Farewell, messy vestibule! | The Press

Where did the son’s mittens go? Oh, horror! The eldest’s winter boots are still wet! And how to avoid the accumulation in the entrance of a ton of these damned small rocks? Professional organizer Elizabeth Alescio, owner of company M^she Range-Tout and member of the Association of Professional Organizers in Canada (OPC), gives us his advice for better organizing your vestibule this winter.

Often small in size, the vestibule is a passageway that can quickly become cluttered. It is also the first impression we give, the image we project of our home to visitors. All the more important reason to maintain order there.

But how to achieve this tour de force? By keeping only the essentials, that is to say the clothes, accessories, shoes and objects for the current season. And by rotating the elements a few times a year. “Anything out of season, we can put it in a bin on a higher shelf or we can have another cupboard, if we have the space to afford it,” explains Elizabeth Alescio, adding that in Quebec , our seasons are not clearly defined, which forces us to rotate more often.

Bins & Baskets Essentials

M^she Range-Tout also recommends individual storage, whether in a basket or a bin, for each inhabitant of the household. And each container containing each person’s scarves, mittens, hats, neck warmers and accessories must be clearly labelled. “Labelling is the key. If the children are very young and don’t know how to read, often put their photo on the bins or have a color reserved for them, it helps them a lot to find themselves, “says Ms.^me Alescio.

For these families with young children, the bins must be placed at their height so that they can access them independently. And if the bins don’t have lids, that’s even better.

If our hallway is small and we don’t have enough space to put bins or baskets in it, the professional organizer suggests integrating a bench with storage, using the vertical wall space with an organizer for incoming mail and outgoing or to put hooks which can even be decorative. “Hooks really do wonders! »

These shoes always too many

Often, the vestibule quickly becomes cluttered due to the many shoes lying around there. Elizabeth Alescio suggests buying a shoe rack that will store everything, no matter the season. In winter, a transition plate “that allows us to make the boots drip” is a must, as is a stiff brush that we keep nearby to scrub the boots before entering to avoid the hundreds of small rocks, sand and salt on the carpet. The purchase of a portable dryer to dry mittens and boots is also recommended.

“The dryer is an important element, especially if you do a lot of winter activities and need to dry quickly. Some are electric, with a small built-in heater. If not, there are other solutions like reverse hooks that can be found at Dollarama. We just put our mitts on them near an air vent or heater to allow circulation instead of locking them away in a drawer or closet. »

Receive the family at Christmas with order

What can we do to avoid the mess if all the relatives come to celebrate at our house? Put the boots in the bath and the coats in a heap on the bed like in the good old days? Elizabeth Alescio advises instead to empty your wardrobe in order to be able to store the personal belongings of the guests.

It is also possible to install temporary adhesive hooks such as those of the 3M brand. “Some of them are semi-decorative and still quite resistant. You just have to look at the weight allowed for each type of hook. And at the end of the season, they can easily be removed. »