There must be a mudroom in every house. Otherwise, parents will spend a lot of time to clean the house. It is simple space that separates outdoor and indoor. Usually, people make simple mudroom in their garage. If you are planning to make one, then these ideas might help you.
1. Install Hook
When someone just got back from their activity, there are several things to put off; bags, jackets or coats and shoes. If you don’t provide proper place for each item, they will stack everywhere. Therefore, organization tools are required in any mud room. For jackets, you usually use hanger, so the clothes will be tidier. For some reasons, hanger is not practical.
First of all, people prefer to hang things on a hook than reaching for hanger. It takes several steps to hang jacket on hanger; take the hanger, put jackets on then fixing its position. Try to replace hanger with hook. It is easier and saves a lot of time. In addition, it could be used for bags as well.
Image: Keeping it Simple
2. Use Wall Space
Some of you might live in small space area. In this case, you don’t have to give up the mudroom. All you need to do is maximizing wall area. It has been mentioned before that you could install a hook. If you want things to be a little more organized, you could always install customized shelves.
Make sure to give space for baskets. You could keep the cleaning tools in this basket. If you are running out of space, don’t forget to install umbrella stand. It helps a lot to dry the wet umbrella. On the bottom, slip in some rows to place sandals or shoes.
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3. Mind the Floor
Depending on where you live, you might need to put on different attention to the floor. Those who live in an apartment usually do not have a lot of connecting space from door to the rooms. In this case, it is better to choose outdoor mat. Before entering the closest room, lay out a fiber mat to match your interior.
Living in a house certainly gives more options for mats. Make sure you set a budget limit before buying certain items. When you want to save some money, find a nice recycle mat that could absorb well. You still need the outdoor mat, though.
4. Provide Bench Seating
Taking off boots is not the easiest thing to do while standing. Therefore, you probably need to provide extra space to sit on. It helps children to put on their shoes as well. This bench might be part of the custom shelves. If you have closed shelves, then provide foldable chair to use.
During rainy season, your children or family members will still do their activities. They will put on boots repeatedly. Outdoor mat will help, but the mud and dirt might still spread everywhere. If you want to minimize it, set a tray under the bench seating. Ask your children or family member to tap their shoes on the tray.
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5. Add Key and Mail Holder
Mudroom is usually located near the entrance or close to the garage. Therefore, it is better to have key and mail holder in this area as well. People usually forget their key, so they have to get back into the house again. Make sure to install key holder in secure place; easy for you to spot, but hidden well from the outside.
You don’t have to buy new key holder from store. There are a lot of DIY ideas in the internet, ranging from used to simple items. You could always repaint or adding more decorations to make it prettier and more functional. As for mail holder, you will need hanging pockets. Without this holder, your mail will pile up in the kitchen area.
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6. Connect to Laundry Room
What if you really have no space for mudroom? The answer is simple. Make your laundry room as the mud room. Now you could calmly tell them to keep wet clothes away. It is a laundry room after all. They could immediately toss the dirty clothes into the washing machine.
Do you agree with this idea? If your answer is yes, then you should make a little adjustment to your laundry room. Provide hooks and a lot of baskets. You will need empty corner to put on muddy shoes and dripping wet umbrella. Start the work now, so your cleaning lists will be less later.
7. Mark Personal Space
It is unique how this mudroom could also help children to be responsible. In a house full of adults, leaving some hooks free for other people is a must. Children, however, just hang wherever they feel like it. You could teach them about the concept of personal space.
Hang an initial on each child’s space. Make sure the letter fits well to the space. You could also draw a line and paint different color for each person. If you have several unused chalkboards, hang it on the wall and ask them to write their name. Now you have valid reason to call out the kid who occupies other spaces.
8. Decorate Nicely
Yes, you are creating a mud room. However, it doesn’t mean that you could ignore the aesthetic side. Decorate your mud room with pastel colors to make it brighter. Later it will also help you to detect any stain on the wall and floor. You could also add wallpaper or stickers.
Since there will be a lot of water and mud, this area will be damp. You know what comes next: smelly air and moss. Put on dehumidifier to absorb the excessive dampness and prevent moss. There are cute dehumidifiers sold in the online market.
In some area where rainy seasons are longer, dehumidifier is not enough. To make it even better, you could consider to install automatic room freshener spray machine. It sprays nice fragrant frequently. The good news is you could choose any perfume type you like. Would you like to have fresh, soft or sharp smell?
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