Nothing like the voice of experience! I have four kids also and envied many mudroom pictures in glossy magazines. BUT, as you suspect in your question about baskets and bins and their usefulness, I'd have to give a thumbs down on that one, lol! Kids coming home from school will blast through the door, kick off their shoes and drop their coats! They will not take any extra steps to be neat and tidy, so eliminate the step of placing shoes in a basket. Instead, let them kick thier shoes off and under their bench! Shoes will be out of the way, not hidden, but also easily accessible for running back out the door! My dream mudroom would have tall narrow cubbies with hooks. Think of preschool. A cubby for each member of the family, 3 hooks, one to the left, one to the right and one straight ahead. It would then have a place a little deeper to accomodate a bum for sitting while putting on shoes, boots, etc. Another smaller cubby on top for placing hats, gloves, baseball mitts, etc. I would also suggest a large bin similar to a toy chest. I keep one in the closet for winter boot storage and a small narrow chest of 4 drawers next to that for hats, mittens and scarves. The floor is easy mop tile. As far as a charging station, I wouldn't bother. My kids are older now and each have a phone, but they charge it in their room every night while sleeping. Don't forget the family pet! A hook for the leash and a feeding area would be nice. Food storage can go in a food bin in the closet. Arf!

I love mudrooms and the potential they hold for organizing a families never ending stuff.

How big will your mudroom be? Before our addition we had a combination mudroom/laundry room that was approx 7' x 8'. It was at our side entrance, right off of the kitchen, and I was forever straightening it up so that it wouldn't be an eyesore from the kitchen and kitchen table. It had hooks for coats and we'd line up shoes underneath and put overflow shoes into a rectangular basket. What would happen is everyone would end up with ALL of their outwear and ALL of their shoes in this one area until it was a mess and I would SHREIK and then everyone would put their extra jackets and shoes in their rooms or in the front hall coat closet.

Now we have a large coat closet in the mudroom, which I would highly suggest. We actually got rid of our front hall coat closet since hardly anyone enters the front door and put it where it would get daily use at the side door.
Now overflow coats and shoes are put in the coat closet. We will have hooks when my DH get around to installing them. And we'll have a bench underneath. The hooks will be for those family members that can't figure out how to open the closet door and use a hanger. And the bench is where us elders will sit to put boots on/off and under the bench will be where shoes can get lined up.

We also have a cabinet when you first walk in for hats, scarves, gloves, umbrellas, etc.

As for your specific questions:

1. My kids would have never used bins if we had them. They typically kick off their shoes right inside the door and put them on the mat. I don't really mind because at least they are not tracking sand and mud too far into the house. And once the shoes dry off I line them up or put them in the coat closet if they are in the way.

2. We found sturdy hooks work well for back packs. As the kids got older their packs kept getting heavier. I couldn't imagine putting a heavy pack on a shelf, unless it was more like a bench. A heavy pack falling off of shelf could kill a person. Our kids would put their packs on the floor lined up if the coat hooks were all taken. This added to the before mentioned clutter in our smaller mudroom. But if there is room, having a pack on the floor against a wall isn't all that bad imo.'

3. I agree that kids tend to charge their cell phones in their rooms. Although they shouldn't really have them near where they are sleeping because of the EMF. We have a command center where we put our keys, mails, DH's wallet, cameras, and any cell phone sitting around the kitchen.

Oh and I can't help mentioning my love of laundry rooms right off of the informal entrance. I loved being able to strip my kids right on the side porch and then easily sticking their icky clothes into the washer. Those were the days : )

You've probably seen photos of our mud room. If not, let me know and I'll post a couple. We also have a stairway in our mud room, the dog's bed, and a place to put handbags, ballet bags, etc.

We have a laundry room off our kitchen, not near a doorway that is big enough for a mudroom for shoes and coats. However, we keep a bench in there for laundry baskets and general overflow and the dog's bed and food. We have a coat tree for the kids mostly and a closet by the door. Kids come in and kick off shoes into the closet and we shut the door. It is a mess, and the back of the wall is all scuffed up, but then we close the door. Overflow coats are hung in there too. We have a large wicker basket near the front door that holds all backpacks. My kids would never put their shoes in a basket in their bin. I doubt their things would ever enter our laundry room. This is the best we could come up with. You have to do what would work for your family. Good Luck. Please show us pictures when you are done!

