Mudrooms are an extremely important and practical space in any family home. They serve as a rallying point— the last place your family gathers to prepare for the day ahead, and the first place they unload when they return. But, unfortunately, mudrooms can be notoriously difficult to keep clean and tidy due to the stop-and-go nature of how they’re used.
If you’ve been dreaming of an organized mudroom that’s clutter-free, well-designed, and welcoming, don’t worry— you can have it (and it’s a lot easier to achieve than you might think!). With the right strategies, you can not only transform your entryway into an organizational oasis, but make it incredibly easy to maintain a neat and functional space for years to come.
Today, I’ll be sharing our top mudroom organization tips and guiding you through a few simple steps you can take to permanently eliminate mess in this much-used area of your home.
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The Importance of an Organized Mudroom
Your mudroom is more than just an access point into your house— it’s the first place you see when you come home and the last place you see before you leave. For this reason, your mudroom actually has a major impact on your mental health. When you arrive home to shoes strewn across the floor and coats piled haphazardly in a corner, it can induce feelings of anxiety and stress. These same feelings can emerge as you’re heading out the door in the morning, setting a negative tone for the rest of your day.
If you think you’re alone in struggling with the feelings of frustration, anxiety and stress revolving around your mudroom, you’re not! 84% of people worry that their home isn’t clean or organized enough and 55% say it’s a source of significant stress.
We’ve helped many of our clients declutter and transform their mudrooms into a much more functional and peaceful space! Investing the time in entryway organization now can save you from the frustration, hassle, and concern of a cluttered space in the future.
How to Organize a Mudroom
Pinpoint Your Functional Requirements
This is a critical step when working towards an organized mudroom. Every family operates differently and has a unique set of practical needs. If your children play sports, for instance, you’ll likely need to come up with storage ideas to accommodate their equipment. If you have a pet, you may want to include a place to store pet food, harnesses, and other accessories.
Only you know what will benefit your family and lifestyle the most. Sit down and make a list of your top pain points regarding how your space currently functions. What is it missing? What is the biggest point of contention? These are the challenges that must be prioritized when reconfiguring your space.
Completely Empty The Space
And when I say completely, I mean completely. All personal items, clothing, cleaning supplies, furniture, and decorations should be removed. This will give you an entirely blank slate to start from, and make it easier to reimagine your entryway while formulating your new plan. Plus, no one wants to work around clutter. The organization process will be far more enjoyable without all the distraction.
Keep Only The Items You Love and Need
Another benefit of completely emptying your mudroom is that it becomes easier to eliminate unnecessary clutter. Pause and reflect on each item you return to your mudroom. Ask yourself:
You have a limited amount of space and it should be filled with items that are meaningful, purposeful, or necessary. If you have personal belongings left over when you’ve refilled your mudroom, it’s time to donate them, relocate them, or recycle them.
Plan & Shop for Storage Solutions
There are countless storage solutions for mudroom and entryway home projects. To streamline your shopping experience, have a vision in mind before you begin browsing. I recommend asking yourself the following questions when considering mudroom storage:
Make a list of what you need and then search for good quality, cost-effective solutions that meet the needs you’ve identified.
Maximize Your Use of Vertical Space
This is an important consideration if your mudroom is on the smaller side. Vertical space is often an untapped resource, and making use of it is easily one of the best ways to enhance the usability of your space. Tall bathroom cabinets like this one, for example, can be repurposed for your entryway and are perfect for storing cleaning supplies, hats and mittens, or sporting goods like footballs, baseball gloves, and badminton rackets.
You can also store seasonal items you aren’t currently using in lidded boxes (like these from Ikea) and place them on higher, over-head shelves, where they won’t get in your way.
Lastly, you can repurpose a long shower rod and sliding curtain hooks by mounting it on the wall of your mudroom. This is a fantastic way to make use of wall space and it provides a place to hang helmets, gardening tools, scarves, hats, purses, and more.
If you’re ready to Declutter & Organize using the exact process our Team of Professional Organizers uses when working with our Clients in their Homes, I’ve created a Workbook for you!
With our thought-provoking declutter coaching questions, detailed step-by-step organizing process, helpful checklists, and annual, monthly & weekly planners you will be equipped to make amazing progress!
Click on the images below to Purchase & Download your copy of my 47 page Comprehensive Declutter & Organize Like a Pro Workbook & Planner! Happy Organizing!
Is Time Preventing You From Enjoying The Organized Mudroom of Your Dreams?
Our team of Professional Home Organizers in Edmonton Region and Central Alberta will set up functional storage solutions, eliminate clutter, and put long-term organizational systems in place that truly work for you and your family.