When it comes to creating a clean, organized home, organizing your mudroom is at the top of the list. Whether you have a small closet or an entire room dedicated to the task, this guide will help you achieve maximum storage and organization in every corner of your mudroom.

There are many different ways to define a mudroom. For the purpose of this article, I am talking about the main area all the jackets, coats, shoes, backpacks, purses, etc. are collected. This may be a closet, cubbies, or a corner in your home.

Whatever it is, use this guide to create a functional system to keep your things organized.

Only Keep What You Use

The first step in organizing a mudroom is to clean out any unnecessary items.

A common issue with mudrooms is having too many things crammed into the space, which can lead to clutter and chaos.

Start by getting rid of anything you don’t use or need—old sporting equipment, shoes that no longer fit, tools that you don’t need anymore—anything that doesn’t need to be in the space. This will free up much-needed space and make it easier to organize everything else.

Start by asking yourself what is essential to be in the mudroom. If it isn’t essential, then you can declutter it.

Here are my favorite declutter questions to ask yourself and they are totally free!

Declutter What You Are Not Using

Declutter in its simplest meaning, is to remove things that don’t belong. But that doesn’t mean you have to get rid of them. Sometimes when you declutter a room, you find things that may not belong in that particular room, but you still want to keep that specific item.

For the purpose of this article, declutter means remove from the space. But that could be you find another spot to keep an item. Or you donate/sell/trash an item.

Decluttering is essential to create an organized mudroom. Go through your mudroom and remove any item that you don’t need to store in your mudroom. Or remove an item that may not be essential to your mudroom.

Anything that doesn’t have a purpose can be placed in a different area with more storage, donated to a local organization, or sold. This will open up more space and make it easier to store the things you do need in an organized manner.

To help keep you focused on only organizing the mudroom, try to remove everything you do not use by placing it just outside the space you are working on. Then move those extra items only after you completed your organizing project.

For more help, my Declutter Like A Pro Toolkit can help!

Divide Clutter-Prone Areas Into Zones

When it comes to organizing your mudroom, the key is to establish distinct zones for different items.

Creating zones is a way that you can help give clearly defined spaces to any area you are making into a mudroom. That is why I prefer using zones because you can zone a closet, a corner, or cubbies.

When we are saying zones, we are just talking about groupings of items.

So where do you start when zoning your mudroom?

Decide how you want to group items together. In most households, items are grouped by the family member who wears those items.

One individual gets one zone for their things. This includes backpacks, hats, jackets, shoes, etc.

Some households zone off based on particular items. Let’s say all jackets must be stored on coat hangers, while hats and gloves go in a bin.

After you decide how you want to group the items, you need to find effective storage that will hold your items in their zones. Now not everything needs fancy bins or baskets. You can get creative with what you have!

Add Storage Solutions If Needed

If your mudroom doesn’t already have dedicated storage solutions, consider adding some if you feel it will help you keep things zoned off.

Shelving, cabinets, and cubes are perfect for organizing items such as gloves, hats, scarves, and other outwear.

Wall hooks and over-the-door units will be helpful for hangings coats and bags.

Look into shoe racks or bins to store footwear in an orderly fashion.

Laundry baskets make an excellent catch-all space for kids’ backpacks, jackets, and shoes.

Below is a roundup of my favorite storage solutions for different areas of the mudroom.

Add Seating With Storage When Organizing A Mudroom

The last thing you need to think about is seating with storage. Not all mudrooms need seating, but it can be nice to have. So if you are wanting some seating, try to find some with a dual purpose.

Make sure that your mudroom has some type of seating with storage compartments underneath or next to it. This kind of seating can come in the form of a bench, a chair, stools, or even an ottoman.

These types of seats will provide additional storage while also being comfortable to use.

There are many options for seating with storage. It can be a bench with hooks, storage for hats and gloves, or shoe storage.

Whatever it is, make sure you measure the space you are working with first. This will help determine if the seating option you selected will fit.

My Mudroom Makeover

We recently completed our mudroom makeover.

We started by painting the cheery wood and walls using Sherwin Williams Deep Space.

I swapped out hooks from the dated oil-rubbed bronze, to chrome. These hooks are from Amerock.

Then I added black y-weave baskets to hold shoes for each family member. I measured the space under the bench to decide which size basket would fit.

I also added black baskets on top of the hooks to hold hats, gloves, and bags.

In our shoe closet, I stacked shoe organizers to create ample storage for off-season shoes. I swap out the shoes we wear during the season to place in the baskets under the bench.

And I used hooks to hang up reusable bags. You can read that article on how to add hooks here.

More Organizing A Mudroom Posts You Will Love

How to Organize Your Mudroom Like a Pro

Why You Need To Add Hooks In Your Mudroom To Keep It Organized

How To Organize Your Home Like A Professional