Tamara McMahon, of Townsville, said that she would “cringe” every time she went around the corner and heard items “smash from one side of the boot to the other”.
“If a bag wasn’t tied up properly, groceries would be everywhere and many times I would open the boot only to have something fall out on my foot - or I’d have to chase it down the driveway!” she told Better Homes and Gardens.
As a solution, Tamara created a stable storage system by using heavy duty velcro to secure Kmart baskets and boxes to the car boot floor.
“I had a box in the back to hold loose items but needed to stop it from sliding,” Ms McMahon explained.
“I had tried a car boot rubber mat but that didn’t help with the groceries, so I decided baskets would be the way to go,” she told Better Homes and Gardens.
Ms McMahon said she used marine carpet to line the car boot floor.
“As a single mum it needed to be cost effective but it also needed to suit North Queensland tropical conditions,” she explained.
“I used marine carpet for this reason. It meant that wet clothing etc wouldn’t create issues with mould and the carpet could be pulled out and hosed off if needed.”
Ms McMahon measured the boot space and purchased marine carpet from Bunnings for $39.
“I laid the carpet in the boot and cut to size with a Stanley knife. I selected the baskets I wanted from Kmart (soft round baskets, $9 each and large plastic tubs, $7 each),” she explained.
Ms McMahon used Hookz heavy duty hook and loop adhesive tape (around $10 from Bunnings) to secure the baskets and boxes to the carpet floor.
“The adhesive didn’t stick well on the fabric baskets so I ended up glueing them onto the base of the basket to secure them,” she said.
The clever hack was widely praised on Facebook page Kmart Mums Australia.
“Love the velcro idea… amazing,” said Tania; while another commenter called it a “game changer.”
Ms McMahon said, “I love my new boot space now and the kids also have a basket for their own stuff so when we leave the car they can take their basket and unpack it themselves.”
This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.
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