Last Updated on February 14, 2021 by Katie Barton
One of my biggest frustration with my kids used to be when they came home from school (or from anywhere) and threw their coats, book bags, and shoes all over the floor.
But the problem was, I couldn’t really blame them for not hanging up their coats and bookbags –they couldn’t reach the hooks! I knew I had to make a different system for them to put their belongings up.
Our Entryway
Our entryway is the door to our kitchen. There’s no mudroom or little walk in the hallway. What we have is a kitchen that has hooks throughout. I like the kitchen, I like the hooks throughout, but it’s not my ideal vision of an entryway.
I had to make this room do for entry organization. Here’s what I did.
#1 -Installed Hooks Kids Could Reach
By far, the easiest and most important thing I did was to install hooks that kids could reach. This eliminates their coats and bags being thrown all over the floor.
# 2- Put a Shoe holder on the Rug
My husband’s shoes are ALWAYS muddy. Always. Always.
It drives me crazy.
I end up sweeping the rug in the entryway several times per day. So I purchased this shoe tray to put our shoes and boots on. This keeps the mud chunks in the shoe tray and also helps corral everything together.
# 3 – Added a Basket for Kid’s Shoes
Lastly, we added a simple basket to hold everyone else’s shoes. It’s plenty big enough to keep all the typically worn shoes by the girls and me.
More Simple Entryway Organization Ideas
If you need some more entryway organization, here are some simple ways to keep everything neat and tidy.
# 1 – Use Hooks for Backpacks and Coats
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This is number one. If you’re not doing it, you need to do it now! Buy a small coat rack you can screw into the wall or hang up some hooks.
# 2 – Use a Coat Rack
If you don’t have anywhere to put up hooks, you can always use a standing coat rack.
# 3 – Utilize Lockers
If you don’t like the idea of hooks, you could try lockers. These are a great way for kids to keep all of their belongings together.
# 4 – Label
Labeling a spot for each kid to put their things can be a nice touch. It’s also great for siblings who often fight over spaces!
# 5 – Add Shoe Storage
The shoe storage you add will depend upon the size of the space you’re working with, as well as your family needs.
A shoe rack/console doesn’t work in my space, so we opted for the tray. However, a completely different idea might work for what you need.
#6 -Use Baskets
And finally, baskets are a great way to coral items together. Consider getting a basket for each child.
Keep it Simple, Keep it Organized
Creating a space where it’s easy to put things up when you walk into the house can save you a lot of daily frustration. It also helps when you’re leaving because you know where everything will be.
Your systems don’t need to be elaborate or expensive – they need to work for your family.
Do you have any entryway organizing tips?
Katie Barton is the owner of Cabin Lane. She's also a home improvement writer for Bob Vila and Homedit. Her cleaning and organizing advice has been featured on Realtor.com, Yahoo News, GoBankingRates, and more. In her spare time, you can find her with a paintbrush in hand, searching for her next project.
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