Secrets of a Home-Aholic

I’m envious of  this nice mudroom.  Photo from HGTV.

If moms ruled the world, the largest room in every home would be the mudroom.  Mudrooms and home organization go hand-in-hand. Those of you who already have a mudroom or mudspace (it doesn’t have to be a separate room) are saying to yourselves “Well, duh” because you know the importance this space has in maintaining your sanity.

Busy families come with lots of gear (coats, hoodies, TKD bags, soccer stuff, book bags, etc.)  A thoughtfully designed mudroom: (1) stores gear close to the family entrance so it doesn’t find its way to cluttering up the rest of the house; (2) makes it easy to find things as you’re trying to leave the house with your busy family; and (3) adds real value to your home.

Of course, not all homes were built with a mudroom.  My house didn’t have one, so I converted half of my laundry room to mudspace. I know a family who installed simple hooks just inside the door for coats but built an elaborate mudroom of lockers in their garage for all their “kid gear”: brilliant!

If you’re thinking about creating a mudroom/mudspace, here are some tips from the home organization experts (and a couple from little ol’ me:)

• assign each family member a set of hooks or an individual locker if you have the space
• think about the number of hooks you will need, then double it
• coat hangers on rods are not as practical as hooks; all family members (even husbands) know how to put things on a hook
• make sure your kids can reach their hooks
• include a sitting place or bench for putting on/taking off shoes
• if possible, include low drawers for loose items like gloves, hats, flip flops, slippers, etc.
• allow for open space on the floor to tuck away boots and shoes (see the photo above)
• build upper storage for seasonal stuff like beach towels, stadium seat cushions, bike helmets, snow gear, etc.
• if you have upper storage, make sure you have a sturdy place to stand (like on the shoe bench) so you can reach it
• mudrooms also are a great place for mail sort areas, calendars, key hooks, phone chargers “stations,” cork boards, white boards; basically they can serve as your “command central.”

If you’re in the process of building a home, think about designing a mudroom that not only is the first room the family enters but that also has a door to the backyard so kids (and pets) coming in and out can get to coats and shoes easily. (I wish my mudroom had this feature.)

So there’s my mudroom speech.  If you have more mudroom tips (I bet you do), please share!

Love Your Home,
Sue