As we begin to head into the winter season, it’s time to think about how we are going to handle the snow, slush, wet boots, and winter gear that come along with it. For many, we’ll see more traffic within our homes this year as opposed to years past. So it’s best to be prepared!
With more people working from home, remote learning, and an increase in adopted pets coming into the home, there are some key adjustments that should be made. Let’s look at these adjustments that need to be made for winter.
A good quality, durable, and large entrance mat is a must for the winter months! It also helps to protect your existing flooring from excessive moisture.
Declutter
Whenever the seasons change, it’s always a good idea to spend some time decluttering. Particularly for the entryway of your home, coats, jackets, shoes, and sandals may be leftover from the summer. Store summer or autumn clothes and shoes elsewhere during the colder months if possible to free up space for the bulky wintery items that are needed.
Flooring Provisions
While it may not be possible to update your flooring entirely, there are mats and rugs that should be used in any event, to prevent mud and water damage to the floors you do have.
Invest in a good quality, and thick outdoor mat to encourage stomping boots off outside before entering the home. Adding another mat or rug inside within the entry will help to absorb any leftover moisture.
An all-in-one storage unit is especially helpful for families to keep different coats and shoes all together but in an organized way.
Add Storage
This is a must-have for any entry! Adding storage to your entry will help to keep everything in its place when not in use. It doesn’t need to be anything extravagant… Even just a slim built-in cupboard is great or a bench with storage underneath is enough to keep things tidy.
Designate a space for each person if you can – somewhere to hang two or three coats, and space for a few pairs of shoes or boots. You can make the storage area more interesting and personal for each person with different hooks if you wish.
If you do keep your coats, jackets, and shoes in the open, make sure to keep them tidy so they don’t look messy.
A good backdrop for wall hanging storage is to install a simple shiplap wall with wood panels. This can create a separate wipeable surface from the main wall finish so it’s extremely practical for hanging bulky and wet coats.
Shiplap paneling is extremely practical for entryways! Make sure to use a wipeable paint so you can clean and wipe it down as required.
Shoe Storage
Metal boot trays are fantastic for letting winter boots dry before being stored on racks or in closets.
With rain and snow your winter boots are likely to be dripping wet (even with an outdoor mat!) so providing a boot tray near the front door will save a lot of cleaning time. If you’re tight on space for the whole family, rotate pairs between the indoor mat, boot tray, and shelf or closet where they’re stored.
There are many different extendable shoe racks available that provide a huge amount of shoe storage that even work for entryways!
Other Ideas
A bench with integrated shoe racks beneath are extremely handy for entryways!
While there will be hooks to hang coats, it’s important to have an additional area for anything else that needs to be hung up. Dog leashes, for example, will need to be hung up to dry, and so will wet coats. Having additional hanging space than what is required for storing the winter outerwear will ensure you have plenty of space to hang wet items up.
Keep smaller items like gloves, hats, and scarves in storage baskets to keep them out of sight yet easily accessible when needed.
It’s also really handy to keep some plastic liners near the front door for any wet items. This will make it easier to move them to somewhere they can dry properly (if there isn’t space within the entry itself).
How do you prepare your home for the winter months? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!