Fleur de Lis Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 With winter on its way and another kid in the mix this year, I'm having a hard time figuring out how to organize our entry area (or lack thereof) when everyone comes in with wet boots, coats, hats, gloves, etc. etc. and then they all get thrown onto the kitchen floor. There they lie until they are dry enough for me to put into our entry closet. :thumbdown: What is your secret to keeping your very limited entry space organized and tidy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Honestly, I tidy it up fairly frequently. About once a day. Also I would not allow stuff to be tossed to the kitchen floor. Dd's been taught to hang her wet snowy clothes by the pellet stove to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I bought a couple hanging shoe holders and hung those-they hold everyone's hats/mittens/gloves/headlamps/ect in each cubby. Lots of coat hooks.... boot trays. And it's still a mess but it was worse before! My entryway is also my laundry room and I hate it-it's always a disaster! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 The entryway is supposed to be tidy?! Dang it, something else at which I am failing miserably. Seriously, though, I have a shoe rack in there that everyone "theoretically" puts their shoes or boots on when they come in. In reality, if I want them tidied up I have to send one of the kids in there at least daily to put everyone's shoes on the rack. Also, there's a set of coat hooks on one wall in there for people to hang jackets and bags on. Most of them do tend to land there most of the time. They're neither one particularly decorative, but without those two bits of equipment I'm not sure anyone would even be able to make it through the door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 In mucky weather, I make the kids go in and out through the garage or laundry room. Wet clothes and messy footwear live there where they can either be handled immediately or left to safely dry on their own. I don't think I could survive if all that stuff had to live in my teeny-tiny entryway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur de Lis Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 they hold everyone's hats/mittens/gloves/headlamps/ect :) For your car? Or are these the flashlights that strap to your head? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 By yelling: HEY!!!!!! Come pick up all this junk NOOOOWwww!!!!!!! several times a day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingnlearning Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 :) For your car? Or are these the flashlights that strap to your head? :D Flashlights on their heads-for doing chores outside in the dark! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 It sounds like my house! Our kitchen door opens onto the back porch and is our main entrance. I moved our shoe rack to the landing of the basement because it's behind a closed door. I throw everything onto a drying rack when we first come in from playing or shopping and it drips all over the floor. It also takes up half of the available walking space in the kitchen. With my two year old, I'm happy if she stops right when she gets in instead of running through the house with her boots on. I usually just strip the snowy stuff and put my younger two over the gate into the living room while I straighten up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur de Lis Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 It sounds like my house! Our kitchen door opens onto the back porch and is our main entrance. I moved our shoe rack to the landing of the basement because it's behind a closed door. I throw everything onto a drying rack when we first come in from playing or shopping and it drips all over the floor. It also takes up half of the available walking space in the kitchen. With my two year old, I'm happy if she stops right when she gets in instead of running through the house with her boots on. I usually just strip the snowy stuff and put my younger two over the gate into the living room while I straighten up. Hm...this sounds very very much like our house. I always wonder to myself - what were they thinking when they built this house??? The garage is in back of the house, so obviously the kitchen is the main entry, not the front door. Yet there is NO room in the kitchen for anything. There is a big porch just outside it that is useful in the summer for muddy things, but is of no use in the winter. Your two year old sounds much like mine, too :D Gotta love 'em!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur de Lis Posted November 22, 2011 Author Share Posted November 22, 2011 By yelling: HEY!!!!!! Come pick up all this junk NOOOOWwww!!!!!!! several times a day. :lol: I think this would only result in tears from the 2yo who cannot reach any of the places where his things get put away (...maybe that is my problem). Recently, though, whenever someone comes in the door, DS2 has started yelling "garage door! shoe pile!" in imitation of DH and I as a reminder to close the garage door and straighten the shoes. Cracks us up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusksAngel Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I have a laundry basket for everyone's shoes (exception: muddy/wet/snow laden shoes go on the floor til cleaned/dry and since everyone has only 2-3 pairs of shoes, it actually works. Sort of) Above the basket is a small table that is for anything that needs to go out again (library books, purses, diaper bag, etc.) It isn't the prettiest solution but it (usually) works for us Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Constant nagging. No mercy. Seriously. :glare: People have to walk their belongings to their bedrooms and put them away. Coats have to be hung up right now. Wet things can be removed in the entry and taken to wherever you want them to go--laundry room, garage, basement, wherever...just not the entry. Shoes, purses, books, all should be taken to bedrooms. Official School Stuff should be taken to the Official School Room (or whatever you've designated as the Official School Room, lol). Yes, it's