The Most Important Part Of Your Home To Clean Nightly To Stay Organized

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It's no secret that one of the busiest places in any home is the entryway. It can also be one of the most disorganized areas. And it's no wonder. Upon entering the comfort of our home, the entryway is where we shed the belongings we've carried around outside all day. Shoes get left in a pile near the front door, mail gets dropped on the side table, and coats hang messily from any old hook. Before you know it, the place in your home that's supposed to look tidy and feel welcoming has become a site of chaos. There is an easy solution to tame the terror in an entryway — stop it before it starts by cleaning the area every night.

Cleaning is not something the majority of us want to do after a long day at work or other family activities. But developing a habit of tidying and decluttering every night can prevent the need for that time-consuming weekly deep clean. After all, you eat an elephant one bite at a time. The easiest way to keep your entryway organized and clutter-free is to conduct a quick nightly pickup. This ensures any mess doesn't become overwhelming. Tidiness benefits both physical and mental health. A tidy entryway also feels more welcoming and sets the tone for the rest of the home. Who knows, you could even find yourself implementing a nightly clean in other rooms. Before you know it, you'll have a home you absolutely love spending time in.

The first step in tackling mess and creating cohesion is to make sure you have an entryway plan for your items. It doesn't have to be complicated or involve buying expensive storage solutions like bins, shoe cabinets, or shelving. You simply need to find a spot for everything in the space and stick to it. You can, for example, easily tame your entryway shoe clutter with a clever Dollar Tree cutting board hack. Or if you want to be really frugal, you can make use of items you already own. Place a decorative bowl on your entryway console to collect keys, change, and other pocket items. Install a coat rack or hooks for bags and coats, and get a cute Kiseng Three-Slot Desktop Mail Organizer for bills and stationery. A small, discreet waste basket in one corner will help with trash management.

Once you've determined where everything goes, attend to the entryway every night after dinner. Go through your mail and toss any junk. Put anything urgent aside to deal with after you finish tidying. Hang up any coats or bags that are lying on the floor. Make sure all of the shoes are on your shoe rack in neat pairs. Put items that belong in other rooms of the home in a dedicated tray or basket and return them. If you have an entryway rug, shake it outside. Use a dustpan and broom to clean the floor of any dirt that's been tracked in throughout the day. If you're feeling up to it, you can run a Swiffer Sweeper-style mop over the floor right after. Doing this every night will tame the mess so it doesn't build up throughout the week and become overwhelming.