Clutter Free Feb

How to organise your entryway for Clutter-Free Feb

Article by Your Home and Garden

The entryway is often a dumping ground for kids’ school bags and sports gear, coats and jackets, bags, shoes and more. Here’s how to keep it in check according to Natalie Jane of Be organised

A very busy area of the home, the entranceway is often a dumping ground for kids’ school bags and sports gear, coats and jackets, bags, shoes and more. The biggest issues involve not having enough storage or having the wrong type of storage.

Grab a banana box or two and a rubbish bag if you think you’ll need one. It’s important to take stock of exactly what is coming into this area of your home so you know what type of storage you will need.

Take a moment to look at your entranceway and observe what is there. Go through the items in the space and work out what categories they tend to belong to, eg jackets, bags, shoes, keys, mail. Declutter where necessary.

You may find you have items that no longer fit, are no longer used, or don’t belong in the area. Use banana boxes for ‘relocate’ and ‘charity’ items. Once you have decided what items generally live in the entranceway, it’s time to create storage for them.

Here are some practical solutions:

Shoes: Baskets and flexi-bins for each family member or cubbies with pull-out baskets.
Coats and jackets: Wall-mounted coat racks or child-height coat pegs. Get everyone to take responsibility for their own jackets.
Keys: Use wall hooks or a vessel of some sort. Get into the habit of putting keys in this spot to prevent them from getting lost.
Bags: Store on coat racks or in designated cubbies. Each family member can have their own coat rack with a cubby underneath for shoes and bags.
Mail: Designate a place for incoming mail if this is where you put your mail – an in-tray, letterbox or mail organiser are good solutions. See more on this in yesterday’s task.

Top tips

A place for everything and everything in its place – creating homes for items means you are less likely to dump them.
Functionality is key in order to keep your entranceway in order.
Encourage everyone to be responsible for their own stuff.
The ‘one-touch rule’ works well in this area, to help keep clutter at bay.
Create an inspiring and stylish space – it will encourage you to keep it organised!

Words by: Natalie Jane of Be organised.