mudroom organization ideas
Mudrooms are special areas of a house designed to act as a barrier between your living area and the mud, grit and snow brought in from the outside world.
Mudrooms are typically located at the front door and are normally the first thing anyone sees walking into your house and the last thing they see walking out of your house. For something with so much prominence, the mudroom is one of the most underutilized rooms in many homes. Most people use the mudroom as a temporary dumping ground for winter outerwear and tend to ignore its existence until it's time to leave.
There are, however, a few simple and inexpensive things that can be done to organize your mudroom so you don't have to be ashamed to show it off to guests:
Although most mudrooms come prebuilt with ample closet and storage space, these are generally wasted. Jackets, boots and shoes ten to get dumped into them and forgotten about. Boots end up piled into a heap and jackets always take up more space than they should, making removing anything out of a mudroom closet an exercise in frustration. All this can be fixed with a few simple modifications. Installing dual bars makes it easy to hang two jackets comfortably where before only one could be stored. Shelves added to the bottom of the closet offers an orderly and convenient way to store shoes and boots.
Mitts, like socks, always seem to be missing when you need them the most. For many people, winter hats and mitts are their most commonly misplaced clothing items. Proper storage of these items in your mudroom closet will make lost gloves and missing hats a thing of the past. Considering purchasing a closet organizer with several larger shelves in which you can place baskets containing all your gloves, hats etc. Use clothespins to keep pairs together. Those with smaller mudrooms without space for custom closet sets can make use of a simple clothesline suspended over one corner to hold hats and mitts. Once again, clothespins can be used to keep pairs of mitts together and fasten them to the line.
Regardless of the size of your family or house, a closet organizer that can hold keys, mail and other small items is a must for your mudroom or porch. Whether you are a stay at home mother in Wasilla or a high powered executive on Wall Street, you will need to grab your keys, bills, wallet and phone as you head out the door, making closet organizers that hold such items a necessity. Additionally, consider getting a wall hanging system that can store framed photos of you family in addition to having hooks and slots for keys, mail and bills. If you are in the habit of leaving notes and lists in your mudroom to remind you of things as you head out the door consider installing a whiteboard or framed corkboard.
Mudrooms are often the dumping site of all kinds of sporting equipment. This can be problematic as they take up a good deal of space and can also smell if left out in the open. Rather than throwing it all in a corner of the room, get an entryway bench with under the seat storage. The hidden storage space is perfect for keeping sporting equipment out of sight and the bench also doubles as a nice place to sit down and take your shoes off. Try getting a bench made from cedar, as that helps deal with any bad odor - if that is not an option then you can always toss in a few bounce sheets into the storage compartment with the smelly sporting goods.
A few simple and cheap modifications like installing custom closets or buying closet organizers can go a long way in organizing your porch, entryway or mudroom. You will find space you never thought you had and your family will appreciate a cleaner and less cluttered entryway.