Why is our entryway always a wreck?!

last year

I added two rows of hooks. i got a ikea bench with storage cubbies. The entryway bench is now littered with backpacks and the ikea bench is buried in random crap. why does it have to be this way and where SHOULD we be putting our shoes? i tried telling the family to put into their assigned bin/cubby in the ikea cubby bench but that didnt last one day. suggestions

welcome

Featured Answer

User

11 months ago

Tell them items not put away are subject to disappearing. Then maybe do it on a Friday night. Obviously, this wouldn't be ideal on a school morning :)

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Comments (7)

RedRyder
11 months ago
Get rid of the kids. Your house will stay neat.

Kidding aside, you can have a family pow-wow about keeping the entrance neat for safety reasons. Get agreement, then hold everyone to account. Whatever is on the floor and not on the hooks gets a demerit. Have an age appropriate task as “punishment” for accumulated demerits.

Or just be as scary as my mom was. We were 4 people in a small 2 bedroom/1 bath NYC apartment. She really had to get after us to put things away. Coats were hung in the sole coat closet as soon as you walked in the door.
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kazzh
11 months ago
Given the amount of items, I’ll expand on LS’s suggestion with a suggestion …. Find a large container that will contain everything and label in big letters RUBBISH. When asked where something is reply - it’s in the rubbish! When rubbish day comes around, empty the ‘rubbish’ bin (stash in trash bags out of sight). The panic !
littlebug Zone 5 Missouri
11 months ago
Why is it a wreck? Because the users are untrained.
arcy_gw
11 months ago
It took me too many years to figure out mom's think they tell kids what's their responsiblity and then expect the children to comply. The problem is they often don't. Why you ask? Because they do not internalize this as THEIR JOB. They don't care about the mess so they feel no innate responsibility to remember and take their time to put things away. They aren't being naughty they are just not seeing what you see and no amount of verbiage from you will make them comprehend let alone care about this. They do what they care about. Is this your only entrance? If it were my home I would have them using a back door, door from the garage and that is where I would maintain a dumping ground. I would let them figure out through reality what a PITB it is to find your things when you want them when they are in a heap. How it is to wear a coat brother walked on. The thrill of searching for the other shoe I kicked off and it flew SOMEWHERE..... But meanwhile your front entrance is neat and tidy. The shoe/outerwear corral where you eat =iish.
User
11 months ago
A small "bribe" may get the hang up your backpack habit rolling. For example, pick up all week and we'll have a build your own sundae party this weekend.
eld6161
11 months ago
Looks like a busy family living life. You can try to get them to bring at half up to their rooms.

But if leaving things there is more effiecient, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Clean it all when you have company.