #2

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We started this list with a DIY air freshener hack, so it seems fitting to end it with another one! Grab some dryer sheets from your home and stuff a few in your ac vent. As the air circulates through the vents of your car, it will move the fresh scent of your dryer sheets along with it. This is a super easy trick that will keep your car smelling fresh for ages! You can also stuff some dryer sheets under the seats for added freshness.

 

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