Every house has a place where people drop their schoolbags, coats, phone and keys – that’s your dropzone. And believe it or not, it is crucial to the smooth running of your household. Think about how stressful it is to be late leaving the house because you can’t find your keys… and then imagine tripping over a pair of shoes and finding your coat is tangled up in a hockey stick. A tidy hallway means you can leave the house with dignity, every time!

A place to empty your pockets by the front door

Putting your keys, phone and whatever else you take with you every time you leave home in the same place each day makes getting out of the house a breeze – just pick up and go. A set place in the hallway for your daily carry is a simple hack that will change your life. If you’re short of space, think hooks or a narrow shelf. But otherwise, a narrow table with a dish for each person or a sideboard with a divided drawer.

A place to keep your shoes in your efficient hallway

Shoes in the house is a divisive subject, and I’m not going to risk starting a flame war by confessing allegiance to either side. But I am going to say that having a place to keep outdoor shoes and house shoes makes a huge difference to comfort, tidiness and calmness in the home.

A shoe rack or a basket keeps footwear all in one place, so that boots and trainers don’t become a trip hazard. And if your shoes are neatly stored, you are less likely to have a frantic hunt when you’re trying to leave the house in a hurry.

Somewhere to dry muddy and wet outdoor clothing near your front door

Storing wet, muddy outdoor clothes away from the main living areas will help keep your home clean and dry. Have a think about what you might do with soaking wet coats – could you hang them in the porch, or in the garage? Do you need to put some hooks in to make this possible? And what about muddy wellies and football boots caked with soil and grass? Is there a place to dry and clean your football boots, as per Adidas’s detailed instructions? If everyone knows what to do as soon as they arrive home, it will save you having to clean up wet and muddy footprints.

Process your post as soon as it arrives for a calm dropzone

If you simplify the process of dealing with post, it’s less likely to build up under the letterbox. Avoid keeping a letter rack near the front door as it will just get cluttered with old post that no one wants to deal with. Instead, have a recycling bin for junk mail and packaging; and a quick and easy way of processing bills. You can cut down on the amount of paper coming through your letterbox by going paperless where possible.

Declutter your hallway each week

In many houses, hallways get cluttered with things that are trying to leave the house but can’t quite make it out of the front door – for example, bags of charity donations, parcels going to the post, and items left behind by visitors. Make a point of speeding these things on their way.

Another common piece of hallway clutter is out-of-season items. Avoid storing clothing and sport equipment that you aren’t going to use for the next three months in your hall. Instead, put it into storage, either in your home or outside your home in a self-storage unit. If you’ve never rented a storage unit before and are wondering how much it is, we have a blogpost to help you work out storage costs. And we definitely recommend getting a quote from us for your self-storage insurance.

Everyone who comes to your house will pass through the hallway, so it’s worth making it work efficiently for your household.