When all the kids lived here, the pegs on the pegboard were not quite hefty enough to hold the backpacks, but did sometimes. Otherwise in their room or on the floor. The kids did put their shoes on the bottom shelf of the bookcase I put in there. Extra shoes in their rooms. Coats hang on the pegboard, not sure that is the right name to call it. Shelf w/ pegs?? It is our laundry room too.

Sorry haven't read all of above, but we love having drawers rather than bins. I think my ideal would be a a locker for each family member. The top part of the locker would have hooks for coats, the bottom would be a drawer big enough for shoes, mitts, etc. Unfortunately, I've only got space for drawers.

judydel - Our space is oddly shaped and I am not sure I can describe it. It is somewhat triangular in shape with right angle walls roughly 7' x 8.5'. Would love to see pictures of your mudroom. Not sure if I have seen them or not.

If anyone else has pictures, please feel free to share. Also, thanks to everyone else for great comments. Good to know that some of my suspicions are correct. Once we get these built-ins done, I don't want to spend the next 15 years nagging my children to put their stuff away (or maybe I should say I don't want to nag them any more than I am presently nagging;)

We didn't use a store bought peg board because we found they weren't sturdy enough. My DH securely screwed a piece of trim into the studs and then we screwed iron double hooks onto this back board. It could even hold HEAVY back packs.

Here ya go:

Hooks and bench will go where green boots are. Coat closet is across from green boots.

The bottom shelf of the hi boy is where hand bags and ballet bags go.

The dog's bed sits on our root cellar (crawl space) hatchway and still needs to be trimmed off.

When you walk in that side door there is a cabinet (hidden in photo) that stores our gloves, hats, etc. Also, if you turn left after walking in the side door you go into the laundry room.

Here's a photo of where we put mail, keys, etc. (during renovation).

We have small shelves that I had baskets in and the kids shoes went in them (yes, they did use them!). Every person in our family had their own basket. Anything I found went in the basket and they cleaned them out weekly. My kids are grown now, so we don't do that anymore, but have been thinking about going back to that system for DH and me. Drawers would also be ideal for this.

As far as backpacks go, we have a very deep bench in there that the kids would put their packs on. Yes, they get very heavy. I once weighed DD's and it was 25 pounds. (She only weighed 85 at the time!)

We also have a place for coats, but have found that the a big bin for cat food is more useful.

Covenantbuilders, we only have two kids, but they make the mess of four or five! Here's a photo of the coat/backpack/shoes area of our mudroom before we moved in:

The kids kick off their shoes/boots under the bench, hats/gloves/scarves go in the baskets, and coats just get hung on a hook. The backpacks are usually either on the bench or hung up on the weekends (they are heavy, but the hooks are holding them okay). It can get to be a real mess in there, but I love that the mess is contained (and we have a pocket door there, so I can just close it off if I need to). For us, this works SO MUCH better than trying to get the kids to hang up their coats on a hanger in a closet! I love it!

We also have a utility sink in the mudroom which is another thing I love. I don't have to gunk up the kitchen sink with yucky stuff. There's space under it to store chemicals, etc., and a broom closet to store cleaning tools.

I have 4 kids ages 10 to 16 and a small but functional mudroom/laundry room. I've been using it for 5 years now ~ here's what works and doesn't for me.

Bins: For shoes? Not at my house. I have lockers and their shoes go in the cubby under the seat, but just loose. My goal was to give them a target to aim for when they kicked their shoes. For the most part, it works well. Yes, it gets a bit hectic and messy under there, but any dressy shoes are kept elsewhere, so I try not to stress over it.

I don't think heavy backpacks will work well on hooks. Every now and then I'll find one of my kids has hung theirs on a hook in their locker and I'll take it down. Sometimes those backpacks are awfully heavy ~ why mess with it. Maybe it's fine, but it just makes me nervous about ripping the hook out of the wall. I vote shelf.

Coats at my house go into each open-faced locker and yes, it looks messy and cluttered. Half the time it's like the shoes ~ just a target to aim for and ends up piled on their backpack on the shelf. At least they can find the coat. I can live with the chaos of it, but I know some people couldn't.

