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1. Cleaning the Mudroom
Mudrooms are dedicated spaces that people with large houses use to store shoes, coats, umbrellas, and other items that are frequently carried out the door. It’s a very practical room in your house and it gets particularly dirty in the fall and winter seasons. As its name implies, mudrooms can collect significant amounts of mud which hopefully shouldn’t arrive into other parts of the house.
Keeping the mudroom clean can be a difficult task if this transitional space isn’t properly organized. One effective way to maintain a sense of adequate cleanliness in this area is to incorporate some prevention measures. Using smart tips and tricks will help you to ensure that dirt won’t accumulate as easily. This is the first place your guests will see, so it’s essential to keep it spotless.
2. Design Ideas
If you don’t have a mudroom yet, it’s a good idea to plan one correctly as it will simplify the cleaning process. One design idea that’s more suitable for this kind of space is to invest in some durable flooring. Instead of carpets and polished wood floors, something tougher like brick or stone sounds better for the mudroom. Budget-conscious homeowners might opt for vinyl flooring as it’s less expensive and quite versatile for this purpose. Just make sure you get a textured flooring for enhanced adherence of wet shoes.
When designing a mudroom, it’s critical to plan for plumbing and wiring beforehand in case you want to add some appliances or other extra elements. This area can be a good location for a laundry sink or a washing machine. It would be faster to deal with wet, dirty clothes this way. Don’t forget about a central floor drain as it can be very handy to clean the mudroom efficiently.
3. Use Mats Both Indoors and Outdoors
Having two separate welcome mats might seem redundant for some places, but when it comes to maintaining a clean mudroom, this could save you a lot of trouble. The outdoor mat is your first barrier against dirt and grime. Most of the dirt should remain outside as people wipe their shoes thoroughly.
The indoor mat is helpful too as guests will now have a good spot to place shoes and avoid dirtying the floor. Both mats need to be regularly cleaned by vacuuming and shaking off debris. Combining two mats enables you to make sure you catch most of the dirt. Try getting a non-skid mat like this model from Amazon if you want to keep the mudroom spotless.
4. Boot Scraper
When the weather outside is particularly muddy, even your hard-working mats won’t be able to handle the amount of dirt. To prevent all that mud from entering your house, it’s a solid idea to get your hands on a boot scraper. Here’s our favorite model on Amazon. You can mount it both outdoors and indoors and allows anyone to get rid of the most stubborn mud from their boots.
5. Shoe Racks
Shoes are the main culprits when it comes to bringing in dirt from outside. This is why it’s essential to ensure that your mudroom has adequate storage space for shoes. There has to be a designated closet for this purpose or a shoe rack. If you can keep the shoes neatly in one place, you’ll have less work to do when it’s time to mop the dirt away.
6. Pets
The mudroom needs to be modified to accommodate your pets if you have them. Consider, for example, adding a hook where you can keep a towel just for drying off your dog when he’s back inside. Your dog will leave water and dirt throughout your house if you aren’t careful, so you should prepare the mudroom to tend to its needs. Maybe include a special bin just for your dog or a brush close by as well as other accessories used by pets.
The mudroom can become a pet-friendly space without transforming the entire area into a dirty mess. It’s hard to pull off, but it’s definitely not impossible. The food and water of the dog should be stored in elevated dishes to minimize the number of random bits falling on the floor. Find dedicated spots for pet toys, leashes, and collars. Also, don’t forget about placing a comfy pet cushion nearby.
7. Drying Rack
Your outer garments will get soaked in the rainy season. The mudroom should be equipped with a drying rack to deal with this problem. Add enough hooks to accommodate more items aside from coats. Accessories like hats and scarves need to be dried as well.
We like the idea of using wall-mounted drying racks as they’re more convenient to use. When the clothes are dry, you can simply flatten the rack to keep the space tidier. You can also use these to dry delicate items if you don’t have a special place for laundry. This retractable drying rack from Amazon could be exactly what you need for your mudroom.
8. Organized Area
If each family member gets their own personal area like a storage cabinet, things will be so much easier to keep organized in the mudroom. You could try some modular units if you favor extra flexibility or choose built-in units. A simpler method is to just designate shelf and hanging areas. Another advantage of maintaining an organized mudroom is the faster process of getting out of the house.
By incorporating personalized lockers you might even create a popular spot where people can store things out of sight. Not every storage solution works in the same way for everyone. This is why it’s important to analyze the needs of your family to discover the most successful way to keep the mudroom organized.
9. Closet for Cleaning Supplies
While preventing the mudroom from getting dirty is an effective strategy to keep it clean, that’s usually not enough. You will still need plenty of cleaning supplies to deal with various dirt-removal tasks. For that reason, we recommend having a closet in the mudroom where you can store all of your cleaning supplies in one place.
It can be a closet or another storage solution like a bin, basket or cubby. Having quick access to a cleaning tool makes it easier to act fast when a mess is made. Aside from basic cleaning supplies, you should consider getting some useful tools like a handheld vacuum for efficient aspiration of dirt. It’s usually much faster than using manual methods. Choose a powerful model that’s reliable and effective like this cordless vacuum from Amazon.
