The Entryway: Kickstart Your Cleaning

Welcome to your front entryway cleaning article. Remember to work at your own pace.

It makes sense that we are starting here, the front entryway, because it is the first thing you see when you walk into your home, and it is also the first real cleaning chapter in the book. Going through the front door can make you feel a certain way and that sets your mood for how you feel in your space. When I walk in and the place is upside down – which yes, can happen from time to time – my stress is through the roof. When I walk in and the front entryway is clean and serene, life is gooooood. The fun part about this space is, it’s usually small, fairly easy to clean and has a big impact on the mood and vibe of your space.

When I think about my front entryway, what really gets me are the fingerprints and scuffs on the walls, the floor/mats can get grotty and the area can look instantly cluttered. I want you to go and have a look at your front entryway now. Think about your MIAs or most important areas – the first step of the Maker Method – which you can find on page 7 of the book.

When you look at the front entryway, stand there and just take it in. What makes you feel bothered the most? I’ll wait. Fill out the quiz if you haven’t already. You can pause this if you like. Good. Now that you know what stresses you out about this space, you know where you need to focus. Try this: close your eyes just for a moment, and imagine what your space would look like ideally, if it were cleaned to your liking.

I am a firm believer in envisioning what you want, so please, close the peepers and just imagine. What does your floor look like? What does your closet look like? What does the console or area where keys, coins and mail are dropped look like? In your mind’s eye, look up, around the ceiling and corners, light fixture, and down at the floor. It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just has to be as clean as you want it to be. Great. Now that you know what your ideal space looks like, that’s what you are going to work toward. That’s your goal! There’s a beginning and an end to cleaning, you have seen both and now you know what you need to do.

Let’s execute this. This brings me to the second step of the Maker Method – Make sure you’ve got the right products and tools, and that you understand the techniques required to achieve your desired outcome. Reference page 15 for the products, and page 28 for the tools and pick out the ones you need. Place them in a caddy or take them along with you to the space. I want you to place the caddy down on the floor in the middle of the space. Flip through chapter three of the book, starting on page 55, to get your bearings with techniques and specifics on how to clean each space. A quick skim will go a long way in helping you work faster.

You may wish to light a candle or diffuse some essential oils while you work, I always finds this helps motivate me. Before you start, remind yourself that this is a small investment of your time for big results and at the end of the time you’ve dedicated to this, your space will be noticeably improved. Make sure you are dressed comfortably for cleaning and have carved out about 20 minutes to do this. Have a drink handy, go to the bathroom and turn off distractions, except for this video, of course! Get yourself in the headspace to clean. You got this!

Now, start at your starting point and begin your cleaning. As you lift up times to clean, remember that you don’t need to clean something if you aren’t going to keep it! So, when doing this, start to look at each item and decide if you really like it, need it, want it. Perhaps you can get rid of just one thing? Also, think about storage solutions; is there anywhere you can add hooks, baskets or bench storage to make this space more efficient? By taking a creative eye to this area – something you don’t normally do, you’d be amazed at what you can discover.

As you wipe glassy or glossy surfaces, remember to do the cross-check found on page 45 to make sure you’ve got no streaks left behind. Make sure the floor is nice and clean, too. This is where a lot of dirt can potentially be tracked through the house. Make sure you’ve got a solid floor-cleaning strategy.

Don’t forget to check out Maker’s Clean line of premium products. From microfiber cloths to the Maker’s Mop, they have a great line of high-quality products that will help you take your cleaning game to the next level!

Take a moment to commend yourself for the work that you are doing as you go through and complete this task. You are making great efforts to improve your space, and you are learning a new skill along the way. As you wind down cleaning this area, clear away the items you’ve used to clean, lovingly put any finishing touches on your work, and stand back and observe what you’ve done. Smile ear-to-ear, pat yourself on the back, let out a little spirited woo-hoo, or do a quick dance. Whatever you need to do, you deserve to congratulate yourself and ride the feel-good vibes of your efforts. Your front entryway looks noticeably better now, and all because of you! Put your products and tools away and gloat, to yourself, about the amazing work you just did.

The front entryway is simple to keep clean once you have a solid getting home routine in place to support the cleaning work you already do, you’ll find it even easier to maintain. Bolster your efforts by scheduling in the extra tasks you don’t handle day-to-day. Take note of anything you want to do at another time and create a time to do it in your calendar – baseboards, light fixtures, cleaning out the floor of the closet, etc.

As you likely know, this is the third step of the Maker Method – routines and scheduling. You can find more information about creating a getting home routine on page 56 and page 258. Scheduling cleaning can be done on page 274 and onward. It’s a super helpful tool.

You’ve done it! I am so thrilled that you got through the front entryway and made it look beautiful. Great work, I can’t wait to take you into the living room and dining room!

If you’re looking for more tips and tricks to keep in mind when cleaning around the house check out our E-Book Bundle! It gives you access to our E-Books My 3-Wave Cleaning System, 50 DIY Cleaning Recipes, and The Complete Guide to Essential Oils!