Get Movin' Monday: How To Clean, Organize Your Mudroom

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Whether you're in an apartment or a regular home, that spot right by the door can often be a mess.

There's coats everywhere and shoes all over the floor. It can be pure chaos. Now that the kids are back to school with their backpacks, it's time to focus on cleaning this week for Get Movin' Monday. We're getting some unique design ideas to help clean up your mudroom.

"It's back to school, everyone knows what a disaster their mudroom is at home," said Designer Brooke Voss. "You need a catch-all space when you come home, where are you going to put your things, where do they belong, so you still feel organized and tidy at the end of the day."

Mudroom tip No. 1 from Voss: Separate and Assign Space.

"Each person gets a big locker, lots of space here," Voss said. "When you have a spot to put things and when your kids have a spot to put things, there's a better chance it gets hung up instead of thrown on the floor."

Brooke's second solution is about shoes. If you're not careful, they can end up all over the mudroom.

"On little trick you can implement really easily is each family member could have a basket or bin. That's where your shoes du jour go," Voss said.

For one home in south Minneapolis, Voss put a bin beneath the locker.

"It's also a great spot if you need a sweater or hat. Grab it and dash out the door," Voss said.

Tip No. 3: Make sure the floor can handle some slop.

"The beauty of this floor is that it's resilient. You can track in dirt and grit and don't have to worry about it. This is tile, easy to clean up in all weather," she said.

Even though mudrooms are mostly about function, we love the corkboard and the outlets with USB chargers, you still have to have fun. That can include wallpaper on the ceiling, using a fun accent color or lighting. If you can, you want to make every room in your house something special.

Most people can't do all of these things at once or don't have that much space. Voss suggests picking your biggest pet peeve, whether it is the shoes on the ground or the coats on the floor, and attack that.