Summer is the time we jump in the car and head off for a little R & R. The freedom of the open road, adventure, holidays, excitement…it sounds great. Not everyone can afford an electric car, however by ethically decluttering our cars we can save on fuel, wear and tear and improve the ride quality and experience.
Step 1. Declutter the car
Is your car the rolling control central?
Everything organised, sorted and carried out from the car. Picking up and dropping off kids to school, elderly parents to appointments and running your business for your car. Everyday occurrences yet along the way we add things or STUFF to our cars for that “just in case” moment, things slip down under the seat, gets lost, so we add more weight to the car. Sound familiar?
Using our cars as a mobile storage unit not only adds more weight to the car, making the car work harder and using more fuel, it also can make it downright dangerous, harder to pull up in an emergency.
Simply decluttering our cars will save money and help our environment.
Rethink items such as roof racks, tow bars as they all add weight, plus add to the wind resistance, making our cars work harder and use more fuel. Ask yourself: If I don’t use them, why do I carry them around?
Step 2. Health Check
We have regular health checks, so why not check the health of your car, it’s only used do carry you, kids, family and friends around!!!
There is so much you can do
Check the tyres are correctly inflated and aligned, this helps extend the life of the tyres
Check the tread on your tyres, if in doubt visit your local tyre dealer
Check the windscreen washer reservoir has enough water, dirty windscreens can limit your vision
Check that the coolant level in the reservoir isn’t below the minimum mark and that the colour is either clear green or orange. If the coolant level is low, or looks dirty, your engine is in danger of overheating. Source: QBE
Check the oil, again if in doubt ask for help
If your brakes are shuddering or squealing (metal-on-metal) when you apply the brakes, it is very important to get the check out before you head off!!!
Step 3 Recycle
Add a waste bag to the car for long trips and recycle PET bottles Earn & Return NSW, Containers for Change QLD, Container Deposit Scheme SA , ACT Container Deposit Scheme, chip packets to RedCycle via Coles and Woolworths.
Car batteries can be recycled and, in some instances, you can earn $10-$20 per battery when you drop off for recycling. To find a recycle point, search: recycle batteries near me
For car’s that work but you don’t want to keep, consider donating to Kids Under Cover it’s is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preventing youth homelessness. They provide studio accommodation in family backyards and education scholarships.
For more ways to recycle check out Eco Organiser Useful Links
Step 4 Pack light
Heading off on holidays or a short break, packing light eases the burden on your vehicle.
Consider removing unnecessary and loose items from the car to lighten the load. Unsecured items can be very dangerous in a traffic incident, imagine a tool box flying from the back seat towards the headrest and windscreen…too scary to think about!
Happy motoring!
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