Creating systems in your home can make things so much more efficient and streamlined as a mom. I will be honest, though, they take time and effort to create but even creating one system that works can shave off time and make you more organized.
This is your guide to getting organized and inspiration for creating your drop zone entryway inside your home.
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I created my dropzone inside our small mudroom/laundry room. It took me a couple of tries, and in the future, we will be changing it again to make even more room as the kids continue to grow and get older and need more things.
But my current setup is working like a charm. It’s simple yet effective as long as I keep up with the maintenance. Plus, understand my mudroom is tiny, and my family is coming all at the same time; we end up looking like we are playing twister, sometimes coming in the door all at the same time.
If you have no idea what I am referring to when it comes to a drop zone/supply zone, let me explain this a bit first.
What is a drop zone inside a home?
A drop zone is a designated area in your home where you can drop off items that need to be stored or dealt with later. This can be a spot near the front door for keys, mail, and other things that need to be dealt with right away or a spot in the mudroom or laundry room for dirty clothes and shoes. Drop zones make it easy to keep your home organized and tidy by having a place for everything.
In the simplest form, a drop zone is a dedicated area near an entry point in your home where you naturally drop off items that you use for the day. Usually, it creates its own territory in your home. If you never created one before.
Typically you will find a pile of shoes, clutter, and bookbags. Or its presence is screaming right here; drop everything you have as you come into the door. That is your drop zone, hinting that this is where you need to set it up.
Mine is located inside my shared mudroom/laundry room area. And is our most used entryway into the home.
What do you put in a drop zone?
You can put a few things in a drop zone inside a home. You can put a basket or bin in the drop zone for keys, wallets, and other small items. You can also put up a hook or hanger in the drop zone for coats, scarves, and umbrellas. Some families with larger areas find it to be a great place to put a bulletin board or whiteboard in the drop zone for messages and reminders.
I don’t have that kind of space.
Lockers are also fun and something I was thinking about in the future when we update our mudroom. But built-ins are an excellent option for creating a customized drop zone.
You don’t have to spend a ton, either. Using bins from the Dollar tree and Ikea shelving work just as well.
You can install hooks or even heavy-duty command hooks for other ideas. The possibilities are endless. But first, you have to figure out what things you need to access daily.
Remember, your real life tells you the story of what you need to do to the area where you dropped things off as you walked in. Look for the piles and things cluttered together. Then start making plans on how you could better organize the area.
Always use vertical space to increase your storage and create easy access bins.
Below are some ideas and products you might find helpful in building your own area.
If you want to see ideas for command centers, then check out this post with nine different DIY ideas for creating a command center.
These are some must-haves areas, in my opinion:
- A place for bags
- A place for mail/papers
- Key storage
- Shoe storage
- Sunglass storage
- Misc items
My IKEA entryway dropzone system and supply drawer
When I first started creating my drop zone, I needed to create a shoe storage area. We have a closet inside our mudroom, but the doors made an already small room even smaller.
I ended up just removing the doors altogether to start with. Because I wanted to create a seating area with a bench and a place for shoes, that is where our shoes are set up now.
I found the perfect white bench with an underneath shoe rack.
So now that the shoes were organized and had a home, I needed to create an actual drop zone. Using the vertical space, we had between the dryer and the wall.
I searched for a drawer system that was tall enough to support all the defined areas I needed. It is now known as my IKEA drop zone system and supply drawer.
Because we had just enough space to fit the IKEA mesh drawer system, and it was stackable, I choose this. It had a drawer for each section that I wanted.
1- Dad’s drawer
2- Mom’s drawer
3- Kids activity drawer
4- Kids’ stuff/supply drawer
5- Bookbags
Inside, each drawer has enough space to hold keys, wallets, and personal items for us as parents. And the larger drawers can store a lot of stuff for the kids and their activities.
In drawer number 4, you can find the supply section. I love this section because it reduces the number of times I need to run back into the house for things we need.
I keep all sorts of items inside this drawer.
- Travel size toilet seat covers
- Travel size tissues
- Sunblock
- Bug spray
- Wipes
- Hand sanitizer
- Hand wipes
- Silicone travel table mat
- Mask
- Body wash
- Hand lotion
- Bandaids
- Chapstick
- Pull-ups
And a few other items
When we all walk in the door each person knows where to put their belongings shoes first and then the school or work items. I love how wide and roomy the IKEA drawer system is. My husband can place his laptop in there.
The best part of the whole thing is the organized system that serves us as a family.
No more asking mom. Where’s my shoes, where’s my book bag, where’s this, where’s that?
Maintaining your entryway drop zone
As with any system you create in your home you will have to maintain it. But first, you will have to live with it a while to get a feel for how it’s working and if you need to tweak it.
Make your changes accordingly and get tweaking until it becomes second nature.
Now maintaining it is the second part. For me, I adjust inside the drawers as the seasons change and activities change.
And quarterly I kinda do a deep cleaning of the mudroom/laundry room.
Periodically I will restock the grab-and-go supply drawer as we use the items.
Getting the kids and whole family on board
I will not lie and say that it’s gonna take a few or more reminders to get everyone using the system as you intended.
My best advice is to communicate the change before you start. Also kids buy in more when they get to be a apart of the design process.
You can add fun colors or tags the love. Label things with their names or in fun designs.
Once completed do a tour and explaimation of the new system and expectations etc.
But go in with a open mind because it’s new and you are building a new habit. It will take time and practice.
But once learned my kids do the whole process most days without a single reminder.
And let me tell you the fights and rushing out the door is so much smoother. Alleluiegh!!
A drop zone is a great way to keep your home organized and tidy.