Importance of mudroom lockers
Mudroom lockers are a regular fixture in the entrance of many homes in cold or rainy climates. Located near the front-door entranceway, a mudroom locker acts as an appointed storage area for all members of the household as they walk in or out the door.
Mudroom lockers are especially useful for school going kids as it provides an easy means of storage for all the stuff they lug to and from school every day.
Here are six important factors that should be kept in mind if you are planning to install a mudroom locker:
Remember that the main purpose of a mudroom locker is organization. This is a functional piece of furniture, and should be used as such. Any aesthetic or decorative quality of a mudroom locker should be of secondary importance to its primary function as an instantly available storage space.
A mudroom locker's usability depends on its ability to safely and conveniently store a large number of items. These lockers typically come with shelves for storing books, toys and sports equipment; and hooks for bags, coats, sweaters and other outerwear garments. Some models even have benches and hidden compartments for extra storage space. When incorporated in mudroom lockers, benches are a comfortable place to sit and undo one's heavy winter boots before walking into the rest of the house. Storage compartments under the bench can also be used to hideaway removed shoes when not in use and prevent clutter.
Mudroom lockers come in a variety of sizes and designs. They may come as cube-shelves with plenty storage space and hooks for coats but no seating section. Other models will contain an elongated bench with storage space at the bottom and a few hooks for coats up to, but limited room for shelves. Which model you go with will depend on your family's storage needs and the amount of available space in your mudroom.
Most mudroom lockers are designed to be highly modular and customizable. Depending on how much room you have available in your mudroom, you can alter your locker's design just enough to make it fit. You can buy a mudroom locker with enough shelves and seating room to take over the whole mudroom, or you can go with a smaller model that will blend in and not overwhelm the existing decor.
If you have small children in your family, make sure you select a child friendly mudroom locker. Such lockers should have shelves, hooks and bins in easy reach of small children. Neglecting to do this will result in your little angel's clothes and boots being strewn all over the floor, defeating the purpose of having a mudroom locker in the first place.
Remember that mudroom lockers should be functional above all else. These items of furniture will see a lot of use over the years, and will likely receive a fair share of wear and tear. Select a mudroom locker with a sturdy enough construction and paint finishing so it is easy to clean and able to withstand repeated use and abuse. Discourage the storage of dirty clothes in the mudroom locker, and regularly empty the locker's shelves and bins of dirty clothes into the laundry hamper. The aim is to reduce clutter and mess, not create it.