Do you wish you had a dedicated space in your home where you could take off your muddy boots and store all the clutter in your house? You might benefit from a mudroom!
A mudroom can help you keep the rest of your home clean and organized, so if your house is currently feeling cluttered, and you’re tired of cleaning up muddy footprints, this is the article for you.
In this guide, we’ll be answering the question, ‘what is a mudroom?’ in detail, including the kinds of things you might find in a mudroom and why you need one.
Mudrooms Explained
Mudrooms are usually found at the entrance to the home, and they’re rooms dedicated to taking off muddy or dirty footwear before entering the other rooms in the house. Mudrooms are also frequently used as storage spaces.
Having a mudroom in your home is one of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your everyday living spaces free from mess and dirt.
Why You Need A Mudroom?
Cleanliness
The main reason you can benefit from a mudroom is cleanliness. Muddy shoes can create a lot of cleaning work throughout the home, and if you don’t have a mudroom, the only alternative to this is leaving shoes outside.
This is obviously not ideal if the weather is bad.
When you have a mudroom, you have a dedicated space where muddy shoes can be removed. This means that the only room where you’ll need to clean muddy footprints off the floor is the mudroom itself.
Compared to scrubbing mud out of carpets or trekking all over your house with a mop, this is much easier.
Organization
If everyone takes off their shoes in the mudroom, you don’t need to worry about shoes cluttering up the rest of your house.
Additionally, mudrooms can be used as storage spaces for other things that can create a mess in your home.
Cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaners, toolboxes, and other things you might not have designated space for in your house can go in the mudroom.
Since these items are often not very appealing to look at, this means that your home will be clutter-free and nicer to look at as a whole.
Peace of Mind
Both the cleanliness and organization benefits that come with having a mudroom lead to one very important thing: peace of mind.
When everyone knows to remove their shoes in the mudroom, you don’t need to worry about whether people will walk onto your carpet with their shoes on, or wonder whether mud has been tracked through your house after a walk on a rainy day.
Plus, if you use your mudroom as a storage area, you no longer have to walk around your house looking for things like the dustpan and brush.
You’ll know exactly where they are, and where to put them after using them.
What To Include In A Mudroom?
Now we know what a mudroom is and why having one can be so useful. But what should you actually put in a mudroom if you want to create such a space in your house?
Here’s what we recommend including in your mudroom to make it as functional as possible:
Waterproof Flooring And Paint
A mudroom is usually at the entrance to the home, which means that if shoes are wet, water and mud will probably get on the floor. You might even get some water droplets on the walls in the process of removing your shoes.
Because of this, it’s best to stick with waterproof flooring and paint, if you can. Tiled flooring is ideal. When it comes to painting your mudroom, waterproof paint and a coat of sealant will make it easier to clean your walls without damaging the paint.
A Mud Mat
People will be taking their shoes off in the mudroom, and even though mudrooms are designed for this purpose, you still want to make the room as easy to keep clean as possible.
Having a waterproof mat where people can leave their shoes means you’ll have to mop the floor less often. Ideally, choose a mat that is easy to wipe clean.
Hooks For Hanging
It makes sense to have space in your mudroom for hanging jackets and coats, as well as leaving shoes. If you have been walking in the mud and rain, your outdoor garments are likely to be dirty as well.
If you have hooks in your mudroom, you can easily leave any wet or dirty garments, so they don’t mess up the rest of your home.
Storage Space
We discussed how a mudroom can be used as a convenient place for storage.
In order to make this easier, it helps to have boxes, bins, or baskets that you can put items in, rather than just accumulating objects all around your mudroom.
Before you buy any storage containers for your mudroom, think about the kinds of things you would like to put in storage. This will help you to ensure your containers are neither too small nor too large.
A Bench Or Chair
Removing shoes or boots can be tricky when you don’t have anywhere to sit down. In fact, this can lead to more mess being made than necessary.
We recommend having a bench or a chair in your mudroom, so people can sit down and comfortably remove their footwear, rather than hopping around and potentially making a mess.
Final Thoughts
Having a mudroom can simplify your life and help you cut down on cleaning time.
With a mudroom, you only have one room to worry about in terms of muddy floors, and you also get a perfect space for storing your cleaning supplies, tools, and other things that don’t fit in with the rest of your house.
When creating a mudroom, make sure to include waterproof surfaces, a mud mat, a bench or chair, hangers or hooks, and plenty of storage containers.
If you include all of these things, your mudroom will be functional and fit for purpose.
Hey! My name is Luke. I am the Co-founder of PowellCustomHomes.com, it’s great to have you here at our site. With a combined 20 years of experience, we can help you build the home that you want, specific to your requirements and lifestyle.
No task is too small. We can guide you and offer advice, no matter if you are filling in gaps in the wall, hiding cords, or simply fixing up construction mistakes. We love to help, and strive to do so in any way that we can.
