Cold weather requires lots of accessories.
Boots, hats, mittens, scarves, face masks, ear muffs, snow bibs, coats and more all need to stay accessible and tidy and need plenty of air in order to dry before the next use.
Often times, homes with garages will have an alcove or mud room between the garage entry and the interior of the home.
In some cases, the space may pull double-duty as a laundry room as well.
The goal is to provide practical, functional space to accommodate what the climate demands.
Often times, though, it seems that all the stuff we need to have just ends up in a big pile on the floor.
What can you do about it? My approach started with reinforcing positive habits in my children.
Since snow gear is required for them to use at school, they're the prime culprits when it comes to a messy mud room.
I know they're tired when they come home from school and are anxious to relax a little before its time for homework or dinner, but I knew if I could get them thinking a little more about their responsibilities, they'd find ways to be quick and efficient about that part of their daily routine.
While we already had hooks on the walls they could use to hang their gear, based on their feedback it seemed a bench would be a helpful thing to add in the mudroom.
They could sit on the bench instead of the floor to pull off their snow pants and boots.
Then we added a couple of different types of shoe racks to get the shoes and boots off the floor.
The bonus part of the shoe racks is that it seemed to help the youngest child find what he needed! No more "But I can't find my boots!" One of the shoe racks is low and sits on the floor directly beneath the bench.
The other hangs from the rod hear the dryer.
The key to taming the mayhem in your home is to find the right tools to keep things organized.