The Home Edit’s Clea and Joanna Swear by These Car Organizers

Dec 07, 2023

“I think the car is an extension of the home”

Kayla has covered celebrity shopping for various outlets since 2018, and recently added People.com to her list. She also covers health, beauty, shopping, and design. Kayla's interviewed a swath of celebrities, but some honorable mentions are Hilary Duff, Martina McBride, and Sterling K. Brown. She graduated from Ohio University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism that specialized in public health and women, gender, and sexuality studies. She lives with her husband and cat in Cincinnati, Ohio.

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Professional organizers Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin are always on the road.From celebrity house calls to fan meet and greets (the duo recently wrapped their Summer of Fun tour) to fulfilling mom taxi cab duties, one foot is always on the gas — which is why they keep their cars as neat and organized as their clients’ color-coded pantries.

“I think the car is an extension of the home, and I feel really, really strongly about that,” Shearer tells PEOPLE. “Especially when you have kids — it just can't be a free-for-all. The second someone gets in the car, you need to have everything ready short of a bathroom.”

Among the essentials are snacks, drinks — like their favorite fruit and veggie-packed Naked Juices, a brand they’ve recently partnered with — games, phone chargers, and paper towels. “You name it — everything,” Shearer emphasizes.

Having all of those supplies on hand is one thing — keeping them organized is another. That’s why the pair turned to their tried-and-true zoning system, which dedicates specific spaces to different categories of items. Every car’s main zones are the glove compartment, center console, backseat console, and trunk, Shearer explains.

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And the grounding piece to all of those is a fully-stocked mini cooler — ideally one that fits behind the front seats so everyone has easy access to fuel.“You can hold all of your Naked juices, you can line them up with cut fruits and vegetables for an after-school snack, any kind of granola bars so that they don't melt. It's just like a healthy, on-the-go station,” Shearer says.

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And so none of the waste makes a mess, another must-have is a seat-hung trash can, not one that sits on the car floor, which can add to clutter. “Everything has a home,” Shearer says.

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For her kids, Shearer color codes car chargers “so that no one fights over them,” she laughs. In the glove compartment goes a custom organizer fit with extra glasses in case she loses a pair, hand sanitizer, sunscreen, and spare cash, among other things you might need to grab quickly.

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Gear that requires less “touch access” as Shearer and Teplin call it, goes in the trunk, or the “emergency essentials” zone. They recommend starting with a three-compartment trunk organizer and filling it with mini umbrellas, hand wipes, a tool kit, a blanket, and extras like clothing and shoes, just in case.

“A trunk organizer really helps things stay super organized and compact,” Shearer says.

Of course, everyone’s essentials will vary slightly depending on their lifestyle. A non-negotiable for Shearer, for example, is a denim jacket, which not only keeps her warm in a pinch but adds a layer of style if she finds herself in need of a sudden sprucing. Teplin always has mittens — even in summer.“I know this is crazy,” Teplin says. “But all of a sudden, it’s winter, very quickly… I just like to have them.”

With a permanent “one size fits all” system like theirs in place, no trip — big or small — is a chore to prepare for, says Teplin. “There are no barriers to entry,” she adds. “You just set yourself up for success year-round.”

Keep scrolling for the rest of Shearer and Teplin’s must-haves to keep a car organized.

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