The glove compartment was initially included in automobiles with poor heating to provide an easily accessible place to leave driving gloves. Car manufacturers believed the convenient box would reduce the number of lost gloves, if drivers could just remember to put them away.
Dorothy Levitt, 1909, pioneering feminist and car enthusiast even wrote, "Regarding gloves—never wear woolen gloves, but gloves made of good soft kid. You will find room for these gloves in the little drawer under the seat of the car."
Today’s car heaters have significantly reduced the need for wearing gloves while driving and as a result, the glove compartment has become more of a junk box used to hold almost anything. Experts highly recommend a few essential items to be stored in the glove compartment: medical information of family members who may be in the car, emergency contact numbers for contacting in emergencies, a well-stocked first aid kit, and a flashlight. Of course, this is on top of the standard proof of insurance, vehicle owner's manual, and registration paperwork that everyone should know to always keep in the glove box.
But the list of other items found stored in car glove compartments can be pretty much endless. Many of the items are useless, forgotten, or in various stages of rot and decay. The following are some of the weirdest things ever found in gloveboxes.
23 Cremated Ashes
When Kevin Curtis’s car was involved in an accident while being driven by a friend, the police discovered two small clear plastic bags with white sandy powder stored in the glove compartment. Suspecting that it was an illegal substance, the material was confiscated and placed into evidence bags.
But the 48 grams of seized powder later proved to be human remains, the cremated ashes of Kevin’s father, who had died five years earlier.
Kevin said his father's cremated remains were being stored in a vehicle's glove compartment temporarily while he awaited the arrival of an urn he had ordered. Curtis joked, “This was the first time my father was ever in lockup right here, and it took me forever to get him out of it.”
22 Defensive Pepper Spray
The owner of VW Beetle living in Johannesburg, South Africa, keeps a pepper spray canister in his glove compartment among other articles he considers essential. Although pepper spray is often controversial, it is an effective defense weapon against human assailants. It can also be used on animals, like an attacking dog or pack of lions. Pepper spray is an alternative to traditional weapons that provides a non-lethal option for personal protection. But permission to carry pepper spray or mace varies by country. In the U.S. it is legal in all 50 states with some variations by jurisdiction. A UK citizen, meanwhile, may legally carry a less-potent alternative to mace or pepper spray.
21 Cash in the Car Manual
Cash in the glove compartment is not an unusual discovery. Many drivers keep a stash to pay road tolls and parking meters. The practice is so common that many car manufacturers build special slots in the glove box to hold coins exactly for such purpose. However, the discovery of large sums of money is much less frequent.
While preparing a car for resale, one mechanic found $80,000 hidden between the pages of the car owner’s manual in the glove compartment.
No doubt, the previous owner hid the paper money in the manual, thinking it would be safe since no one ever reads manuals. Even someone who opens the glove box could rustle the contents in search of cash but easily overlook the manual.
20 WD-40 Lubricant
WD-40 is an unusual object to keep in a glove box, mainly for two reasons: most drivers would not recognize the value of having a can readily available inside the car, while others would probably consider it dangerous to leave in a parked car that heats up under the hot sun. Conventional wisdom (and warnings written on the label of an aerosol can) claim that it may explode if stored at temperatures above 120 degrees Fahrenheit, temperatures often exceeded in a closed vehicle. However, the mad scientists on the Myth Busters TV program demonstrated that the aerosol cans they tested didn’t explode inside a car after sitting in the sun for hours. To burst, the cans required temperatures of over 300 °F (150 °C).
19 Videos of Illegal Activities
Perhaps there may be a reason why someone would make a video of themselves involved in illegal activities (creating indisputable evidence of guilt), but it is difficult to think of even one. However, should there ever be a justifiable reason to make and maintain these videos, it seems obvious that the tapes should not be stored where the authorities or anyone else can easily find them. There was a case where several men were involved in various unsavory activities, recording the events on videotape. One of the men left a copy of the tapes in the glove compartment of his vehicle. When the police suspected his involvement, they obtained a search warrant for the car and discovered the recordings. The result was a conviction of all the group members.
18 Kitten Trapped Behind the Glove Box
When a 6-week-old kitten scampered into a Florida family's car and refused to come out, the owners nearly destroyed the car trying to save the little one. The kitten climbed up in the dashboard behind the glove box. The couple tried to retrieve the kitten, but no amount of coaxing or prodding was enough to convince the feline to come out voluntarily. Stuck somewhere behind the speedometer, the couple was forced to get some professional help.
