# What piles up in your car? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 22, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018 "2004-08-22T22:41:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/41 "2004-08-23T20:16:59Z")
**Kilt-wearin’ man** , you and your garbage-car-bag syntax mess are making me giggle. I was thinking well, of course you will have garbage all over your car if you “_keep a garbage bag that gets taken in and thrown away when you need to use it._” Anyway, I think I may have had a \*toy or two \* in the car when Charlie was a tot. I can totally understand that. But the car I was thinking of (the one with the crayon on the front seat) was like a huge toybox on wheels. ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/42 "2004-08-23T20:26:49Z")
> [@Rhiannon8404](#): > > **Kilt-wearin’ man** , you and your garbage-car-bag syntax mess are making me giggle. I was thinking well, of course you will have garbage all over your car if you “_keep a garbage bag that gets taken in and thrown away when you need to use it._” > > Anyway, I think I may have had a \*toy or two \* in the car when Charlie was a tot. I can totally understand that. But the car I was thinking of (the one with the crayon on the front seat) was like a huge toybox on wheels. Yeah, a “crayons on the seat” situation is a bit excessive. I will admit, my son has a lot of toys in the car - mostly because when he can’t reach them back there, we can’t reach them from the front seat either so we wind up handing hims something else from the diaper bag…and it winds up being added to the collection. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/43 "2004-08-23T20:48:31Z")
I find it all but impossible to keep my car clean. Strangely, I’m a clean freak when it comes to my house, my personal habits, and my child, but keeping the car clean is just impossible for me. I try, but somehow it gets filled with trash. I empty it, but there’s still an odor, I vacuum, but there are still particles everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/44 "2004-08-23T21:56:13Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > Heh, that’s nothing. I went out for Japanese food one evening, and I parked next to this car–I didn’t notice anything at first, but I took a second look, and my jaw just about dropped to the ground. It was FULL of trash! Except for the driver’s seat, of course–gotta sit somewhere. But the back seat and the passenger seat were stuffed full of trash, about halfway up the windows (or more). It was a treasure trove of plastic takeout containers, fast food bags and cups, and other assorted garbage. I don’t know how they could drive without Mount Trashmore falling over. It wasn’t an old, junky car, either–it was a sedan, maybe 5 years old, in decent shape. I’m wondering if it’s really a performance art piece, because I just don’t see how they could keep the trash from falling on the driver. Maybe it’s glued together. > > snip I’ve seen this sad and scary phenomenon a few times. The person very likely has cluttering and hoarding disorders, which are OCDs. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/45 "2004-08-24T01:16:11Z")
> [@vivalostwages](#): > > I’ve seen this sad and scary phenomenon a few times. The person very likely has cluttering and hoarding disorders, which are OCDs. HEY!! :mad: I don’t talk about _you_. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/46 "2004-08-24T06:33:38Z")
Everything, really. I have three jackets in there. Occasionally just one or two, but usually at least one. Mail. Newspapers. Various papers. Books. Notebooks. CDs. Clothes. Plastic food containers – yeah, yeah, I know. Fast food bags. Really, this thread has inspired me to go clean the wretched thing out… ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/47 "2004-08-24T07:03:29Z")
Dog biscuits, the little bone shaped ones that the banks give out at the drive in. Yes, my psycho dog is very excited to GET them, but she’s not all that interested in actually EATING them. However, she doesn’t want to take a chance on some other phantom dog possibly finding them, so, she hides them in the back seat. Under the other problem I have keeping control of, student papers, handouts, dance “cheat sheets” and my dance and aqua shoes and other equipment from my classes :D. I have to go over handouts and homework very carefully to make sure there are no dog biscuit crumbs or smears on them before I hand them out in class. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/48 "2004-08-24T13:24:20Z")
In my current car: dog hair, coffee mugs, and dog noseprints on the windows. In my last car: [Read and weep.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=123251) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/49 "2004-08-24T15:14:14Z")
