An Organized Back Entry

Front entries are easier to keep organized, because they welcome everyone into the house.  There is usually a closet to store coats and shoes in and they are often small separate spaces or part of the larger living room.

Back entries are another matter.  They often become a catch-all for all sorts of things that may or may not have a permanent place to be kept.  Often items are set here as if in a holding area until they can be moved somewhere else such as a garage or basement.  

More often, these items never get moved.  The truth hurts.

If not kept tidy, back entries can become extremely cluttered.  It can be hard to remember what is actually stored there as well as hard to identify what things are.  And we all know that if we can't find it, that it can be quite frustrating! 

Sometimes we even will go buy another two or three of something because not only have we forgotten we own it already, we've forgotten where we put it!

Sound familiar?

This is before...

It was definetly a challenge to find anything in here.

First we removed everything and thoughtfully considered which items should be kept in this space  

Note:  If your back entry is unheated and you live in a cold climate, then anything that shouldn't be frozen, needs to be moved.  

I'm reminded myself of this tonight as there is a freeze warning!








In this space we kept, among other items:
Tools
Nails, screws, hooks etc.
Coolers and lunch bags
Lightbulbs
Electrical cords
Twine & wire
Gardening supplies 
Painting supplies
Brooms, dustpans, dusters
Work gloves

Everything must be sorted out and containers need to be located.  We found storage containers for everything we wanted to keep!

Be sure to look around your home before buying any containers.  You might already have the perfect thing to store your lightbulbs in.

This is after...

I am a fan of clear containers as you can see what's in them.

I also love labeling all the containers as well as the shelves.  This makes it so easy to see/read what you have at one glance, and most of all, put it back when you're doing using it. 

Labels can be a big help if you have children in your home.

It's fine to have some empty space. No doubt you will find something to put there!

Pegboards make for handy storage.

These inexpensive plastic jars can be ordered here.
Be sure to label the tops and then the jar can easily be replaced after use.

Having a well organized back room can save you a lot of time and trouble when you need to fix something.

What's your favorite item to keep in your back entry?

Have you ever bought something then discovered that you already owned it?