The entryway that your family uses to enter your home can set the mood for you, your spouse and even your children. If it's clean and orderly the mood will be a good one, but if it's cluttered and unsightly there will be a feeling of chaos and frustration.
Your home's entryway is a high traffic area and it needs to be organized in such a way so it can properly handle all of the functions that it serves. It's so easy to just kick off your shoes drop your purse, and throw down kids’ book bags, lunch boxes, etc., but this area needs to be set up so that it can be done in an organized fashion. If you can accomplish one thing today towards creating an organized home, this should be the one!
The space available in a home’s entryway varies, therefore, the ideas listed below may or may not work for your set up. You might need to adjust them to fit your house’s layout, but the concept still remains the same.
- Have a coat rack with a hook upon which each person in the family hangs his or her keys, book bags, lunch boxes, and coats.
- Have a basket for the children’s shoes. Make it a rule that your children must take off their shoes when they come inside to help keep the house clean. Utilizing a basket helps to keep the shoes together, and it offers a tidier look. Regular play shoes should be kept here, while dress shoes and shoes worn only once in a while should be kept in the closet.
- Consider hanging a cork board or tiles on the wall so you can pin up any reminders, the school's lunch menu, invitations, etc. You can even decorate it with a border or ribbon to give it some personality.
- Keep everything off the floor. Try not to keep anything on the floor other than the shoe basket. Every book on feng shui talks about the negative energy created from having things all over the floor. If you can hang it up, do it. As your children’s schoolwork increases and their book bags become too heavy for the hooks, they can keep their bags in their room to do homework and then bring them down at the end of the night so they are ready to go the next morning. If you have a closet in your entryway, you can place the heavier book bags there and then close the door to maintain a clean appearance.
Space allowing, you may find that utilizing a cubby system to organize your things will help you to create order. Some even come with optional benches that are great for putting shoes on and off. Organizers such as this are increasing in popularity and can easily be found in home improvement stores or specialty catalogs.
It will take some follow up to get your family in the habit of putting everything where it belongs but it will definitely be worth it. Getting everyone out the door for work and school in the morning is crazy enough as it is. If your organize your entryway to fit the needs of your family, you will improve your departure and arrival and everyone will be happier for it!