10. Winter Gear Storage
Winter gear should have its own spot in the mudroom. You won’t be using these items all the time, so keeping them properly organized is essential. Those winter coats and gloves will be needed eventually, so it’s a good idea to select a reliable storage method for them.
Maybe baskets will work well, but drawers can be a more durable solution. It depends on the particular type of item. Just make sure that wet items are correctly stored to not cause any damage. A set of baskets like this one from Amazon should be able to take care of your winter gear storage needs.
11. Boot Tray
Leaving wet and dirty boots on the floor of the mudroom is the kind of situation that you need to avoid to maintain a spotless environment. The simplest way to go about it would be with the help of a boot tray. After you get the boots as clean as possible using the outdoor mat, you still need to find a way to store them correctly to allow the boots to dry.
A shallow rubber or plastic tray is able to get your shoes to dry much faster compared to leaving them on the floor. Dirty snow and rainwater can accumulate there instead of creating a mess on the floor of the mudroom. Go for a rubber boot tray with ribbed texture for the best results. Check out this heavy-duty model on Amazon.
12. Bulletin Board
The bulletin board is a great addition for an entryway and the mudroom can benefit from one as well. It can be used to organize cleaning tasks like when it’s time to mop up the mudroom. You can also add other important notes to help you organize the space more efficiently.
13. Dealing with Sand
If the mudroom of your beach house constantly accumulates sand, it’s probably a good time to find a way to deal with it. To simplify the cleanup process, consider all the items of beach-goers that were in the sand. Make sure you analyze every object and clean it separately from the sand before you allow it inside. You can do this in multiple ways, but shaking out the items works well enough for most purposes.
14. Rolling Storage
The mudroom is an area that needs constant cleaning so you should consider the integration of more flexible storing solutions. We like the idea of rolling storage like the unit pictured here. Instead of having to put so much effort into moving around cabinets and cubbies, you could just roll the cart out of the way to do a thorough cleaning job in every nook and cranny.
15. Durable Fabrics
The mudroom is particularly sensitive to moisture and mold. In the cold season, temperature fluctuations can affect your furniture if you don’t take some protective measures. One way to do so is by selecting more durable fabrics for the pillows and rugs, and other elements such as upholstery. Keeping your mudroom clean isn’t just about dirt-removal, but it’s also important to be aware of the danger of mold.
16. Cubbies and Cabinets
Incorporating cubbies and cabinets represents an important step for maintaining an organized mudroom. Storage is key for this high-traffic area where lots of items are used. Cubbies are great for this purpose considering how you can store almost anything in them with ease. They can act as convenient drop zones for children to place their stuff.
Cabinets are more permanent storage solutions that will require more space, but they can be more effective if cubbies cannot handle your family’s needs. Once everyone gets used to each designated cabinet, it will be so much easier to keep all the items organized.
17. Dark Paint
A fresh coat of paint can do wonders for the look a mudroom, especially if things don’t look as good as new. Painting the cabinetry in the mudroom is a good idea to give it a clean finish. Consider going for dark paint in this area to conceal dirt and imperfections more effectively. Also, eggshell or flat finishes should work better compared to glossy paints. This is because they’re much more convenient to clean.
18. Decorative Mudroom
Decorating the mudroom isn’t an essential step to maintain it clean and organized, but it can help to make this area more exciting for everyone that comes into your house. There’s no reason why a great organization shouldn’t mix well with aesthetic appeal in the mudroom. This is a good example considering the ingenious storage options and decorative accents that make the entire area feel more welcoming. The farmhouse-style of this mudroom is both functional and eye-catching.
19. Thinking Small
Making a more kid-friendly mudroom is a great solution to deal with the mess made by your children in this space. Try to design the mudroom with their needs in mind. For example, place coat hooks at the right height for your kids or place storage spots at ground level for their boots. Children will get used to keeping the mudroom nice and tidy if you encourage them to use the space more conveniently.
20. Key Hooks
Hanging your coats on hooks in the mudroom represents a simple solution to organize and keep all your outdoor garments in one place. The same thing can be done with key hooks to make sure you don’t have to waste time searching for car keys when you’re off to work.
By designating a specific spot in the mudroom for hanging all of your keys, it will be so much easier to avoid situations where you’re in a hurry and frantically search for the keys. Maybe you could even consider installing a special built-in cabinet just for this purpose. For most people though, a few hooks should be all they need to make it a habit to keep the keys organized.
21. Umbrella Stand
This is a fairly straightforward idea, but placing your umbrellas in a dedicated stand helps a lot to keep the mudroom organized during the rainy season. There are lots of fancy models you can find on the market if you’re looking for an umbrella stand. Some of the best come with drip trays to add some extra functionality. Here’s a great umbrella stand from Amazon with this feature.
You could also use other items as umbrella stands, but that’s not always recommended. Decorative baskets can get damaged by the moisture. In any case, umbrella stands are excellent additions for the mudroom considering how they’re versatile enough to store more items such as baseball bats or paper rolls.
