A mud room is a handy transition room from the outside, but with a busy family, it can easily become a cluttered mess! It doesn’t have to be that way; use these tips to keep your mud room well organized and functional.
Plan it out
To help keep your mud room efficient and organized, you first need to consider what function you’d like it to serve. Once you’ve answered questions such as those below, you’ll be better able to organize your room the way you want.
- Is it simply to be a spot to hang up jackets and store wet boots or shoes?
- How about for sports equipment and backpacks?
- Do you have pets that will be using the space when they are dirty or even just as the place you feed them?
- What storage solutions are you looking for in your mud room?
Hang it up
Seating
To help keep your adjacent rooms clean, add a bench for an easy place to tie shoes and pull on boots. A bench can be placed or built below a row of hooks, and the space underneath it will make a great place to store footwear, bags or baskets of sports gear and pet food.
Storage solutions
Follow the golden rule, a place for everything and everything in its place. Your mud room will be a go-to place for storage, so keep it organized by incorporating cabinets, lockers, baskets, bins and cubbyhole storage. Add deep shelves or cubbies above the rows of hooks, and add baskets as a catch-all for hats, gloves, scarves, sports items and other paraphernalia. Add vertical rows of shelving to make baskets accessible to small children.
Other helpful ideas
- Have a boot tray or rubberized mat by the door to store muddy footwear.
- Place a key rack on the wall near the door so they’ll never get lost again.
- Add a chalkboard or whiteboard to a wall for a fun way to communicate.
- During rainy season, place an umbrella stand by the door or add designated hooks over an absorbent mat to hold wet umbrellas and catch drips.
- Personalize a storage bin or basket for every member of the house. This will make it easier for everyone to find their own gear.
- Divide your wall space into locker-size compartments for individual storage.
- Build up and over. Add shelving above recycling centres or laundry machines.
- If you have pets, find a niche for food storage and dishes. Place the food dishes on a mat to catch drips and spills.
More on home organization
A guide to organizing your garage
Shoe rack ideas
Entryway organization: Stylish umbrella stands
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