Many homeowners feel they have to choose between the two. Having both may feel like it clutters your entryway, however it's more important to prioritize keeping the salt and water out of your entryway and your home. If you really don’t like the look of both, try putting the shoe tray in a closet or under a side table. To minimize the amount of salt and snow brought into your home, try not just one, but two door mats - one outside and one inside your entry door. This helps ensure your floors will stay clean throughout your home.
2. Utilize Hooks
By installing hooks in your entryway you can keep winter things off the floor entirely. Jackets, hats, gloves, and dog leashes can drag in snow just as much as any pair of boots, and by hanging them, you ensure they air dry rather than sit and pool with water in your entryway. If you’re worried about drippage, hang your hooks over your boot tray. If hooks don’t fit within your entryway’s aesthetic or makes your entryway too cluttered for your taste, try installing them within a closet or cabinet near your entryway instead.
3. Sit This One Out
Unfortunately you can’t sit winter out entirely, but if you have the room, getting a cute chair or bench that matches your entryway can be a complete game changer for keeping your entryway clear of snow and salt. You’re giving your guests and family a perfect place to make sure they wipe their shoes off, take them off, put on slippers, and discard wet or dirty winter coats, hats, and gloves.
4. Eliminate Drafts
If you have a draft in your entryway, guests and family coming in from the cold are going to want to get as far away from your entryway as fast as possible. That is not conducive to keeping your entryway or the rest of your home free of salt and snow. And even worse, if you’re using a draft-guard for your door, depending on the type of guard you have, you could be dragging the snow and salt into your entryway. Replacing your entry door may reduce the draft you’re feeling with your current door.
If you’re worried about replacing in the winter, don’t be, with the right company and the right consultant, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Here at Pella, we're just as concerned about a clean entryway and home - we even wear very "stylish" boot covers to ensure we're not tracking in snow, water, or salt! You can click here to book your free (and clean!) in-home consultation today!