Mudrooms are notoriously hard to keep clean transition areas in many homes. It’s where your family pulls things together as they head out the door each day—and where they dump everything as they walk back in. That’s a lot of traffic, dirt, and clutter, so there’s wisdom in learning how to keep a mudroom clean and organized.
It’s easy to let a mudroom get cluttered and dirty. But when you organize your mudroom, you help everyone save time getting out the door. You’ll limit those urgent searches for missing shoes, hats, or gloves—and turn your mudroom into a functional, attractive space with proper storage. You’ll need some elbow grease and cleaning supplies, but getting your mudroom organized doesn’t have to break the bank.
Set Up Your Mudroom for Success
If you’re moving into a new home, you have a blank slate for making your mudroom the space it should be. Even if you’ve been in your home for years, there are plenty of ways to make the most of your mudroom.
Floors
Forget the lush carpet or shiny wood floors and choose something durable like stone, brick, or ceramic tile. If you are on a budget, vinyl is a durable choice and offers many options for color and design to match your home. Remember the soles of shoes may be wet, so select a textured flooring to prevent accidents.
Décor
Functionality is the most crucial aspect of setting up a mudroom, but that doesn’t mean there’s no room for a pleasing décor. Your mudroom is still part of your home, and it deserves to look just as great as any other room. A fresh coat of paint, accent pieces that are functional and attractive, and other decorative touches can make your mudroom a more pleasant space. Those decorative touches may even cause the kids to think twice about making the mudroom a big mess.
Storage
Once you have the design down, organize your mudroom based on how your family will use the space. If you have children, create shelves and storage areas with easy access. As you design, focus on storage solutions like hooks for hanging, bins for toys and sporting goods, shelves for shoes, supplies, etc. Add a bench to your mudroom to motivate everyone to take their shoes off before tracking dirt into the house.
How to Keep a Mudroom Clean and Organized
The first step when you’re learning how to keep an entryway clean is to declutter so you can start with a fresh slate. If the weather’s good, haul everything outside and begin organizing. Be objective and sort through everything so that you can part with all the stuff you never use. If you have things that shouldn’t have been in your mudroom in the first place, put them where they belong.
Now that you’ve decluttered, here’s how to get a mudroom clean. Start at the ceiling and work your way down.
- Dust the ceiling fan and light fixture
- Remove cobwebs
- Wipe down the walls, shelves, and other surfaces
- Clean the windows and doors
- Clean the baseboards
- Sweep and mop the floor
Now that you have a clean entryway, it’s time to learn how to keep your mudroom clean and user-friendly.
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- Even if you have durable flooring in the mudroom, place a mat inside and outside your entry door to catch dirt. Use a mat outside you can rinse off and put a washable one indoors.
- Create an indoor drip tray for wet shoes, snow-crusted boots, and umbrellas. You can purchase one or make your own with a metal rack and plastic catch basin to keep your mudroom dry. Add a boot scraper outside next to the door in snowy or muddy areas to keep as much dirt outside as possible.
- Consider installing shelving from floor to ceiling to get even more use out of your mudroom. Inexpensive shelving like wire racks makes it easy to rotate your family’s seasonal gear. Store out-of-season items up high and in-season items down low.
- Set aside a spot for pet food storage, leashes, and toys. The mudroom also makes an excellent place to keep your pets’ food and water bowls.
- To help keep each family member organized, assign a personal area or dedicate a bin to each person. These cabinets, cubbies, and shelves can hold all their stuff.
Since your mudroom will be taking the brunt of all that dirt and mud from outside, be sure to keep it clean and dry. Check it periodically for mold and mildew, clean up spills right away, and sweep up the outdoor debris daily. Now that you know how to keep a mudroom clean, read on to learn how to organize your mudroom to keep it cleaner longer.
How to Organize Your Mudroom Once and For All
When you learn how to organize an entryway, keeping it clean and functional is much more manageable. If you want to know how to keep a mudroom clean, you have to learn how to make the most of the space available. For small mudrooms, in particular, utilizing the space effectively means getting creative with your storage choices.
Install Lockers or Cabinets
Free-standing or wall-mounted enclosed storage is invaluable in a mudroom. From backpacks and coats to shoes and athletic gear, a storage area with doors keeps things organized and out of sight.
The Case for Baskets
Baskets, bins, and boxes are an ideal storage solution for helping you organize your mudroom. You can designate containers for specific items like dirty shoes in one, dirty socks and other laundry in another, etc. You can also teach your family how to keep the mudroom clean by assigning each family member their own storage bin.
Keep Umbrellas Conveniently Located
Any decent-sized cylinder can serve as an umbrella keeper. There are plenty of suitable
containers at most decorating stores, so get creative and make it your own. You can also use this handy container for baseball bats and similar stick-like items.
Install Hat Storage
Wall storage ideas are often overlooked. Use that open space for a shelves, hooks, or another setup for handy hat storage. Hats are notorious for being left behind as your kids rush out the door, so keep them where they will be the easiest to access.
Create a Message Center
Since most of your family will pass through your mudroom at least once a day, a prominent message center for notes, calendars, and reminders is a great addition. A dry-erase board in your mudroom is the perfect way to remind the kids to grab their coats, take off their shoes, and other important directives!
Make the Most of Your Doors
When you organize your mudroom, include utilizing the doors. Over-the-door storage options like shoe racks, fabric cubbies, and other options help you extend your storage space. If you have an exterior and interior door for your mudroom, use both
Hang a Mirror
It can be handy to have a mirror in your mudroom for last-minute checks before you walk out the door or to fix windblown hair after you come inside. Plus, it adds a nice decorative touch and may even prompt the kids to check how they look before heading out the door.
Install Wainscotting
Even if you’re not moving into a new place or remodeling, protecting your walls where they’re most vulnerable makes sense. Install some durable wainscotting on the lower third of your mudroom walls and prevent all those dings and scratches you get with plain sheetrock.
Cubbies Aren’t Just for School
Even with plenty of cabinets, shelves, and other storage areas, you can always use more. Install cubbies in your open wall space, behind doors, or any other available place. Sure, they will inevitably collect clutter, but it’s better than having those items lying everywhere.
Organize Your Mudroom and Get Everyone On Board
Now that you’ve overhauled your mudroom and turned it into a functional space, you have to make sure everyone is on board to keep it clean and uncluttered. Nobody said you have to do it all yourself. Unless you want to go through this cleaning and organizing ritual over and over, lay down some ground rules and learn how to delegate.
All those cubbies and shelves and organization will be for nothing unless your family understands how to keep a mudroom clean and organized. Set some house rules for taking off shoes, hanging up wet clothes, putting things where they belong, and other behaviors. Use your message area for reminders and follow up frequently. Do these things enough, and you may create some habits that will turn keeping your mudroom clean into an organized family affair.
Whether you use a weekly cleaning calendar or a list of chores, make sure the mudroom makes the list. Make it clear that this space is for everyone, so each family member is responsible for doing their part. Glad to know how to keep a mudroom clean and organized but not really interested in all the work? We’ve got you covered.
Whether you need one room cleaned or the whole house, The Maids is ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work. We’ve got the know-how and the experience to clean your home top to bottom whenever you need us. See how easy it is to enjoy a cleaner home more often when you get your free online estimate today.
