Entryways are a tricky spot. They’re the bridge between the inside of your home and the outside world, which means they’re important. But they’re also some of the dirtiest rooms of the house, acting as the barrier between the dirt on your shoes and your clean living room floor. This means that your entryway gets dirty more easily than other rooms in your house.

Unfortunately, entryways are also the first thing you or your guests see when you enter a house, so whether or not it’s spiffy looking plays a big role in the way you or your guests will feel about the rest of your house.

Since bad first impressions are so hard to recover from, it’s much easier to avoid making them in the first place. That’s why we’re going to give you tips for how to clean your entryway (and how to keep it from getting dirty in the first place).

Tips for Cleaning Your Entryway

Turn it Into a Habit

You can turn tidying your entryway into a habit, just like grabbing your morning coffee or brushing your teeth. The easiest way to do this is to tack cleaning your entryway onto another habit that you’ve already established. For example, maybe you sweep your entryway every time you feed your dog. Maybe you put shoes where they should be right after you set down your bag from work. It takes a little time, but soon you’ll be cleaning without even thinking about it first.

Don’t Forget Your Rugs

The rug or mat in your entryway is great at keeping dirt out of the rest of your home, but it gets dirty fast. The best way to take care of these messy fabrics it to take them outside, shake them out, spray them with a hose, and scrub them clean with a brush and some soap. The best part is that this works whether the mat is fabric, rubber, or something in between!

Remember the Hidden Places, Too!

Everyone knows to sweep and vacuum, but how do your baseboards look? Are they scuffed and dull? How about your window screens? These are important areas that take no more work than cleaning up the floor does.

Tips for Keeping it Clean

Organizing by Person

Maybe it’s not your fault your entryway is messy. Maybe it’s your husband or kids who don’t care about cleanliness as much as you. A great way to get them to go along with your clean efforts is to designate a section of the entryway. Since it’s theirs, they’ll feel more of a connection with it and will therefore be more compelled to keep it clean.

Make It Look Like It Belongs

By adding some organization in the form of hooks and shoe trees, you can turn your entryway into a place where your shoes and coats go to rest! By doing this, the space will look much more natural covered in coats and shoes, and you and your family will be more compelled to put everything where it should go.

Need Help? Call Scruples!

Even if you know how to do it, entryway cleaning is just one item on a long list of spots that need tidying in the house. If you find yourself dreading the chore or slacking when you’re doing it, you should consider hiring a maid service. Maids are professionally trained and can do as