52 Weeks of Wonder Challenge #9

Oh my gosh!  I just got home.  I walked in the door to the mudroom and immediately put my purse and coat away!  I didn’t trip on anything!  I didn’t have to bring my things into the kitchen and then go back in with my jacket so that I didn’t trip over anything.  It’s working!  This space in the house has an outer calm with room for wet boots covered in snow!  

For this challenge, I wondered if minimizing and organizing the mudroom would help us feel more organized and make transitions in and out of the house easier?

The answer is, YES! We had so much “stuff” in this area that did not need to be! I am seriously becoming obsessed with minimizing!

Here is the before and after! Right away your eye may be drawn to the ridiculous amount of egg cartons on top of our lockers. We saved these for our friends who have chickens. However, we didn’t ever bring them to anyone. As a reminder, this kind of habit, starting but not finishing, is why I started the 52 Weeks of Wonder blog in the first place. You can also spot a Santa hat, a tennis racket, and multiple coats, and hats.

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In this next comparison, you can see a view of the coat rack. In the before you can see shoes, pots, Gingerale, Diet Coke & Juice Boxes in the before picture! In the after picture, you can see that there is a nice shoe tray for our winter boots and finally a place to hang my work bag! And if you are wondering where I got that super cute work bag you can head on over to my favorite shop, Lotus Lakes Gifts and Home Decor.

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In these pictures I zoom in on the closet. Basically, my routine for coming home was throwing my shoes in the closet. Then, my morning routine was to frantically look through the mess while my dog tried to lick my face, causing extreme frustration!

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The 4 Steps to Organzing & Minimizing the Mudroom

Step 1: Determine the Purpose of the Mudroom

It sounds silly, but I really had to think about what the purpose of the mudroom was. This space has been a cluttered catch-all for so long, I needed to focus on a purpose.

I decided the purpose was to store frequently used outdoor gear & items commonly carried out of the house. This was my first priority. Secondly, I was to use 1/4 to 1/2 the space in the closet to store my cleaning supplies. That’s the goal! I learned from challenge #4 minimizing the drop zone that knowing the purpose was a very important step for me because it helps me stay focused on what belongs in this space.

Step 2: Sorting

I started by sorting out the shoes. I don’t know if you have heard of the polar vortex…but we are living in it this year. Along with record breaking snow fall. We have winter gear and shoes taking over the mudroom! And there were sandals sitting in my cubby!

I took all of my summer shoes out because I don’t need them right now. I then went through the remainder of the shoes and ended up donating an entire bag! If I had not worn them in the last 3 months and I didn’t LOVE them then they had to go!

I spent the bulk of this challenge sorting through jackets and shoes. With two growing children we go through shoes super fast. We ended up with a huge pile of shoes, jackets, and other winter gear to donate.

When it came to my jackets I used the same philosophy as I did when working on my capsule wardrobe. It had to fit right now and I had to love it.

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Step 3: Storage Decisions

This one wasn’t too difficult. Since this area had become a catch-all for everything there were some basics that needed to be put away. For example, the pop needed to go downstairs into the basement refrigerator. It came in from the garage when the temperature dropped so low and never made it to the correct spot.

Next, any jackets that we didn’t wear daily were put back into the closet. I used the right side of the closet to store our cleaning supplies. I added this 3 drawer storage compartment from Target to organize extra shoes that we wear often but not daily.

Our lockers have four hooks for everyday jackets, backpacks, purses, etc. Then there is a top cubby with a basket for hats and mittens. There is also a bottom cubby for storing everyday shoes. That takes care of most of our storage needs along with the closet.

Step 4: Create systems for your space

If you remember from step 1, this space is for everyday things. I walked the kids through what does and does not go in this space and how to keep it organized. The challenge now will be creating a habit out of keeping this area organized.

Next steps: Decorate

I had great plans for this space and am saving them for another challenge. I need a little more time to plan this part out and do the work. Honestly, we had so much to donate and clean out I didn’t have enough time for this part. Look for a new challenge coming soon to decorate the mudroom to make it feel welcoming!

Challenge #10: Meditation. I wonder what effect meditation will have on me?

Do you have any tips for keeping your mudroom organized? Do you have any great ideas for decoration? Send me an email at marnie@marniepauly.com and share your tips and tricks with me!