Keeping Your Entry Way Clean

Have you ever come into your home after a rain storm or a snowy, muddy day and realized that you and your family have brought in more rain, sleet, snow, mud and water than there could have been outside in the gutters and on the street? It happens every year in the spring and often even in the summer, depending on where you live. And if your children like to play in the sprinklers on a hot summer day, you can count on them to drag in the grass, mud and water that way as well.

So, what can you do about it? If you live somewhere the weather loves to be, like a mountainous region or somewhere on the coast, you’re probably thinking that there’s nothing you can do to save your sanity or your entry way. However, there are plenty of ways that you can save your entryway and keep your home and your flooring looking like new.

One of the quickest ways to solve your problem is to replace the three feet of space immediately in front of the entry way with linoleum or carefully molded and sealed wood flooring. This will eliminate traffic spots made by repeated dirt, mud and water deposits on the same places on your carpeting. However, at the same time, you have to make sure that you are prepared for warping of your wood flooring over time or fading of your linoleum, especially if you use linoleum that you have snapped into place yourself—this linoleum is typically of cheaper quality and is usually appealing because it is a true do it yourself tool and comes much cheaper than hiring someone to install three feet of linoleum professionally.

Another way to solve your problem is to create an outside entryway space. In essence, add a tiny room onto your home right at your front entryway where you have a bench, a coat rack and a place for the family to wipe off and take off their shoes when they come into the house. However, this option can be difficult to get used to, will take quite a while to build and can be very costly.

If you don’t want to make any permanent changes to your home, your best option is to purchase an area rug, which is by far one of the most cost efficient and family efficient methods to solving the dirty entryway. A high quality area rug with a thick pile will absorb water and pull up excess mud and dirt before it reaches your carpets. Additionally, area rug care is easy—they can be cleaned at home or you can take them to a cleaner, both of which are affordable options. Oriental area rugs or modern area rugs also give your entryway a classy look as well as keeping it clean so you won’t sacrifice style for cleanliness. You can have it all! Remember, keeping your entryway clean is important to the initial look and feel of your home.