By Christina Morton DesAuguste
Christina is the founder of The Organizing Company and has been organizing professionally since 2013. She is currently grateful for her Instant Pot, Pinterest, and a bit of rain in Denver Metro.
No A.I. copy & paste here! All our blogs are still written by professional organizers or other humans.
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Nowhere is this organizing principle more evident than in the mudroom/entry: If you don't create a designated place for everything, everything will end up everywhere.
I’m sure there’s a catchier way to say that, but I stand by the concept. If you don't have a place for everything, how can everything be in its place? It won't, friend. It'll keep spreading, even beyond the room you want it to live in and scatter all throughout your house.
Think about it: Where do things end up in the mudroom right now? On the floor right in the pathway? Yup. All over the bench and the console table so they aren't even usable anymore? Yup. Not even in the mudroom and somehow all over the kitchen counter and barstools? Yup. Yup. Yup.
This phenomenon is especially apparent in the mudroom because of all the things you walk into the house carrying. If there’s not a place to drop those things wherever you enter the house, they keep on movin’ with you until you do find an easy place to plop them down. And, unfortunately, that place is often the kitchen.
They say the kitchen is the heart of the home, but that doesn't mean we want stuff in there that we don’t even use in the kitchen. We want to leave room to actually enjoy it as the heart of the home and do the cooking that brings everyone in there!
But for some reason people like to drop everything on the kitchen counter.
If there's no bowl for keys, they end up on the kitchen counter.
If there's no tray for mail, it ends up on the kitchen counter.
If there's no hook for hats, they end up on the kitchen counter.
I see this all the time as a Professional Organizer. Dog leashes plopped down with the mail on the kitchen island next to the groceries. Kids' backpacks on the counter to unload lunchboxes, mom's purse on the counter, dad's backpack and coat on the barstools. Amazon packages. Sunglasses and gloves. All the things that come in the door with you. And it’s hard to keep the kitchen organized when there are constantly other things added to the mix.
Your mudroom is the problem.
I don't think I need to spend anymore time describing this problem. I think you know it all too well. But if you don't, stick with me for mudroom organizing 101 that you can apply even if your kitchen counter never sees a single hat or Amazon package.
Mudroom Organizing Principle #1: Go through the full organizing process to get the best results.
As always, make sure you are using my Organize Anything Method to organize your mudroom and that you go through the full method. I'll share some ideas below for solutions and what should go where, etc, but they're meant to be implemented at a specific points during the organizing process. “Tips and tricks" outside of the context of an actual method are hit or miss for success. So click here to get my method for free. I share a 9 minute video if you want more depth, or just read over the one page PDF included.
Mudroom Organizing Principle #2: In small spaces, make sure you're only storing items that really need to be in that space.
For most of people, asking your mudroom to house all the usual mudroom items plus your overflow Costco purchases plus gift wrap and board games is too much. Remove the categories that can go somewhere else so that you're only asking the space to hold what it was intended to hold.
Here are the items that mudrooms/entryways/coat closets in general are meant to hold:
-Outerwear: Coats & jackets
-Hats, gloves, scarves
-Shoes & boots (essentials only. Lesser used ones should stay in bedroom closets)
-Bags you take with you when you leave the house: purses, backpacks, work bags, diaper bags
-Grab-n-go items like sunscreen, bug spray, hand sanitizer (Not your whole stash, just the essentials)
-Sunglasses (if not kept in a purse/bag)
-Essential running/sport items (if they can't be kept in the garage)
-Dog walking essentials
If it's something you take back and forth somewhere, or you put on before you leave, then it probably belongs in the mudroom. If you are an active person, consider what items can be stored upstairs with your clothing for that sport/activity, or out in the garage with sporting goods, and what really should stay in the mudroom/entry. A Camelback makes sense in the mudroom, but soccer balls and cleats probably don't.
Mudroom Organizing Principle #3: If your décor is prohibiting functional use of the space, it will create clutter that looks worse than the space without décor.
I won't spend too much time on this, but I see it often enough that it's worth a mention.
If your console table is “styled" to the point that there is no place to drop things (even temporarily), those things will overflow into other areas to create clutter. Or they'll just pile up on the console table anyway, making it look cluttery.
