Every Home Needs a Mudroom

The mudroom is a much relied-upon space in the home.

On one-out-of-two “Love It or List It” episodes on HGTV, someone wants a mudroom.

“Love It or List It” is a home renovation show.

If your home doesn’t have a mudroom, you can create one by screening or walling in a section of an existing room, by finishing an attached porch or by building a small addition, this Zillow article says.

However you go about it, once you have a mudroom, you’ll never look at your home the same way again.

First Figure Out Where You’re Going to Put It

Whether you start from scratch or convert an existing room—or part of it—into a mudroom, choose a location that is frequently used by your family to get in and out of the house.

Kitchens or pantries with entry doors to the exterior are ideal for a mudroom. Garages are also excellent candidates, too. Utility or laundry rooms with an outside entrance also make good mudroom potential.

What Kind of Floor Should I Use?

Because the main function of a mudroom is to keep mud away from the rest of the house, you shouldn’t have to worry about tracking dirt into your home. The point is to make it more organized, not MORE cluttered.

For this reason, select durable flooring that is easy to clean.

Vinyl tile and linoleum flooring is durable AND washable, but make sure the color and pattern you pick will hide dirt and stains easily—and also appeal to you.

Another good option is concrete. It’s easy to maintain and makes it perfect for mudroom floors, and when stained, colored or painted, it can be a very attractive flooring material, says Zillow.

When We Think of Mudrooms, We Think of Storage

As any homeowner knows, you can never have enough storage—ever. Because it’s the main pickup and drop-off spot in the house, the mudroom needs to accommodate everything from coats, scarves, boots, cycling helmets and backpacks—thereby stopping these items from littering entryways, hallways and bedrooms—so you don’t trip over them later on.

To lesson clutter; assign a specific storage space to each family member. Make them all responsible for putting away their own coats, etc.

Get In and Out Quickly

Mudrooms can help create a hassle-free start to the day and a relaxing homecoming in the evening—if they’re done well.

Set up decorative bowls for car keys and keep a whiteboard or chalkboard near the door for reminders. Also, use pegs to hang dog leashes, shopping bags and coats so they’re easy to grab and go.

Make it Look Appealing

We know its called a mudroom, but that doesn’t mean it can’t look nice. You can paint the walls in bright colors and use color-coded storage units and decorative baskets to make the room livelier while still keeping things organized and tucked away.