The entryway of your home is the first impression guests will have of your entire house. An expansive entry with a classic pattern or a more modern style using porcelain tile with the look of aged wood planks, your entry should always be your own way of saying “Welcome to our home”.
But after searching, choosing, waiting and anticipating the installation of your brand new floor, you might be questioning how to keep it in the pristine condition you love. Although flooring is easier to care for than it was even a few years ago, there are still challenges. One of the most frustrating can be children tracking in mud, sand, water, books, snacks, and other items dear to them.
Elementary school children are a special challenge. They come home from school in the afternoon, often dropping coats, shoes, boots, backpacks, lunchboxes, homework…the list goes on and on.
A simple organizational tool to keep the room picked up, and keep mud, water and sand off your new floor is to encourage the children to pick up and stow their things at the door before entering the rest of the house. You might fashion an area near the door that they use with hanging hooks for coats and backpacks, a rug or tray for boots and shoes, as well as baskets labeled for hats, gloves and scarves. A trash basket might also be helpful.
The items may be purchased in an array of styles and colors to enhance your home as well as your new floor, or you could creatively craft the items with the help of your children. To encourage and train them to use of the tools, attach a specifically colored hang-tag or other marker for each child on the hooks. The child must hang up and deposit all his or her items before bringing the hang-tag to the kitchen to exchange for a snack.
Homework is placed in the hanging backpack when completed, and in the morning it is an easy task to find all the children’s belongings. They can put them on where they took them off, collect their backpacks and other possessions from the hooks, taking the mud and sand back outside with them. Although a simple tool, this process not only protects your new floors and helps maintain their brand new appearance, but helps provide the relaxation inherent in an organized home, and also teaches life skills of discipline and organization to your children.