Articles
& Advice:
Creating a Mudroom Out Of A Closet
A reader asks:
Kathi,
Thank you for your helpful website. Although my particular project still needs more advice.
We need to reconstruct a mudroom closet to handle our family’s winter gear (snowboards & skis, boots, snow clothing, helmets, skates etc.) for the colder months and then accommodate our summer gear (wakeboards & water skis, wetsuits, lifejackets, rain gear, rollerblades, bike helmets etc.) in the warmer months. Our closet is 3' deep x 8'-5" wide x 7'-4" high.
Do you have any advice for our project? Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Lyne, BC, Canada
Hi Lyne,
Start by installing a waterproof, resilient floor such a vinyl, tile or laminate. Buy throw rugs for easy cleaning as dirt comes in and out of the closet. You could also seal a canvas floor cloth with polyurethane to achieve waterproof flooring.
The depth of your closet is problematical for this type of gear. I am envisioning a sliding door type of closet where the ceiling is higher than the doors? If this is the case, you can’t use a 3 ‘ wide top shelf on top because of the lip above the doors?
If this assumption is correct, I would suggest that you install a 2’ deep shelf up high (maybe 2 feet from the ceiling) that runs from wall to wall.
Purchase space bags, compress and rotate your summer clothes with winter clothes and store these on the highest shelf. If you can also fit boots and/or skates in bins on this shelf, that would be great.
The next shelf should be able to install the next shelf wall to wall and three feet deep. Purchase plastic bins to store helmets and lifejackets. The milk crate and also clear plastic bins will provide visibility to family members trying to find their gear.
If you can possibly separate the gear by family member, this will keep all loose pieces in check and make each person more responsible for their gear returning to it’s “home”.
Install 3-4 hooks on one of the recessed sidewalls to hang rain gear and wet suits to dry. Place a shallow plastic bin under this area to catch water as items dry.
Place cookie trays under the bottom shelf to place boots on as they arrive wet during the winter. If you can, install an electrical outlet and a light. A space heater or fan will help items dry more quickly.
The bottom 3’ wide shelf should run 7’ and attach to one of the sidewalls which will leave space to accommodate the clothing on hooks at the other end. The bottom shelf can house the wake boards, skis etc. Storing these items low will make it easier to retrieve them and also put them away at the days end.
Remember when redesigning, always use every inch of vertical space available. Whatever the storage challenge is, storing “like with like” and containerizing loose parts as much as possible will help keep you better organized.
Kathi is a Professional Organizer, image Consultant based in San Diego
California.
Please
submit your questions to:
advice@addspacetoyourlife.com
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San Diego Professional Organizer