Ron and Valerie Spada, of Spada's Total Auto Repair, came to the rescue.
The operation required some cutting and carefully separating the metal parts, to access the hidden creature. Spada said, "Removing the dashboard wasn't too difficult but cutting through the firewall without injuring the cat was.”
17 Revealing Memory Stick
Upon arrival at home, the buyer of a recently purchased used car opened the trunk to inspect its contents and discover where the spare tire, jack, and tire-changing tools were stored. He also opened the glove compartment. In it, he found the usual things such as the car’s user manual, the original car purchase agreement, and a few parking tickets.
Hidden underneath, he also found a USB memory stick.
Plugging it into his computer, the buyer discovered several videos, all were of the car being driven by the previous owner doing burnouts, making tire-squealing sharp turns, and at one point bouncing the car off a curb. He immediately regretted purchasing the vehicle and wondered what other damaging abuse the previous owner had inflicted on the vehicle when the video camera was not rolling.
16 Note to a Car Thief
A woman left a note in her Honda’s glove boxy for the thief who regularly stole it:
“Hello! If you’re reading this, you are probably stealing my car. I’m a nice person and likely would have given you a ride, but obviously, we’re past that. I would love to afford a car that doesn’t get stolen and burglarized all the time, but I’m broke, and this is what I’m stuck with. So, you got me. Again. You’re not going to get in trouble for stealing my car, as long as you don’t [do something illegal with it]. You’ll just leave this somewhere and go about your business. Nobody investigates this tomfoolery. One quick favor, please do not leave my car somewhere it will get towed. If I have to deal with one more [expletive deleted] impound lot holding my stolen [worthless] Honda for ransom, I am going to lose my mind.”
15 Ketchup Packets
The accumulation of Ketchup packets in a glove compartment is not unusual, but what makes the saving of those collectibles weird is that they never get used. After all, no one buys a burger at a fast-food restaurant and refuses to take the ketchup packets offered because they know they already have some stored in the glovebox. Ketchup packets—as well as Taco Bell sauce, jelly tubs, mustard, mayonnaise, relish, barbecue sauce, tartar sauce, horseradish sauce, maple syrup, nut butters, salad dressing, and Chinese takeout order soy sauce—have an expiration date. Most of them expire in one year. So, it’s best to throw them out immediately…no one is going to use them anyway!
14 Nine-foot Long Cobra Snake
Imagine stopping at the grocery store to do some shopping and returning to the car only to discover a Cobra snake in your glove compartment. In China, the owner of a minivan made just this discovery. Perhaps the snake confused the close quarters of the glove box with the more traditional wicker basket used by snake charmers. Police officers were called to remove the lethal threat but had little success apprehending the slithery passenger. A trained specialist arrived and, using a snake-catching tong, the officer captured and pulled the cobra out of the van. The cobra, weighing 4.1 kilograms and measuring 2.8 meters in length, was handed over to the local wildlife preservation department.
13 Mice Move into the Glove Box
The owner of a 2006 Toyota Corolla was looking for a method to get rid of a mouse that keeps building a nest in his glove compartment. He removes the shreds of paper, but the mouse returns to rebuild the nest. The manufacturer states that there are several “holes” or ways a mouse can get in and they all need to be closed to prevent the unwanted guest from entering.
Covering each opening with window screen may be effective, but if not, there are other possible solutions.
A good old-fashioned mouse trap and cheese might just do the trick. Just be sure to remember it’s in there before reaching for a map! Or maybe, just keep a decent-sized snake in the car...
12 Minibar Shot Glasses from the Car Manufacturer
In the 1950s, years before car manufacturers equipped cars with safety features like the seatbelts and airbags that we take for granted today, some weird and dangerous features were built-in. At the time, drinking and driving was considered by many to be normal. With martinis and cocktails all the rage, car manufacturers sought to distinguish their models with unique features, for example, the 1957 Cadillac Eldorado Brougham that included a minibar in the glove box as a standard option.
The minibar was designed with a magnetized glovebox door and a set of four metal shot tumblers that would remain stationary even when turning corners. Minibars in the isolated (from the driver) passenger compartment of limousines has remained through the years, but have disappeared as an option in standard automobiles for pretty obvious reasons.
11 Best Taco Soup Recipe
Cooking recipes are generally found in a recipe books, on cooking websites, or written on a piece of paper pinned to the refrigerator door. Access to these formulas and instructions is best in the kitchen, where the ingredients and cooking instruments are readily available. Or at least, typically.
