GO 2020 Jan 16 
GO 2020 Jan 16
Today we shift focus to disciplines that can be performed seasonally.
The mudroom or entry area of a home takes a beating. Every day, items are dumped inside, and it doesn’t take long for it to turn into a mess. While it isn’t necessary to clear this space every day, it does make sense to give it a thorough decluttering every couple of months. The change of seasons tends to usher in new items, so this is a logical time to get things in order.
To be most effective, take everything out of the space into a hallway or nearby room. While the space is empty, wipe down the shelves and vacuum the floor. You will probably run across some trash/recycling, so go ahead and dispose of this. Most of the items you removed probably belong in the mudroom, so these can now be returned to the drawers, bins, shelves hangers and hooks. Supplies for the “off season” can either be reloaded (if there is space), or can be stored remotely until they are needed.
The majority of what remains likely should live somewhere else in the house. For example, a screwdriver that never made it back to the toolbox, or a pashmina that really belongs on a shelf in the master closet. You might even come across some mail or paperwork. Lots of possessions get forgotten when they end up on the bottom of a pile, so now is the time to unearth them and get them back where they belong. As little as an afternoon in this small room can make a world of difference!
When is the last time you refreshed your mudroom or entry?
We have a hall closet if that counts and literally just cleaned it out last week here as with the real winter weather just starting to be upon us I felt it was as good of a time as any to make sure we were stocked up and good shape for this season 😉
Yes, the hall closet definitely counts! I’m afraid you are right, Janine, and real winter is just started. Going to be very cold here in CT for the next week. Bummer.
We have a hall closet like Janine. I’m pretty good about having it only be for shoes and footwear, no mail, tools, etc. One thing my son brought up last week was that his sneakers were getting a bit tight. If you have kids it’s a good idea each season to take stock of the entryway footwear! Does it still fit?!
That’s a great point, Sarah. Kids feet grow so fast, and they often don’t even mention that their shoes are too small until they’ve been in the wrong size for a long time:) Whenever you clean out is a good time to check sizes!
Holy cow, ours is bad. I refreshed it on Sunday but it already looks terrible again. It’s REALLY bad this time of year with four people’s winter gear, but in the summer it can be bad too. I think I need to find places to put my winter boots because I should only have warm weather shoes to reach for in warm weather.
I needed this post! We do find a lot of missing toys when we do this..
If you have a garage, a boot tray in the garage near the door to the house can be a handy spot to keep the boots. Just a thought – it takes a lot of effort to keep this space clear. Hang in there!
I don’t have a mud room but I do have a space in the garage that definitely needs attention! It’s too cold now but I will make a note to get on that when the weather gets better.. Then it will be time to call some charity to pick up what we are getting rid of again.
Yes, January is a bit cold to work in the garage. April or May might be better. I work in garages a lot in the spring, and it feels so good to get the space cleared out, cleaned up and ready for summer!
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