If your house doesn’t have a mudroom, it should. And it can. Mudrooms were designed as the catchall for the “stuff” of every family member. Rather than dumping dirty shoes and wet raincoats on the carpet just inside the front or back door, everyone can make their first stop the mudroom. Don’t have one in your house? There’s a solution. Find a space out of the line of sight yet as close as possible to the door your family uses most. Perhaps you have a laundry room near the back door or a corner of a garage by the side door you can use. Either of these will work.

If possible, use ceramic tile in your mudroom space. Tile is most often used because it is virtually indestructible and is easily cleaned. If you’re creating a mudroom in your garage, the concrete flooring will work too. Customize the space with lots of cubbies, hooks, storage boxes, hangers and other organizing tools. This will give ample space for soccer balls, hockey sticks, fishing poles, cleats, sneakers and rain gear.