By Christina Morton DesAuguste
Christina is the founder of The Organizing Company and has been organizing professionally since 2013. She is currently grateful for days by the pool (yes, already), Summer Fridays lip balm, and Fora Travel with no research fees for a limited time via this link!
No A.I. copy & paste here! All our blogs are still written by professional organizers or other humans.
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Yay for spring! I've had it easy in the Boulder/Denver area this winter, but I'm still excited for true spring and summer. Whether or not you share that sentiment, below are some tips to make your mudroom more functional for the warmer months. :)
If you're new to my blog, “seasonal swap" is how I refer to the things you can relocate to make room in your space for on-season items so that you stay organized and your space stays beautiful and functional. Yes, even a mudroom can be beautiful.
For you that might mean moving a winter bin of accessories (hats, gloves, scarves) to a shelf up high and pulling down the one with sun hats, baseball hats, and croakies. Or, maybe your off-season items go on a shelf up high in your primary closet. It's also possible that everything can stay in the same place all year round. But you're probably not reading a blog post about seasonal swaps if that last one applies to you.
The purpose behind making seasonal swaps is to make your space as functional as possible, with what you use most this season most accessible.
When there's too much in one space, things are difficult to access and especially to put back (in other words, not functional). If you notice your family members aren't putting things away even if they know where it goes, one possibility could be that it's too difficult/annoying to put back. Reducing the amount of stuff in the space is one way to address that.
In a mudroom (or an entry/coat closet if you don't have a proper mudroom), there are lots of things that accumulate in the winter that will only be in the way this summer. And while you might need to keep one lighter coat and gloves handy for a little longer, you probably don't need your biggest snow jacket and boots and 6 pairs of gloves per person in the mudroom any longer.
I've put together a little checklist of common items that I like to rotate out, and good reminders for what to stock your mudroom with for the summer. You'll notice that I don't include sunscreen on the list, because that should be a year round item! Maybe you just add another body sunscreen that's good for water activities to the mix.
As you rotate things out, take a moment to inspect things. Clean gloves/jackets/boots, check for repairs needed, and dispose of anything that's worn out. Now is the time to send something to get mended/laundered rather than the first time you put it on next season. It’s also a great time to do a little “curating” to make sure you’re only keeping the things that are still serving you, and letting go of the things that aren’t. If you find some beanies and mittens you didn't use all winter, maybe you're ready to pass them along. And if you have kids that are growing rapidly, consider if their winter gear will still fit them next year. Maybe keep a few things just in case until you size them up in a year, but you probably don't need all the things anymore.
Set a reminder...
As I mentioned earlier, you might still need a couple winter items. The trick here is to A) make sure the rest are labeled well and stored easily enough that you can grab something if it's truly necessary (which is great if you take a vacation somewhere chilly this summer too) and B) to set a reminder in your phone for 3-5 weeks from now to remind yourself to go back and store those last few winter items so they don't just linger taking up space all summer. Go ahead and add a reminder for phase 1 and phase 2 of seasonal swaps right now before you forget!
One more thing! When you're going through the mudroom, it's also a great time to go through your purse, backpack, work bag, dog walking bag, etc. Restock hand sanitizer and tissue and thin out the randomness and winter items that may have accumulated.
Need more help?
If you're realizing that your mudroom might need a tad more than just some seasonal swaps, let's start with getting it organized. You can watch my free organizing guide right here to learn how to organize, or give me a call if you want my help virtually or in person to set it up for you.
Happy Organizing!
Christina
PS: The checklist is great if you lose focus easily, so print it out and stick it on the door to the garage to stay on track!
April 30th, 2026
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