3 Ridiculously Smart Things You Need If You Ever Snack in Your Car

If my car was a human, it would be allowed to drink. Yes, I drive a 21-year-old Honda Accord. It’s the same car I drove in high school. And in college. And the, ahem, many years since. It runs like a dream (honestly, the mechanics are always so impressed when I bring it in for an oil change!). It is not, however, much to look at. The sun has faded the paint in a very splotchy pattern. It’s been bumped many times when it used to be parked in New York City. The back seat is covered with dog hair. And, as you might have guessed, I do not a have a no-food-in-the-car rule. You could eat a saucy rack of ribs in there for all I care. (As long as we’re parked, of course!)

Eventually, I figure I’ll get a new car. (Nothing lasts forever, not even Hondas!) And then I imagine I’ll be super precious about it. Snacking is important to me, though, so I’ll never have a food ban. I’ll just want to make sure we eat neatly in there. So I’ve started the research to see how that can happen. I’ve asked around about some of the best gear for (safely!) eating in the car, and I’ve read a bunch of product reviews (because researching snack trays is more fun than reading about four-wheel drive, in my opinion). Here’s what came up again and again.

You might have actually seen something like this little desk on TikTok, where people sing its praises. The idea is simple: It just hooks onto your steering wheel to make an impromptu table — no need for screws or clamps or anything. Hook it on (when you’re parked, of course!) and you’ve got a comfy, flat surface for your burger and fries to rest upon. This one is a bestseller on Amazon with more than 17,000 five-star reviews.

One of the most offensive spots in my current car is the cup holder. The crumbs! The crust! The who-knows-what! This cleaning gel has actually helped it come back to life more than once, and I plan on using more whenever I get a new car. It’s a blob of slime-like goo that you smoosh around your car to pick up pieces of grossness, and it’s magic. It gets into those hard-to-clean spaces and grabs every last crumb.

Read more: Cleaning Gel Is the Answer for Everyone Who’s Been Eating Over a Laptop These Last 4 Months

These cereal containers were not technically designed for use in the car, but I found this brilliant post on Pinterest, and people seem to love the idea. You just add a liner (maybe a reused produce bag!) and put the top on over it to hold it in place. Then, when you have a candy wrapper or a chip bag to throw away, you just pop open the top and drop it in. Sure, there are trash holders designed to fit in your cup holder (but that’s where cups go!) or more elaborate ones that slip over your seat, but this price is hard to beat and you get two! One for your car and one for your cereal!

Do you allow food in your car? If so, have you found any products that help to keep things neat and tidy? Tell us in the comments below!