Have you updated your entry way – Front door, back door, mud room – for Spring yet?  Yes, it is time!

First, pull out everything in your entry way.  Sort your stuff into

categories, and purge / recycle / donate what needs to go.Coats / outerwear:

• Review all your outerwear.  Completely purge old, ill fitting, extra or outgrown coats, sweaters, jackets, etc.
• Wash the items you want to keep, or take them to the cleaners this week, and make a note to pick it up next week, so you don’t forget!
• Re-hang your Keep items on sturdy hangers, and put them at the very back or end of the closet.
• Pull to the front of the closet the outerwear you need for Spring, like rain gear and lighter jackets.

Accessories:

• Review hats, gloves, mittens and scarves, and toss the old or unmatched items.
• Wash and completely dry everything, then place the items you want to keep in a clear bin or 2 (approx. 12 qt size), labeled “cold weather accessories”, or in an XL Ziploc bag (check out Target in the wraps and bags aisle) with all the air squeezed out.
• Store the bin or bag on the highest shelf.  You can still see it, but it’s out of the way.
• Pull to the front of the closet the stuff you need for Spring, like umbrellas and baseball caps.

Shoes and boots:

• Review and completely purge old, ill fitting, extra or outgrown shoes.
• Clean the mud or salt off the ones you want to keep, then store them in a ventilated and lidded plastic bin.
• Label that bin “cold weather shoes” and store it on the floor in the back of the closet, or use a few smaller bins and store those on the top shelf, too.  Just don’t store any really heavy containers up high.  Why?  First, really heavy containers can overload shelves.  Second, you will have to pull the containers out again in the Fall to use your cold weather items, and you run the risk of injuring yourself when you pull the really heavy containers down.

Sporting equipment / Toys:

• Free up some entry way space, and store off-season sporting equipment in a well-labeled bin in the garage or basement.
• If you go the same places often, you could also pre-pack a “Park” bag (sunscreen, hat, hand wipes, band aids and a small snack, for example), or a “swim lesson” bag (towel, suit, shower shoes and goggles) and leave those bags ready to grab and go.
• If you use your front hall closet like we do, try making a “front steps” basket or bucket, for small things like side walk chalk and bubbles.  The basket comes out for play time and gets tucked away when play time is over.  I worked in a closet a couple of weeks ago, and last year’s bubble bottles and side walk chalk really wrecked the closet floor under all the winter boots and shoes.  Yuck.

Hardware / Home Improvement Items:  The Ice-Melt and snow shovels can go to the garage, thank goodness.  And out come the door wreaths and flags.  Collect small hardware items and tools into a well-labeled bin or two.

Take this opportunity to wash down walls, vacuum the floor, and add some storage.

• Every entry way needs coat storage, accessory storage, and lots of shelves and vertical storage. You may have some of this in place already, but you can always add to your storage options.
• Hang an over-the-door shoe rack, or mount it directly to a wall.
• I am in a lot of closets, and most have one closet rod, and one shelf right above the rod, then 2-3 feet of unclaimed storage above the one shelf and below the ceiling.  Add at least one more shelf 12-18 inches below the ceiling to maximize your storage space and give you room for off-season and rarely used items.
• Command Hooks (by 3M) are awesome for maximizing your vertical storage.  Check out the display at your local home improvement store.  They are inexpensive, easy to install, and solve lots of storage challenges.  Use them to hang bags and accessories, brooms, baseball caps or umbrellas.  The ideas are endless!

Spend a little time this week updating your entry way for the new season, and you will thank yourself for months to come!