Organize A Landing Strip At The Front Door

Let’s give a big welcome to this weeks Inside Tips From The Pro’s guest contributor, Amy Myers. Make sure you join in every Wednesday right here for another peek into a professional organizer’s home…

My husband and I used to live in a very small home (less than 800 sq. ft.!) and thus organizing was essential. To help with the never-ending clutter near the front door, since we didn’t have a foyer or mud room, we created a “landing strip” using a table, some baskets, and a desk organizer. This gave everything a home as it came in and out of our home. And even though we live in a larger house now, we still use the landing strip every day because it just makes sense to have all of this stuff in one place!

Below is what we include on our landing strip. Obviously this can easily be adapted to fit your family, lifestyle, and decor.

• Desk organizer with transit tickets, maps, sunglasses, lint roller, pens and paper, garage door opener, flash light, and a place to keep keys. We also included coupons here since they could be easily grabbed on our way out the door.
• Basket for junk mail and paper recycling (don’t bother even carrying junk mail to the kitchen or office!)
• Basket for seasonal items, such as hats, gloves, or umbrellas
• Basket for the household “out box.” Those items you’ve been meaning to return to someone and don’t have a place in your home. Keep them near the door and you’re more likely to remember them.
• A designated place to locate your cell phone chargers (if needed)
• We also have a “boot tray” nearby for dirty shoes, to help contain the dirt (my husband is a general contractor…enough said!)

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Amy Myers, Organizing Diva & Event Planner of Efficient By Design. For more tips visit her at efficientbydesign.blogspot.com