Mud Room Essentials

[the2amigos]

We live in a smallish house...~1000 sq. feet.  We hardly use the front door, always come in the side off the driveway.  The entrance has a 3x2.5ft pad, then two steps up into the small kitchen.  The stairs go down to the basement.  Thus far we have hung hooks by the stairs and leave shoes/boots on the landing.  With soon to be 3 kiddos plus us, it's not safe!!  Too many shoes/boots, snowpants and coats overlap and don't get dry.  At the bottom of the stairs we have a 8x5 foot free space I'm having DH build a mud room type area.  We will have to go up and down the stairs to get ready to leave, but good exercise!   

Any suggestions on "must haves"?  I'm planning a bench to sit on, a row of hooks along the 8 foot section, with a shelf above with a bin for each of us, under the hooks a shoe area, with two shelves for shoes and then a landing spot for backpack, etc.  On one side I'm putting a drying rack to hang wet mittens, etc.

Thoughts?

[Oliver's Mama]

My initial thought is that if you're going down the stairs with wet/snowy/muddy shoes, then coming back up in socks or whatever to the rest of the house, that socks and feet will get wet.  If the stairs are wide enough, I would do a tape line down the middle, so you stay to the right when you're heading down with soiled shoes. But that's just me- I'm really paranoid about making puddles in the house.

Also, I do bins on the floor under the coats for accessories, where it's easy to reach (not sure how tall your kids are, if reaching over the hooks is feasable). Then, the boot tray slides under the bench where it's most convenient to leave them since you have to sit there anyways.

Maybe a retractable drying line if you're short on space, so it can be open during the dry times of the year.

[chel]

I agree with pp.  Taking shoes off anywhere but right by the door is potentially messy. 

I would do a small bench by the door with shoe storage under, coat hooks above.

make the snow outfit area downstairs with drying rack and hooks for snow outfits, etc.

depending on the space, you might even add hooks along the wall down the stairs so you don't have to go all the way down, for backpacks and such

Try limiting the number of shoes.  And if still a lot, only keep the most used ones by the door

[the2amigos]

There literally isn't any room on the landing by the back door, we have enough room to open the door period.  It's hard to even stand there and open and close the door, it's that little space.  Shoes and boots are dripping and puddling on the steps either up to the kitchen or the stairs going down to the basement right now.  I hear you though, going down with wet on is going to be a problem coming back up.  Hmmmmmm...........

[mkksmom]

Maybe attach an over the door shoe holder with pockets behind the door and only leave the wet ones out to dry? Coats and other accessories could still go downstairs. If you can swing it, I'd try to fit the shoe holder plus on hook per person and just keep one coat right by the door with extras downstairs. I like to put dry mittens in pockets and a hat in the sleeves, but the pockets on the shoe holder would also work.

ETA, I meant attach it to the wall with screws, but if one fits on the door, then 2 would be handy. One for shoes and one for gloves, hats, etc.

Something like this maybe:

http://www.target.com/p/SFT-01568-Over-The-Door-Shoe-Organizer-Storage-Rack-Green-Blue-Brown/-/A-12227234?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Froogle_df&LNM=|12227234&CPNG=home%20decor&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=12227234

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=over+the+door+shoes+holder&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=rM3&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3B:official&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=589&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=670001162018680366&sa=X&ei=AX4XT_nCDqHSmAX62bitAw&ved=0CIsBEPICMAA

http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=over+the+door+shoes+holder&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=rM3&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3B:official&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1280&bih=589&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=12241636567536736871&sa=X&ei=AX4XT_nCDqHSmAX62bitAw&ved=0CJUBEPMCMAI

[zebra15]

What *I* would do is designate ONE person as the 'mud room' person of the week.  That person is incharge of going up and down to get the clothing and shoes before you leave and again when you get home.  Everyone gets dressed upstairs, in the kitchen/landing area, outside and undressed when they come home.  Carrying wet shoes, and clothes to the basement to be hung up is much cleaner and neater than 5 people stomping all over the place- ya know?

The other option I see is to possibly extend the outside area and manage a quick shoe change out there and then bring the stuff in.  Wet muddy shoes are the biggest issue here.  Clothing- not so much.

[PluggingAway]

I have a tiny "mudroom" area at the bottom of my basement steps.  For our shoe storage, located on the wall at the bottom of the steps, we have cheap book shelves.  Our boots go on the bottom shelves and then each family member has a shelf.  On my shelf, since I have more shoes, I have plastic shoe drawers that I stacked.  There is one full sized book shelf and one short book shelf.  On the short book shelf there are bins for accessories.  I squeezed in a tall narrow garbage can for umbrellas, and there is a small stool (although the kids usually just sit on the bottom step).  On the side of the stairs, we placed hooks at each step level for our coats.  Next to the book shelves, I also have a 4 drawer tower that holds all of the shoes for the kids to grow into.  All of of our shoes are located in this area, which has been great for freeing  up space in the upstairs closets.  Good Luck!