This is where first impressions are established! What kind of first impression do you want to advertise? This is the area friends and family see first. The area that even random people you don’t know will see first! It’s the space that tells others what kind of life you lead. Make sure that it’s a story you want your house to tell!
Kids have a way of adding a special ‘touch’ to the front door area.
With kids, it can be very challenging to keep the entryway tidy! Especially if they are coming and going multiple times during the day or night!
The easiest way to keep the entryway tidier is to simply not store everything there. Easier said than done when you live in a place where it goes from winter to summer, back to winter, to spring, then summer, then winter again during a single month! It makes it pretty hard to keep the clutter at bay in terms of wearing proper outdoor gear and shoes!
If you have a big enough closet, then keep winter coats, rain coats, winter boots, rain boots, and the everyday shoes in there. If you have a smaller closet by the front door, you may need to store most of that seasonal gear somewhere else.
No matter what size front hall closet you have, make sure that at every change in season, you are sorting through the gear. Get rid of anything that no longer fits, that is broken, or anything that is redundant! Yes, I know, it’s nice to have a coat to match each outfit, but what is more important to you? Having peace of mind when you walk into your home or when company comes over? Or having a nice fashion statement?
To keep our front hall tidy we have a couple of gear bins to make the change in seasons easier to manage. We have a summer bin that contains sunscreen and bug spray and our beloved Thermacells. We have a winter bin that holds gloves, hats, and scarves. We have a dog bin that holds some dog face wipes, leashes, and poop bags. The bins make it easier when we suddenly have a summery day – we don’t need to go through the house to find the sunscreen. Or, if there is a crisp morning in May, we don’t need to dig too deep for some gloves!
Again, no matter how you store your things, sort through them and get rid of anything that doesn’t suit your needs anymore. Clutter builds up when you start keeping things you no longer need. So, if something doesn’t seem to work, let it go!
Whenever I am decluttering the front hall, I also get rid of old or ripped reusable shopping bags, broken umbrellas, all of the extra sticks and rocks the kids drag home, and any number of other random things that end up at the front door!
The other thing to spend some time on in the front door area is the drop zone! This includes a spot for keys, glasses/sunglasses, and mail. This is where creating a specific home for each item comes in very handy! Have a spot to hang or put down your keys (that way, whenever you come in the house the keys can go there – then you never need to spend any time looking for where you put your keys!) Doing a quick image search for storing sunglasses can give you all kinds of good tips and tricks to store yours! You can set up a folder for your mail for those times that you can’t sort it right away – better yet – no excuses! Take it right to the recycling bin to sort it so that you can get rid of anything you don’t need right away!
If you have a pet that needs walks, like a dog, create a spot for poop bags and a leash. You can also create a space for high visibility wear for those times when you need to walk the dog in the dark.
Creating a special space for things that come and go at the front door makes it so much easier to stay on top of the clutter. It also makes it way easier for others in the house to get on board! It’s amazing how much time you can save yourself by simply creating a space for the little things you need, especially if you need to rush out for an emergency!
Once the front entryway is clear and your systems are working well, the hard part will be keeping it that way! Remind anyone getting home to put away their things so that you can always walk in and breathe in that moment of peace and tidynes!
Good luck! We are almost at the end of the 10 weeks! How does your house feel now?
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