painful for awhile. And it will be constant. But some things are just worth it. There's no good reason for an entryway to look like a dog's breakfast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I am a nut about keeping the entry way presentable. I purchased these: Two of them. I have hooks above them with enough space for coats to hang and not block the shoe cabinet. And cubes - two units which house 18 cubes and these spaces are for gloves, backpacks, library books, water bottles, etc. With our house going back on the market in January, I saw an entry way re-do in Real Simple Magazine and I had to copy it as best as I could. http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/more-rooms/mudroom-00100000069279/index.html There is the link to the photos and story -- HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bry's-gal Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 My eldest is awful about putting thins away correctly. She will get is somewhat close but not finish the job! I've started having her go back and put whatever it is away correctly 10 times. That has helped with getting her to put things where they belong the first time and without me constantly reminding her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcelmer Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 It depends on what's messing it up. I have a small counter with cabinets above (my pantry) on one side, and a large radiator on the other, with a basement door directly opposite the main door. this is all in a hallway only wide enough for about 1 person. The counter was always full of junk, and coats scattered on the floor. I put up hooks for coats, small rack for shoes, hung up bags for errands, (piano, library books to go back, diaper bag, purse) put a basket for things to put away in the basement onto the counter, and moved the CD stack into a binder & tossed the cases. I also put up a key rack, and organized a charging area fro the phones/cameras.. (it's still ugly because I don't have a pretty box) It's a little better, but it is just one of those spots and you have to "put out the fire" all the time. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I had a awesome and amazing system. Places for everything. Hooks for everyone. Neat little baskets and hangers for drying wet clothes. It was beautiful. Sob..... It has all gone to heck in a handbasket since the arrival of the dear puppies. They have a love-attachment for mittens. And wool hats. They sneak them off and hide them in their puppy bed for later chewing. Deprived of mittens, they sneak the liners out of snowboots. So everything has to be hidden out of their reach - and these dogs are now big enough to reach the counter tops without stretching, so it's quite a reach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaSheep Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I had a awesome and amazing system. Places for everything. Hooks for everyone. Neat little baskets and hangers for drying wet clothes. It was beautiful. Sob..... It has all gone to heck in a handbasket since the arrival of the dear puppies. They have a love-attachment for mittens. And wool hats. They sneak them off and hide them in their puppy bed for later chewing. Deprived of mittens, they sneak the liners out of snowboots. So everything has to be hidden out of their reach - and these dogs are now big enough to reach the counter tops without stretching, so it's quite a reach! I had to giggle when I read this. Our new puppy has a "thing" for dd's socks. And dd sheds socks like a tree in autumn. It doesn't matter if I nag or give punishments or anything like that, it's her ADHD messing with her brain. She just absentmindedly tugs them off and forgets she's holding them so they fall to the floor wherever she happens to be dashing off to. Puppy loves her for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knit247 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 What is your secret to keeping your very limited entry space organized and tidy? Ikea. We have shoe cabinets on the way (to replace a huge wicker basket that isn't doing the job anymore, the Portis coat stand - and now that I have seen this, will be adding baskets and a magnetic knife rack to hold our keys. Love Ikea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Hm...this sounds very very much like our house. I always wonder to myself - what were they thinking when they built this house??? The garage is in back of the house, so obviously the kitchen is the main entry, not the front door. Yet there is NO room in the kitchen for anything. There is a big porch just outside it that is useful in the summer for muddy things, but is of no use in the winter. Your two year old sounds much like mine, too :D Gotta love 'em!! In our case, the house is 100 years old. It just wasn't built to be used by people with stuff. We have no storage space. If your home is somewhat newer, I don't know why anyone would plan it like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I am a nut about keeping the entry way presentable. I purchased these: Two of them. I have hooks above them with enough space for coats to hang and not block the shoe cabinet. And cubes - two units which house 18 cubes and these spaces are for gloves, backpacks, library books, water bottles, etc. With our house going back on the market in January, I saw an entry way re-do in Real Simple Magazine and I had to copy it as best as I could. http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/more-rooms/mudroom-00100000069279/index.html There is the link to the photos and story -- HTH Ikea. We have shoe cabinets on the way (to replace a huge wicker basket that isn't doing the job anymore, the Portis coat stand - and now that I have seen this, will be adding baskets and a magnetic knife rack to hold our keys. Love Ikea! Can I ask a question about the shoe cabinets? As much as I love both of those options (I do love me some Hemnes!!!), doesn't having to take shoes off, pick them up, and insert them into a shoe cabinet kind of defeat the purpose of taking them off in the entryway? I feel like, if you're going to go to that much trouble, why not just carry them to your closet where the shoes live anyway? Also, Mariann, IIRC, you have a bi-level right now, don't you? Don't you have a teeny entryway like I do, or do you have something more expanded? Mine is so teeny, I can't even imagine hanging coats on the walls, let along fitting even slim cabinets or cubes in there. Please tell me I'm wrong! