Tips to organize your entryway

Decluttering your entryways will make it easier to find what you're looking for when you're leaving the house. It will look better and it will help make leaving — and coming home— more enjoyable.

A hat rack in the foyer is the handiest place to hang jackets, scarves, dog leashes, keys, and — oh yes! — hats. If you're a woodworker with an artistic bent, you could turn the right fallen tree limb into a sculptural rack that works equally well as a functional item and decorative feature.

Turn a straightened coat hanger and clothespins into a hanger rack on the back of an entryway closet door.

1. Measure the door and cut a piece of wire that will leave about a centimetre (two to three inches) of space at each end.
2. Mount a screw eye in the centre, then another at each end. Run the hanger wire through the screw eyes and bend both ends around the outer eyes with pliers.
3. Now clip clothespins to the wire and use them to hold mittens, caps and any other small items of clothing.

Devote a plastic laundry basket not to your wash, but to wet shoes. Place it just inside the mudroom door as a catch-all for sneakers, galoshes and anything muddy. (A large, shallow basket is more eye pleasing, but plastic is the utilitarian choice because it's so much easier to clean.) To speed the drying of wet shoes, set a wire shoe rack atop a boot tray near the mudroom door, and you have a wet shoe catcher that allows for better air circulation.

If access to your garage is through the laundry room, you don't want to dodge clutter each time you pass through, especially if the space is tight. One way to keep the coast clear is to mount two plastic milk crates side-by-side on the wall above the washer. Use them to hold your detergent and other laundry supplies, and they'll not only stay out of the way, but will be right at hand when you need them.

If you have a tall cylindrical garbage bin that's seen its day, think twice about retiring it. A coat of paint or a layer of contact paper will turn it into an umbrella stand for your entryway. The real article can cost a pretty penny, but your recycled stand will do just as well. Note: If the can is metal, spray the interior with clear lacquer to prevent rust.

Get rid of that painting you never liked and replace it with this organizing marvel. Basically a bookcase divided into individual squares meant to hold 10 or so compact discs each, it's also a perfect way for family members to keep their keys and cell phones instantly available first thing in the morning.

You'll be so proud at how organized your home's entrance will be with these great tips — and your family members will thank you for it, too!