I have always been enamored with houses that have a porch, which is one of the things I love about our cozy home. There is just enough room for a bench, my boxwood, and a planter I use for colorful flowers. Then there is the entryway. I am not as fond of this because there isn’t much of one, but I have learned ways to make it as functional as possible for our family.

Keep reading for tips on how to clean and organize your porch and entryway.

The Porch

When the weather gets warm in the spring, give the porch a good cleaning. I know how dirty my porch can get during the winter. Depending on your porch, give it a good sweeping and then spray off with a hose to get it even cleaner. Be sure to remove what you can off the porch first, especially snow shovels and ice melt left over from winter. If you have outdoor furniture, give that a good cleaning as well and don’t forget the doormat.

Add a personal touch. First, get rid of any outdated decorations, broken planters, and dead plants. Add planters on one or both sides of the door depending on how much room you have. Plant flowers that are inexpensive and easy to take care of like Zinnias, Petunias, Impatiens, and Marigolds. If you don’t have a designated porch you can still make it look nice by cleaning up the door or even giving it a coat of paint with a fun color, or by adding a wreath. Finally, find a cute welcome mat to place in front of your door!

Entryway

Start by decluttering. Grab some boxes or garbage sacks. Label them as: discard(or recycle), donate, or relocate. Keep what makes sense and get rid of what you don’t absolutely need. If you get distracted easily, try setting a timer and focus on your task for 15-30 minutes. When you are done removing unwanted items, wipe down your entryway to give it a good cleaning.

Designate places for your things when you come through the door. Occasionally I forget to put my keys in my dedicated spot by the door when I come home, and then I waste time getting out the door for work the next morning since I have to hunt them down. This one change I made years ago has saved me much stress, as long as I remember to put them there.

Repurpose a piece of furniture from another room to use by the door, like an old dresser. Fix it up and use it as a console or go to a thrift store to find a piece of small furniture that would work. Use it to contain things like keys, wallet, sunglasses, etc. that you can locate quickly. Place a large basket to collect those pesky reusable bags for grocery shopping. I am still hoping this will help me remember to take them with me.

If you do not have a coat closet by your door, utilize a rack to contain shoes. A bench or chair is also a nice touch so you can have a place to sit to put your shoes on. Hang inexpensive hooks (this is a cute one I found on Amazon) on the wall by the door for coats, scarves, and dog leashes. Use one hook for each family member.

Finally, place a rug in your clean entryway to tie the space all together.

I think most of us want a welcoming home that meets the needs of our families. Try using these tips to help organize these areas. Even if you do not have a porch, you can still make the space around your front door welcoming without breaking the bank. In addition, get creative with the entryway even if it is on the smaller side. It is possible with a few creative changes.