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 (edited) DH has built us a mudroom where we have an old church pew on one wall. There are coat pegs (2 for each person) above it, and underneath it is a long piece of rack-shelving on a plastic floor runner where we keep our shoes (keeps the manure off the floor). There is a large drying rack next to the pew for wet clothing/towel for the dog. On the opposite wall are a set of built-in drawers and a long row of closets. Each family member has their own drawer in which to keep their hats/mittens/soccer balls, etc. The closet on the end is a floor-to-ceiling shoe rack with adjustable shelves for boots (winter & mud) on the bottom all the way up to sandals and water shoes, hiking boots, sneakers, etc. that are dry. The closets in the middle have bins with backpacks, raincoats, and other outdoor gear. When we had our entry directly into the dining room, we had a only a drying rack and a giant shoe basket. We've also lived in a place where we used a shelving unit for personal hat/mitten bins. Edited November 23, 2011 by Amy in NH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plansrme Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Do you enter through a garage? If so, what has worked for us is keeping as much stuff as possible in our garage. We have a set of 4x2 Ikea Expedit cubbies on wheels (the wheels are crucial because it keeps the shelves off of the garage floor, which occasionally is ever-so-slightly wet, and makes it easy to pull the unit out for cleaning) right outside the garage/kitchen door. Shoes, rackets, baseball equipment, coats, etc., all have storage bins or dedicated cubbies. I also have hooks on the garage wall that are for wet towels in the summer and leashes and anything else that will hang up the rest of the year. Keeping the junk out of the house has done wonders for the tidiness of my entire downstairs. The other thing that helps is to have separage bags for as many activities as possible. My 14 yo, for instance, has a dance bag, a gym bag and a school bag, and certain things stay in those bags all of the time, thus minimizing the stuff that has to come in and out of a bag. She moves her phone from bag to bag but otherwise just picks up the right bag when she walks out of the door. Terri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur de Lis Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thank you for all of the pictures and links that have worked for you. I'm definitely getting some good and useful ideas here! Do you enter through a garage? Nope, detached. I'd consider leaving shoes/coats in the garage, but not sure if that would really work out in our MN winters! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur de Lis Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 In our case, the house is 100 years old. It just wasn't built to be used by people with stuff. We have no storage space. If your home is somewhat newer, I don't know why anyone would plan it like that. 1972 here. The 70's were crazy I hear. Maybe that is the answer??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abigail4476 Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Well, it isn't easy, but I try: --a basket for rain/snow boots right outside the back door. There would be no way I could keep up with the mud if those boots came through the door. They have to come off outside. :glare: --rows of hooks for backpacks, coats, hats and totes. I asked my husband just the other day to put up another row of hooks in the hall. You just can't have enough of them. :001_huh: --a basket for outdoor toys (football, soccer ball, sidewalk chalk, etc.) close to the door for easy clean up and access --lots of sweeping and mopping. No way around it. I sweep 1-2x a day. Mop the area 1x a week, when company's coming or more as needed. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annlaura Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 Immediately inside the door are a couple of hooks for the dog leashes and my quick-trip-out jacket. Then stacked shoe shelves, on top of which are 2 baskets for mittens, hats, scarves. Then over these are hooks for DH's hats and duty belt. Next, a boot tray and low hooks for little coats. DH and I leave our footwear near the door, but our coats come farther in. There is a rack over a heating vent just past all the hooks, near the coat closet. So after boots come off, wet and snowy items can come to the rack. I still end up with shoes everywhere, but DS5 is getting better about it. They're both pretty good about getting boots off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 :) For your car? Or are these the flashlights that strap to your head? :001_smile: Probably the ones you clamp on your head. The guys here love them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertmum Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I have a shoe rack from IKEA and our shoes live there most of the time. Then I do a 'hot spot' 5 minute tidy up every day. House policy: All shoes must be removed at the door. Anything mucky must be either left outside the door or taken to the bathroom for 'decontamination' (it's a joke). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 We have a cupboard there for shoes, floor space for messy boots and an overstuffed set of hooks for coats. There's no space for school bags, however, so those end up in the main entry way. Still, it's not as bad as it could be, and I do clear the bags away into bedrooms during the holidays. I patrol the front entry way most days and scoop up stray items. We are planning on moving the washing machine/dryer out into a cleaner space though - the combination of clean clothes and dirty boots is not a good one. Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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