Today is the last day of the Spring Cleaning Party, and our focus is on making our entry ways and foyers welcoming for our family as well as for guests. If you’re feeling tired or worn out and are tempted to just skip today, I encourage you to visit Tsh’s post before you even think about starting. She’s got some great encouragement today about the benefits of an uncluttered home, and I think it’ll give you the push you need to finish strong!

The foyer is an important area of our homes because it sets the tone when we walk through the front door. Having a welcoming entry way and a clutter free foyer lets us come through the front door without the stress of all that stuff staring back at us. Our entry ways also create the first impression for guests and visitors. This doesn’t mean it needs to be Martha Stewart-like, but adding small touches of beauty – a welcome mat, a plant on the porch or stoop, a wreath on the front door, etc. – makes our homes more inviting.

Unfortunately, it’s easy for these areas to become a catch-all for clutter as well, especially if your family is often on the go. Try a few of these methods for containing that clutter:

Organizing Shoes

We keep all of our shoes in our front closet. Unfortunately, with three little girls who each have several pairs, it was quickly getting out of hand. My solution was to buy one of those over-the-door mesh organizers. Instead of hanging it on the door, though, I hung it on the wall inside the closet and put the girls’ shoes at their level so that we can all get what we need when we go outside. During the winter, I also use this organizer for mittens and hats.

If you don’t have a closet, you could use a nice shoe rack, a bench with built-in storage or cube-shaped baskets to store these things in your foyer. As Tsh’s pictures show, shoes and coats don’t necessarily have to be hidden away as long as they’re kept neat and everything has a place.

Seasonal Gear

We rotate our seasonal gear so that our front closet doesn’t become too cluttered. During the summer, our winter jackets and boots go in the back of the guest closet, and the hats, scarves and gloves get packed away in the attic. We store the seasonal gear in a plastic storage box and use a nicer bin inside our closet for the items that are currently in season.

Clean It Up Every Day

Although I am more of a homebody than most people, I know what the coming-home routine looks like. You come in the door, dumping your diaper bag, purse, bags from the store and whatever else is in your hands in the foyer as you rush the four-year-old to the potty and the groceries to the kitchen to be put away. By the time you get everyone settled with a snack and the groceries put away, the last thing you want to do is clean up the stuff you dumped in the foyer at the beginning of the process.

I would, however, encourage you to take a few minutes at the end of each day to empty out any trash from your purse, restock your diaper bag and find homes for anything else you brought in with you. It doesn’t get easier to go back to it the longer you wait, and once it’s done, it’s done!

And We’re Done!

Tomorrow I’ll share some final thoughts about the process of spring cleaning. Both Tsh and I have talked a lot about the benefits of an uncluttered and simple home throughout this process, and I’m more convinced than when we started that living simply and minimalistically is the way to go. As moms, we have more than enough to think about without having to worry about clutter as well!

How did you do? Did you stick to the schedule and work your way through your entire home, or did you find yourself burnt out before we were done? Have you noticed any benefits of your decluttering in the rooms you finished?