For the most part my kids keep their electronics in their rooms. Heaven forbid they should be parted from their ipod for long enough to leave it in the mudroom overnight. haha

I installed a charging station of sorts on the counter in my mudroom. Basically had 6 outlets installed very close together. I keep a metal basket on the counter with all the chargers in it and the theory was that all the charging would be done there. In my life the reality is that only my husband charges his phone there. For me, it was wasted effort. Might be different for you.

Hope that helps! :)

Nice to hear that my kids aren't the only lazy ones around! I'm posting a picture of my disasterous mudroom to help you out, but it is embarrassing. Hoosiergirl - I'd love to see that space now! :) At least your kids do get the hats/gloves etc into baskets. On a good day, mine get their items on or under the bench in their area. Jackets go on hooks or on bench and backpacks are normally on the bench. My preschooler does hang his because it is normally empty and isn't heavy. These pics were taken today while 3 out of 4 were at school.

I have outlets for charging phones and cameras in the lower cabinet next to the tall open cabinets in the desk area . I like having it in the mudroom, but wish I had just set it up in one of the open cabinets up higher. Just more convenient than in the lower closed cabinet.

I love my pullout metal drawers. In the winter we keep extra hats, mittens, snowpants, etc. (one for boys, one for girls and one for DH and I). In the summer we swap out for soccer, football, b.ball shoes and guards. Those get used and are very convenient.

The bev. frig is temporarily sitting there. I didn't like where I had originally planned it and have been trying other spots. I also have a closet in there (other side of the garage door) for more shoe storage, dog food and items, and normal hanging. It tends to be kids out of season coats, and just me and DH's coats and shoes (also storage for batteries, lightbulbs, indoor tools, etc.).

Judydel and Hoosier girl - love your spaces.

This is what happens when 5 family members use a "basket system" for shoes....totally ridiculous!! We spend 5 minutes each morning searching for our shoes and invariably need to pull EVERY shoe out of the basket, then need to dump them all back in after you have the missing shoe.
{{gwi:1563884}}From Misc photos
The photo above is because we are currently living at my mom's while we remodel and I have always had a mudroom with SHELVES or shoe racks for placing shoes in. I will have shelves under the cubbies for each child and not bins, for shoes. Flip flops can be stacked, boots can be placed side-by-side and any stray hats/caps/scarves can be hung on hooks along with jackets.

I am not someone that can deal with clutter, so I will have a door on my mudroom so that it is not visible to anyone other than those who walk in through my garage or side door.

Phones go in a central charging area so that the kids are not on the phone until all hours of the night--totally just my pet peeve and control issue :)

The open locker/cubbies will have three hooks and a shelf above each one. Shelf can hold misc sports junk. Backpack sits on the bottom of the cubby (14" deep) and there's an extra 10" in front of that for sitting.

If you are still in the framing stage, have the contractor fill in between the studs with wood at about the height you want the wall of hooks--that way no worries about hitting studs, just screw in anywhere along that line....you can put hooks every 6" or so and have as many as there's space for. Here is my hook wall in my mudroom:
{{gwi:1563885}}From Misc photos

The other thing my kids will tell you is that about every other month I will freak out and yell and scream that, "The mud room is a disaster!!!" and make them put at least 1/2 of their stuff back in their rooms....eventually it gets dragged out again, but for a short while it looks fairly well organized :)

Hey covenantbuilders!

I'm pretty sure that we have the same house-the Kensington Park right? Where is your mudroom area? Ours is off the laundry right as you come in from the garage. I have a bench with 3 hooks, 3 cubbies for the 3 kids. Shoes go in the cubbies (no baskets) and backpacks on the hooks. On the wall opposite I hung a white board with more hooks for keys and coats. The hooks are heavy duty and have had no problem holding up. Also I think like someone above we have backerboard above the cubbies to protect the wall.

The small closet next to the door got an outlet or two for charging cell phones and bowls for change. I'll try to take some pics later if you want.

How are you doing in the house? I am good with everything-wish the laundry/mudroom was bigger for sure but other than that can't complain too much!

I will echo judy's sentiments about the usefulness of a nice sized closet. When we built our home a couple of years ago, mudroom cubbies and lockers were high on my priority list. I have two very grubby boys, and our mudroom area is visible from the kitchen (no door).

