A lot of people consider their car as another home away from their home, or an office away from the office. For those who are always on the move, they’d want to keep everything they need inside their car. If you’re one of them, you might want to keep your glove compartment organized. In this way, you will be able to access essential items right when you need them.

However, for safety, security, and convenience, there are some items you shouldn’t keep in your compartment. Keep on reading this article to learn all the do’s and don’ts of your used car compartment.

What you Should Place in your Glove Compartment

Make sure that you keep the following items in a Ziploc plastic bag or a waterproof casing. In this way, you can effectively protect them from the elements.

Medical Information

If you have a medical condition that people should know in case of an emergency, you should keep the information inside your glove compartment. In this way, the emergency personnel will know how to best deal with you if you got into an accident. It would also be ideal to put your power of attorney in your glove box.

Essential Contact Numbers

You should keep a paper with all the emergency contact numbers inside your glove compartment. Of course, your mobile phone is an essential device that can let you keep all these numbers. However, what will you do if your battery dies or if your phone gets wet? So, it is always best to keep a hard copy of these numbers in your glove compartment.

Your Car Manual

There might be emergencies where you need to learn how to fix something or turn something on or off. So, it is essential to keep the car manual nearby. In this way, you can quickly access it right when you need it.

What You Shouldn’t Place Inside your Glove Compartment

Of course, you have to be careful not to place certain items in your glove compartment. Some can damage your car or may pose a risk to your safety. Here are some of those items:

Your Car’s Title and Registration

It can be tempting to throw your vehicle’s title and registration inside the glove compartment. However, if your car gets stolen, the criminal can easily sell the vehicle for cash with the important documents already in their hands.

Sunscreen

We are always reminded to wear sunscreen before stepping out in the sun. However, this should be done at home and as much as possible, not inside your car. As ironic as it seems, there are active ingredients in sunscreen that break down when exposed to high heat. So, when you leave it inside your glove compartment on a hot day, you could reduce its effectiveness. Aside from that, heat can also cause the container to explode, leaving a big mess inside your car.

Water Bottles

In some research studies, BPA and phthalates (chemicals found in plastic water bottles) have been linked to health conditions like heart disease and cancer. So, if you keep a water bottle in your glove compartment and let it sit under the sun, the heat might cause the chemicals to mix into the water. Aside from that, if you keep water bottles lying around for a long time, it could start to harbour microorganisms.

So, there you have it…just some of the items you should and shouldn’t place in your used car compartment. Make sure you follow this guide while avoiding the common car maintenance mistakes we’ve mentioned in a previous blog post. In this way, you can keep your vehicle secure and running smoothly for a long time.