Week 4: Entryways

Welcome to Week 4 of the Whole House Overhaul! This week, we’re going to focus on the entry areas of our homes.  If you’re just joining us for the Whole House Overhaul in 6 Weeks, skip back a bit and catch up with: Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3!

The entry areas of the home easily become a catch-all place where your family dumps their belongings as they walk in the door, then leaving their shoes haphazardly strewn about.  It can be a very frustrating place where family members- especially the younger ones may trip and get hurt. This week we’re going to add extra deep cleaning and organizing to normal weekly cleaning as part of the Whole House Overhaul in 6 Weeks.

We’re going to work top to bottom and left to right. Cleaning in an orderly method helps to keep oneself focused and on track.

Getting Started:

Start by collecting the trash and removing it from the entryway.  Remove anything that doesn’t belong in the entry and put it in its rightful place.  This task can be very frustrating, take lots of deep breaths and put on some happy music. Light a candle or put on some essential oils for atmosphere and then say a prayer.  When you come across an item that does not have a designated “home” then assign a place for it.

Now it’s time to deep clean the entries.

Deep Clean the Entryways:

• Start with catching cobwebs.  
• Next, clean the lights and change any dead lightbulbs.  
• Wipe the walls, baseboards and doors.
• Wash the windows, curtains, and blinds.
• Clear off and dust the tops of all flat surfaces.  
• Clean out and organize cupboards, drawers, and baskets.  
• Dust shelves and arrange items in a pleasing way.
• Sweep and mop.
• Wash any throw rugs.

Outdoors:

• Check out the outdoor area around the entryways.
• Moving left to right and top to bottom, sweep and organize the area around the entry.
• Remove items that don’t belong, and put them away.

Make the entryway a pleasing and efficient area:

Look around for ways to make your entryways more usable. Maybe you could use shoe shelves, wall shelves, or cubbies?  Get on Pinterest for ideas and inspiration then add needed items to your shopping list.

That’s it!

By following these simple steps, you can enjoy a clean and organized entryway! I can’t speak for everyone, but in my opinion it’s 10x more relaxing to come home into a clean and functional entryway. Let’s get to it this week! By sticking through this week of the Whole House Overhaul, you can achieve the entryway you want. To make this week as simple as possible, I’ve made a checklist for week 4- entryways in the Resource Library! Check it out here.

For more home management solutions, check out the book: “Home Management: Plain and Simple.” This book was written for busy homemakers just like you! Get the book here for tips and tricks to help you along on your home management journey.