5 Tips To Whip Your Entryway Into Shape

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Always make a good first impression. This is an old piece of advice that has been carried through the generations. The topic of this short article is about just that, the first impression of your home: Today we tackle, The Entryway.

Many times families are so busy that this small yet impressionable area becomes the dumping ground for all things business, recreational and personal. From athletic equipment to junk mail, it can be found in the entry way of many homes across the US. If you are lucky enough to have a coat closet, chances are it is stuffed with jackets, hats, rain coats as well as years of accumulated “goodies”, but it is hardly useful.

It’s time to take over and give your home the very best first impression that it can. Becoming your own personal organizer is not only gratifying; it sets the tone for the rest of the house. How do you get started?

1. What’s in there? The very first thing you need to do is take inventory of what you have. Have you been stuffing items in a closet for so long that you do not even know what is in there anymore? Do you have a cute “bucket” or perhaps a bench that has become loaded with a collection of “who knows what”? It’s time to address the neglected and inventory what you have in there.

2. Did you get ahead of yourself? Some people find themselves OVER organizers. These are the personality types that buy a gadget or a piece of furniture to house and store every little thing. There really is such as thing as too much of a good thing. Start slow and sort and pile your items. After you have done that, then you can decide which system would work best for you and blend in with your home décor.

3. What season is it? Is it the middle of summer and your closet or hall is displaying winter coats and wool hats? Or perhaps it is the fall and you have the closet full of beach attire and sand buckets? You need to get in the habit of seasonally adjusting your entryway. If you do this with the change of every season, it will make your task of organizing a whole lot simpler. Store future items in the attic, in space bags under the bed or in the garage.

4. Where are the shoes? Have you the family that comes in and kicks off shoes and there they stay? Do you not have the time to sort them out and distribute to the appropriate room so they get stuffed in the closet? Create a custom organizer in your closet with risers or put a cute, but small bin next to the door to store a few pairs at a time.

5. What is this and why is it here? These are all of the things that you put down or drop as soon as you walk in the door. Itemize what you have left there and make a “place for it.” This is a great spot to hang a chalkboard with mail slots, key hooks or even a family cubby system. Do not get in the habit of throwing everything into one bin, sort it and give everything a home.

The basic rules apply to the entryway as every other part of the house. If you have not worn it or touched in 2 years, donate or sell it.