Our contractor actually talked us out of getting cubbies and lockers installed. He said that while they would seem to offer organization to a world of clutter, that all the clutter would still be visible, with backpacks out in the open on hooks, shoes, boots, hats, etc. He told us that a lot of people who had them installed didn't end up liking them as much as they thought they would. Of course they look beautiful when they're empty, but practically speaking, when used as they are designed, they are a place for stuff; stuff that can be seen. If the mudroom were not so visible, and tucked away somewhere, this probably wouldn't bother me, but in our case, the mudroom and back entry are visible from the kitchen/dining areas.

Instead, our contractor suggested a couple of nice sized closets. That's what we did. I use one of the closets for extra kitchen pots and pans and storage containers. And the other closet is used for coats, hats, backpacks, etc. A contractor or closet organizing company could easily create shelves, storage and bins within the closet, designed to meet your family's needs. And, the doors can be shut, keeping the area looking neat and clean.

I really wanted those mudroom lockers, but now I'm glad we have the closets instead. Just something to consider.

Jan

I've got friends who did the cubby and lockers, but with sliding doors that cover them so you have the best of both worlds.

also, a bench with a lift up seat would be nice if you have room.

You are so lucky to have a deep space with room for bench! In our mudroom/laundry room we do not have a lot of space and I love these cubbies from Ikea. We installed it higher above floor so there's room for taller boots underneath. Each kid has his/her own bin. For jackets/backpack, I made a coat hanger with simple board & left over trim. They have metal hooks and yes they are very sturdy. I think the most important thing in the mudroom is to have labels on all cubbies. And my kids are very good a/b putting shoes in their own cubbies -- even the 2yo. They clip their dirty socks together with a safety pin before putting them in dirty laundry basket (in cabinet to the right).

I bought the Ikea shoes bins as temporary solution until I can afford to redo the laundry room w/ built in cabinets but I ended up liking it a lot. I probably will replace the make-shift tag with metal label holder....someday. :-)

{{gwi:1563886}}

Our cubbies tilted out like these.

{{gwi:1563887}}

I got mine when it was on clearance. I don't see those anymore but this new one looks even better.

What we call our "mudroom" is really just an unheated, enclosed back porch with ridiculous built-ins. It certainly is muddy though!

Here is a photo showing what NOT to do:

I think that a previous owner built some benches and later some genius decided to add these usless, elf-sized doors. Anything put in there simply disappears.

The cardboard box is for this cat who refuses to sleep inside.

This thread has inspired me to redo this room. Thanks

looks like you've gotten lots of good responses, but here's a picture of our mudroom.

we have 3 kids (well 2, plus an infant - so he doesn't really count yet!). we only had enough space for 4 locker areas (wish we had five now that our family expanded). I wasn't sure we would use it because the powder room sink is so close, but the sink in the mudroom has been a life saver for those sandy hands, muddy feet, etc.). really glad that's in there. I love having the benches to sit upon to put on shoes. We keep our shoes 'loose' under the bench/drawer area which seems to work well enough. The coats hanging out in the open doesn't bother me (it is a mudroom, after all and just for our family to see). The hooks might be sturdy enough to handle a really heavy bookbag, but I'd think it best for shelves as well. I LOVE having the drawers - it's made keeping all the little items more tidy (I've got girls, so hair stuff, jewelry, etc.). we use the upper cabs and drawers for mittens, hats, and other overflow. The corner shelves now have bins for school work and lots of JUNK! this is also where we have plugs for any electronics that need to be charged.

these pics are when we first moved in (May) so limited visual of coats, boots, etc, but you get the idea.

Can't tell you how much this thread has helped me. Thanks for the all of the responses. Sooo many good ideas with experience to back them up. Special thanks to those who talked about and showed what "not" to do. That makes me feel SO normal because we have piles everywhere!

crazyhouse6 - Where did you find your metal bins? That looks like a good idea!

bebetokids - Yes, we do have the same floor plan. We still like ours. I had altered mine by bumping out the wall between the laundry and garage to add a couple more feet to laundry and it also allowed easier access over the garage upstairs. (Hard to explain without a picture.) It is still a work in progress.

mairin--thank you for sharing the photos. That is exactly what I had in mind.

Any thoughts on whether the cubbies/built-ins need should match my kitchen cabinets? (They will not be seen. Mudroom is adjacent, but behind a closed door.) Thanks for your input!