Is your mudroom looking a little out of sorts? I went live on Facebook, showed off my hot-mess of a mudroom, and organized it right there with everyone watching. Here I’m sharing the steps and all my best articles and resources to help you organize your mudroom too. Check out the video below, and learn what steps I took so you can get your mudroom organized. Then head into your mudroom, and organize with me!

Organizing My Mudroom

• First, I assessed the scene and pulled everything out.

This is always the first and scariest step. We have a built-storage system with LOTS of hooks. You can see in my video how many hooks we have and how many of them are being used (all of them). I unloaded the hooks (jackets, bags, hats…), pulled everything off of the shelves and out of the bins, and took the shoes off of the shelves. As I unloaded, I tossed everything into piles.

• Next, I sorted like with like.

Shoes. Hats. Coats. Keep all the winter gear together. Put all the swim gear in one spot. Gather all of your glasses cases in one spot. Then you can decide where it needs to go. Does it even belong in my organized mudroom, is there a better place in our home, or does it need to be donated?

How to Organize Your Family’s Jackets

Organize Bags and Accessories

How to Declutter All Your Shoes

• I assigned sections for each person and item type.

We each have our own section because that is key to keeping the mudroom organized. But we’re also flexible with that. Some of the shelves in my son’s section, for example, have reusable grocery bags. The point is that everything has a place. Labels are especially helpful in this step. 

How to Make Basket Labels with Wooden Tags

Getting the Mudroom Organized with Cubbies and Labels

Getting the Mudroom Organized for Winter

• Finally, I put everything away and added additional storage features. Voila! An organized mudroom.

Finally, put everything back where it goes (old home or new home). As you’re putting things away, identify your needs. For example, I have all of our bug spray and sunscreen just sitting out, but I could put them in a bin on a shelf where they won’t get lost. Really, don’t order organizing stuff first–wait until you can see what you need.

Creating Mudroom Storage Like a Pro

How to Create a Functional Mudroom 

Installing Cubbies in the Mudroom 

And there you go! You have an organized mudroom that will hopefully stay that way 😉

• Tip: Create a “dumping ground” for your returns, other people’s stuff, and kids’ things in the mudroom.

I keep all of the returns in one bag in the mudroom. Any time I run errands, I look to see if there’s anything I can take back wherever I’m going. If you accumulate a lot of other people’s things, it’s helpful to create a designated spot if you want to keep your mudroom organized. Every time you leave the house, you can do a quick peek into it and see if there’s anything you can offload on that trip. The same thing goes for your kids’ stuff, especially during back-to-school season. It might not seem the most organized, but it keeps these items from spreading all over the house. 

How to Organize a Mudroom for Back to School

• Tip: Empty spaces are your friend.

If you find you have empty shelves left over, that’s great! Leave it. As your family grows and changes, you will find ways to use it. Empty shelves are not going to stop you from having an organized mudroom. Plus, I recommend doing this a couple of times a year, so you’ll have the opportunity to put those shelves to use next time around.