Do a 15-minute sweep before the tow truck arrives. Remove the garage-door remote, spare house keys, toll transponder, parking permits, disability placards, insurance card, registration, glovebox documents, valuables, and personal items. Check the console, visors, under seats, trunk, and spare-tire area. Factory-reset the infotainment system: Bluetooth pairings, HomeLink, saved home address, and stored contacts. Leave the keys and signed-over title with the car.
Your pre-pickup checklist
Remove Security Items First
Start with anything that lets someone reach your home or workplace. Take the garage-door remote out of the visor, console, or door pocket. Remove spare house keys, office keys, mailbox keys, and key cards. Check the key ring too. If a car key shares the ring with personal keys, separate them now and keep your keys with you.
Pull Billing Items
Remove any toll transponder, parking payment tag, fleet card, fuel card, or paid garage pass. Then sign in to the toll or parking account and remove this vehicle from the account. Do not rely on the device being removed later. If the account lists a VIN, device number, or nickname for the car, delete or deactivate that vehicle entry.
Clear Out Documents
Empty the glovebox and door pockets. Take your insurance card, registration, repair receipts, owner notes, loan papers, and any envelope with personal information. Remove parking permits and disability placards. Keep anything you may need for tax records, insurance cancellation, or your own files. Leave only the signed-over title and the items needed for the vehicle to be accepted.
Sweep Cabin And Trunk
Move front seats all the way forward, then all the way back. Check under the seats, seat-back pockets, center console, cup holders, visors, map pockets, trunk corners, cargo nets, and the spare-tire well. Look for cash, tools, sunglasses, medication, chargers, garage clickers, children’s items, paperwork, and personal photos. Use a small bag so found items do not go back in.
Wipe Stored Vehicle Data
Factory-reset the infotainment system if the car has one. Delete Bluetooth pairings, stored contacts, call history, navigation destinations, saved home address, garage codes in HomeLink, app logins, Wi-Fi settings, and connected driver profiles. If you cannot find the reset menu, remove paired phones manually and clear the navigation history. Do this before turning over the keys.
Remove Optional Add-Ons
You may remove personal add-ons such as dash cams, phone mounts, upgraded stereos, removable speakers, bike racks, roof accessories, child seats, and portable jump packs. Keep the car intact and as-described. Do not remove factory parts, required safety equipment, or anything that changes the condition you already reported. If removal would leave exposed wiring or damage, leave it.
Leave Keys And Title
Put the car key, any needed fob, and the signed-over title where the driver can collect them with the vehicle. Do not pack these items with your personal belongings. Title signing rules can depend on printed names, co-owners, liens, or a missing title, so ask the Alaska DMV if anything about the ownership paperwork is unclear before handoff.
Make One Keep Bag
Use one small bag or box for every item you remove. Put it somewhere away from the vehicle as soon as the sweep is done. This keeps paperwork, remotes, and account-linked items from being tossed back into the console. Take a quick photo of the signed title location and the keys if that helps you remember what stayed with the car.
For license plates, see the separate guide License Plates After Donation.
For release of liability, see the separate guide Release of Liability After Donation.
Common questions
What if I forget something in the car?
Treat the sweep as your final chance to remove personal property. Once the vehicle leaves, access may be limited or impossible. Check the hidden areas slowly, especially the console, trunk side pockets, under-seat space, and spare-tire well. Remove anything with money value, personal data, account access, or sentimental value.
Should I remove my child seat before donation?
Yes. Remove child seats, booster seats, seat protectors, and personal safety accessories unless you specifically intend them to stay with the vehicle. Child seats can have expiration dates, recall issues, or fit instructions. Keeping them avoids confusion and keeps personal family items off the tow truck.
Can I leave repair records in the glovebox?
Keep repair records if they include your name, address, phone number, payment details, or account numbers. If you want the vehicle history to remain with the car, remove personal pages first. When in doubt, take the paperwork with you and keep it with your donation and tax documents.
What if the signed title is not ready?
Do not leave an unsigned or unclear title in the car. Ownership paperwork rules vary based on the title, names listed, liens, and replacement-title issues. If anything is wrong or missing, contact the DMV before the vehicle is picked up so you do not hand over incomplete paperwork.
More donation prep guides
A clean sweep protects your home access, billing accounts, documents, valuables, and stored data. Once you have removed those items, keep the vehicle as-described and leave the keys and signed-over title with it for free pickup. Thank you for donating through Alaska Wheels Forward in support of Heritage for the Blind (EIN 58-2164446). When you are ready, finish your sweep and set the keys and title in place.