It is definitely odd that the owner of a used car would find a recipe in the glove compartment.
One buyer of a used truck found a taco soup recipe in the glove box. Deciding to give it a try, he discovered the taco soup was delicious and created the dish many times over the years to come. He later claimed that the taco soup recipe was the best part of his truck purchase.
10 Previous Owner’s College Transcript
One buyer of a used Ford Focus dropped the glove box to check for the Engine Control Unit (ECU) and found the previous owner's social security card, driver's license, and college transcript. No doubt these documents had slipped behind the glove box and remained there, lost to their owner seemingly foreer.
Maintaining a driver’s license and social security card in the glove box is an odd practice given that both documents are often required even when not driving a vehicle (for identification purposes). The college transcript is also a strange document to leave in the car unless it was kept there for showing it to a job interviewer.
9 Lime Peels
Buyers of used cars find many weird things in car glove boxes. Previous owners, not careful about cleaning out all their belongings, often leave articles that make no sense to the new owner. In one case, a buyer of a 2000 Mustang found, among other things, lime peels in the map pocket and the glove box.
Lime peels have numerous uses not associated with food including: air freshening, chrome & stainless-steel polish, ant deterring, skin brightening, and nail whitening. Clearly, the owner of this Mustang was a very cleanly person (although keeping lime peels in the glove box for an extended period of time may seem counterintuitive to some).
8 Console Vault Glove Box
For car owners who want to safeguard their valuables or just hide weird objects in their car glove compartment, the installation of a console vault box may be a solution. These vaults typically replace the factory-installed console boxes and are made to maximize the available space. They feature welded tab and notch seams, 12-gauge cold-rolled plate steel, drill-resistant locks, bank vault-style hinge latch pins, a 3-point locking system that resists prying, and DIY installation. Many offer a keyless lock or high-security barrel key lock. The vault system provides a car owner the peace of mind that comes with knowing the objects stored inside are not visible or accessible to anyone.
7 Squirrel Fills Glove Box with Acorns
A man who left his car at home while traveling with his girlfriend on vacation for five weeks returned to find the gears on the Volkswagen Golf difficult to change. Before taking the car to a mechanic, he decided to clean the inside. When he opened the glove compartment, he discovered it full of acorns. "I hadn't opened it since I had been back, but I went to put a pair of sunglasses in there, and when I opened it, eight acorns fell out. You can imagine my surprise.” The mechanic explained "The reason I couldn't change gears properly was because [the acorns] were absolutely everywhere. They were behind the trim - under the bonnet and inside the gearbox assembly.” It's safe to say the stuffed glove box and malfunctioning shifter were driving the owner “nuts.”
6 Bottle of Holy Water
Fred Corcoran of Ireland keeps an odd assortment of articles in his car glove box including the following: The owner's manual (which was essential to finding the hood release when he first bought the car), a collection of CDs that never get played, an LED flashlight, an ample supply of business cards, an old pair of Ray-Bans that he can no longer use because he now needs prescription lenses, eye drops, and Holy Water that he found shortly after purchasing the car and that was placed in the glovebox by his mother. Pick the one thing on the list that doesn't belong.
5 Hand Grenade Found by Border Patrol
When Canada Customs found a hand grenade in the glove compartment during a routine search of a twenty-eight-year-old woman’s green Ford Explorer with Texas license plates, they immediately arrested her and closed the most active border crossing in Western Canada for nearly an hour.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police bomb squad retrieved the hand grenade, which Canada Customs officials thought might be live.
KOMO, a U.S. television station, later described it as "an old military dummy/souvenir grenade." Constable Tim Shields said, "It's quite likely this woman did not know that the grenade was inside her vehicle and she is apparently quite shaken up by the whole ordeal, so charges are quite unlikely."
4 Pregnancy Labor Kit
Preparation for childbirth is key to making the entire event go smoothly and eliminating potential problems that can be very stressful. Some couples plan for the worst-case scenario (meaning the least-convenient) by preparing a pregnancy labor kit and keeping it in the glove box. When the time arrives for delivery, if the distance to the hospital is long or the event occurs during peak rush-hour traffic, the couple is equipped with the necessities to assure a smooth delivery in the car. Dr. Nita Landry, OBGYN says, "Fortunately, giving birth in an unintended location does not happen very often—less than one percent of deliveries—but delivery at home or on the road can happen in the case of a fast labor, a bad snowstorm or natural disaster, or even a lot of traffic.”