The Entry: Organizing

If you do not have a space for shoes, coats and book bags, you will need to create one. Chests by the door are a great storage place for books and book bags that come in the door. Shoe racks will keep shoes in order, and hooks of some type put up by the door in the entryway, or building a closet, will keep you organized and clean looking to start with.

You may have to get the whole family in the habit of using the holders, chests, and the shoe rack, but after a few short weeks, the habit will be the ‘all the time thing’ and you are one step ahead of all that work!

Dirt from all types of sources is going to find ‘their way’ into your home by way of the entry. You will find that when you are answering the door or sending the kids on their way for the day everything you touched in the kitchen ends up in the entry way. Butter, jelly, sauce and more are on the walls, the floor, or somewhere you or the children touched.

When your children are walking in the door all the grass, dirt, dog poo, rocks, flowers, pollen and even bugs can be found crushed on the floor in your entry.  Even the oil from your hands, and every one that comes in and out of your doorway will be found near the light switch, on the door knob and the walls in and out of the entry way.

You can tackle most of this tough dirt by simply wiping the wall down once a week or once a month with a gently soap and water. How often you really have to clean, your entry way will be dependant on how much company you get in the house all the time. If you weren’t to do this quick cleaning at least once a month, after a year you will find that the oil is set in the paint and very difficult if not impossible to remove.

Your entry door will need cleaned a few times a year. If you have small children who are constantly putting their hands on the door, you may need to wash it more often to keep germs, oils and grime away.

The bottom of the door where we ‘kick’ the door to nudge it open is often dirty too. You should try to keep scuffmarks to a minimum to keep your home gleaming clean. Usually just soap and warm water will take off these scuffmarks.