I guess I do allow too many receipts to collect. They tend to migrate to the far reaches and crannies of the car. Then the weather will turn nice, I’ll put the top down, start motoring along, reach a certain speed and shazam! It’s like a scene from _Bedknobs and Broomsticks_ as all of a sudden every article begins to elevate and float around the car and I’m scrambling trying to grab each and every one before they fly out the car. ---
**Author:** ![meathead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@meathead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/meathead)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/50 "2004-08-24T22:15:12Z")
Empty cigarette packs Empty and half-empty pop bottles Earplugs - lots and lots of earplugs ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/51 "2004-08-24T22:22:42Z")
Soda cans/bottles/cups - I generally have on the order of a dozen when I finally clean my car Other, random trash - napkins, potato chip bags, etc… Clothes - Currently I ahve a pair of winter boots, a pair of socks…and I think a shirt…usually there’s more, but it’s summer. Work related items - A couple of summers ago I had dozens of asbetos pumps, fans, and the like. Now, I have a defib. tester, a patient simulator, a biometer, a tachometer, a multimeter, and an electrical safety tester. Books - For the longest time I had an intro. to finite elements text book in there, I got that out, but now there is a biomechanics textbook replacing it. There are also some random novels in there in case I find myself stranded somewhere for a while and need something to do. ATM reciepts - Normal reciepts I put in my pocket and then pile up on my desk…but for some reason ATM reciepts (even from a non drive-through ATM) find their way into my center console. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/52 "2004-08-25T03:58:18Z")
Bottled waters in various states of empty (I don’t think any of them are completely empty) Enough starbucks drive thru reciepts to write a novel on with straw wrappings to match CD’s in every nook and cranny imaginable A dashboard full of so much crap you can barely open it or close it A couple of sweatshirts and sweaters since it’s always 50 damn degrees at school, even if it’s 90 outside A dolly in the backseat from an event I put on about 3 weeks ago (everything actually made it out of the car _that night_ except for the damn dolly!) In the trunk: Various training binders and files from work A couple of those big stick on magnets you put on cars for politicians when they ride around in parades A sombrero (how the hell did _that_ get in there?) Various items of clothing and shoes (don’t ask) A colon cleanse kit that I never ended up using (again, don’t ask) All my 2L books (I _just_ took all the 1L books out last week and I swear to Og, my car feels lighter!) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/53 "2004-08-25T20:17:44Z")
Were you going to cleanse your colon in your car? I’d imagine that would be even more distracting than talking on a cell phone, especially for any of your passengers. ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_A\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Kid\_A\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_A_1)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/54 "2004-08-25T20:18:59Z")
Hot ladies. It’s like one of those clown cars but instead of clowns I got hot ladies. I think it’s an improvement. ---
**Author:** ![Jammer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df705f/32.png) [@Jammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jammer)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/55 "2004-08-25T21:03:16Z")
Wendy’s drinking straw wrappers. I frequently require a Biggie sweet tea, as a leniment. 🙂 I put them all in the center console, though. I’m a neat freak when it comes to my vehicle. Jammer ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/56 "2004-08-26T12:38:20Z")
5 gallon can of diesel 5 gallon can of water 4 liter jug of motor oil transmission/brake fluid jack / tire iron tire chains rope small shovel come-along de-icer fire extinguisher tool kit first aid kit snow brush/scraper jumper cables maglite blanket All that stuff is tied down, or contained in a bin in the back. Apart from that, it’s pretty clean save for the sand on the floor, but as I had the entire van Rhino-Lined I can park it on a hill and hose it out whenever it gets dirty. -FK ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018/57 "2004-08-26T13:37:46Z")
Weird. The one thing I **have** let pile up (my car is new, so I keep it tidy as a rule) doesn’t seem to have been mentioned: Car park tickets. I park at the train station every day, and have to buy a parking ticket, which I then stick to the inside of the windscreen with the sticky backing paper. In the evening as I drive away, I peel it off and dump it in the door pocket next to me. Next time I clear that door pocket out I’m going to find hundreds of the buggers, dating back to April or May. The rest of the car is nice and clean, though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-piles-up-in-your-car/261018.md?page=2)