Whether you enter your home from the front door, back door, or garage, we can help you organize your entryway with simple drop zone ideas!
The entryway is the first place you and others see when walking into your home, so it’s important to keep it tidy and have a good organizing system in place.
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The main goal is to create a space to store the items you need when entering or exiting your home!
Drop Zone Before and After
Our drop zone is located at the garage entrance, which opens into our laundry room.
Last year our drop zone needs changed after we lost our sweet dogs, Barkley and Gracey, to old age!
Here they are in 2021 after I turned this bench into a pet station to store their supplies.
You can check out that post on how to organize pet supplies if you need help in that area!
We had sixteen wonderful years with them and it was sad to say goodbye.
It breaks my heart to remove all of our dog’s items from our drop zone, but we don’t plan to get any more pets, so it’s time to tackle this area!
Our bench is in rough shape and needs a bit of attention.
I had a goal to do this during our Fall Home Organization Challenge, but that didn’t happen, so I added it to our Winter Challenge instead!
So, before I could reorganize the space, I had to paint the bench.
Notice how we rubbed the paint away by pulling the dog food container in and out.
I also had to spray-paint the basket that was originally in the middle slot.
And here is the bench after a bit of DIY magic!
So much better huh?
Isn’t it amazing what a little paint can do?
Now, let’s create a new drop zone!
What is a drop zone?
If you’re not familiar with the term, let me explain!
A drop zone is a designated space near the entryway of your home where individuals can “drop” or place everyday items such as keys, mail, bags, shoes, and other essentials.
The primary purpose of a drop zone is to create an organized and easily accessible area for commonly used items, preventing clutter from spreading throughout the house.
By providing a dedicated spot for items that are frequently needed when leaving or entering the house, a drop zone helps streamline daily routines, saves time searching for misplaced belongings, and helps maintain a neat living space.
Ideas to create a functional drop zone
1) Determine the Location
The first step to creating an efficient drop zone is to identify which entrance to your home you use regularly.
If you always enter and exit from your front door, then set up your drop zone in the foyer or a hallway near the door.
If you always enter through your garage, use the walls around the door, or perhaps you have a laundry or mudroom.
2)Determine your needs
Next, write a list of items you need when you leave the house and items people “drop” when they come into the house.
Typical items stored in a drop zone area:
- Shoes
- Coats
- Hats
- Gloves
- Umbrellas
- Purse
- Wallet
- Keys
- Sunglasses
- Backpacks
- Pet leashes and supplies
- Reusable shopping bags
Your list will help you prioritize what items you need to store in the drop zone.
Start brainstorming ways you can organize all of those items.
Don’t buy any storage items yet!
3) Shop your house for storage solutions
Before you purchase new items, search your house for things you can use to organize the space.
- Bench
- Hanging shelves
- Bookcase
- Hooks
- Small table
- Cabinet
4) Decide on a budget to Create Your Drop Zone
Creating a drop zone does not have to cost a lot of money.
You can organize for free by repurposing items you already have.
Shop thrift stores for inexpensive furniture or organizers.
DIY a piece of furniture or hang shelves.
On the other hand, you can get a custom drop zone by hiring someone else to build one for you!
Simple Ideas to Create a Drop Zone
Here are some practical and stylish tips to inspire you to create a drop zone in your home.
Use multipurpose furniture with storage
We are using a bench with storage underneath!
This provides a place to sit down to put on and take off shoes.
The baskets can be used to store anything you need!
During the hot months, I set our organized pool bag on the bench!
Incorporate hooks to hang items
Above the bench, we use hooks to hang our jackets, string bags, and purse!
Hang a mirror
A mirror is not a necessity, but it’s nice to have one near the door to check your hair and make-up before heading out!
Our mirror provides hooks and a cute shelf to decorate the space!
Assign Storage
If you have separate storage areas for family members, make tags with their names!
Maximize blank Wall Space with hooks
We needed a place to hang wet towels after returning from the pool and made a personalized towel hook to hang on the wall across from the washer and dryer.
Attach baskets to the wall
We use this basket to store items we sometimes need for an outing, including rain ponchos, umbrellas, sunglasses, wallets, and reusable grocery bags.
Hang your keys
If you hang your keys near the door, you’ll never lose them!
Invest in coordinating rugs
To keep from tracking dirt inside your house, we use a throw rug and a runner!
In Conclusion
Often overlooked but undoubtedly essential, the entryway sets the tone for the entire house.
Now you can transform your space into a clutter-free and organized oasis with simple drop zone ideas that will make coming home a delightful experience.
Thanks for joining us today!
It was tough removing all the pet supplies from our drop zone and even though our precious pups are gone, they will never be forgotten!
We can still see their sweet faces every time we enter or exit our home through the garage door!
Curious to know what the rest of this room looks like?
You can see how we organized the laundry room here!
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Blessings, Donna and Rich
Pin It For Later
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More Home Organization Inspiration
Can’t get enough of home organization? Here are some other posts you should see!
- Organize Your Front Porch for Spring
- Spring Yard Clean-Up In Six Easy Steps
- Organize Your Car for a Roadtrip
- Brilliant Ways to Organize Your Ofice Supplies
- Tips to Organize Craft Supplies
Get The Look
Here are some items to help get your own drop zone organized and functional.
**Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. We appreciate your support. (disclosure policy)
Love the way you made this space pretty and practical, Donna! The power of paint never ceases to amaze me after all these years and the bench and the basket fresh are fabulous. Love that you kept pictures of Gracey and Barkley too. It’s such a sweet way to honor them! Hugs, CoCo
Hi CoCo! Thank goodness for paint! It’s transformational! Isn’t that the cutest picture of our dogs? We will always cherish it! Thanks for your kind words!
That is such a beautiful space!
Thank you so much! It feels great to have it organized and spruced up!!
I remember saying those exact words, never again, but here we are with a spunky dog who fills our days and nights with laughter. I am sure it was difficult changing this space since it was theirs. My heart goes out to you Donna. The space looks great, as always, and thank you for the tips.
Thank you for your kind words Cara! I appreciate that so much! I kept procrastinating because I knew it would be hard, but it’s a relief to get the area in order! Thanks again!