Similarly, if you choose to have a console table instead of a functional freestanding wardrobe to hold coats and backpacks, don't be surprised when the homeless coats and backpacks end up on chairs and on the floor. Again, this looks worse than simply not having the console table.
Same with benches. If you have no place to put shoes and choose a bench that has zero storage and is open underneath, you'll just see a pile of shoes under the bench at all times.
If you hang artwork where hooks could go for hats or coats, those hats and coats are going to end up somewhere else. Probably somewhere you don't like the look of.
Basically, the principle here is to start with functionality and then figure out how to make it beautiful. If you start the other way around it just backfires on you. Figure out what organization is needed and I guarantee you there is a way to make it look good. Your décor shouldn't hinder organization in your home, it should beautify it.
If you have space for all the things plus purely decorative items, go for it! I'm not saying not to decorate, I'm saying style shouldn't be at the expense of organization in your home.
Mudroom Organizing Principle #4: Closed storage looks less cluttered, especially in a small space.
I recognize that your mudroom/entry may not even have a coat closet (true story) and certainly may not have great storage for shoes and accessories. It's actually one of my biggest pet peeves (genuine concern?) with builders. Even in Colorado houses are built without anywhere to put boots and coats when you walk in, especially through the garage. I'll write a whole blog series on that at some point, but for today start with the principle of only storing what HAS TO BE STORED in your entry if it's a small/challenging space.
If you still need more storage space, you can use freestanding furniture on an empty wall to add in more storage (or contact me to consult on a reno!).
Designers will often say to choose open storage solutions for small spaces, but I think that's madness when we're talking about a utilitarian area like a mudroom/entryway. I don't like to see hats and dog leashes and running backpacks and sunscreen. Even if you utilize baskets/bins, it's not great. Plus, once you fill an open storage piece with all the stuff and baskets, it's going to defeat the purpose of looking open anyway. So just go with a closed option that hides the clutter. Save your open storage for areas of the house that have more space. Revisit Principle #2 if you need to talk yourself out of that ladder bookshelf.
Here is a link to a Pinterest board with some examples of closed storage options for your mudroom or entryway. Some of them are freestanding for a quick win or for a rental, but many require construction (For Denver/Boulder readers, I can connect you with a great contractor). I also include a “What Not To Do” section to show you the types of mudroom setups that end up looking the messiest.
Guidelines on what should go where:
As you go through my Organize Anything Method, you'll naturally start to see where things make sense in your mudroom. But there are a few general ideas that tend to work for most people.
In general I like shoes down low, preferably on shelves rather than in piles or drawers or drawers. If the space is deep you may need to choose the lesser evil of baskets over losing shoes at the back.
At bench level I like things like backpacks and purses, but try to keep heavy bags no higher than waist level if you move it up. Also include a spot for your empty grocery bags to go back to the car. These could also hang on a hook or go in/out of a cute basket. And, of course, a bench or chair for taking shoes on/off. I wouldn’t count the space under the coats in the image above as a bench since the coats interfere with its use. If you have space for a bench, that’s better. Or just do a small, fun chair.
A little higher up (about console table height to eye level) I like to put smaller things like sunglasses (could be hanging or in a glasses try) and bins of grab-n-go items (sunscreen, hand sanitizer, etc). Perhaps hats and gloves, etc, but they can also go up high if you are tall like me. You could also do a hook for most used hats if you prefer. You can have a console table to drop keys and mail and your full grocery bags until you take off your coat/shoes and continue to the kitchen.
Up next is coats, preferably on hangers, not hooks. Not only will it take better care of your outerwear, but it actually allows you to store more coats than hooks would allow.
Up high I like to put lesser used items and off season items- in labeled containers, of course.
Run with these ideas within the context of the full organizing process and the principles I shared above. Set up your mudroom so it is easy to put things away (especially for the lesser organized people in your home) right away. Your kitchen counters will thank you.
And, as always, you know where to find me if you want virtual coaching or in-person help to tackle this or any organizing project.
Happy Organizing!
Christina
PS: Don’t forget to check out my Pinterest board with mudroom ideas and follow me. I’ll be utilizing Pinterest a lot more going forward to provide you with great ideas to organize your home!
April 30th, 2026
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