When I first heard the term “mudroom” concerning house design, I asked myself, “Is this some sort of ecologically friendly home idea made from dirt or built underground? Or if it is something for a ‘normal’ home, surely you want to keep the mud out of the house, not bring it inside?”
Turns out a mudroom is nothing to do with dirt or building underground. But my second question was not so far from the truth.
A mudroom is a separate room or area in the home designed in a way that any unclean (meaning dirty, wet, muddy, etc.) items can be stored immediately upon entering the home. This prevents the wearer of the ‘unclean’ items from potentially carrying their filth throughout the entire house.
The mud room is where you will take off your shoes and hang your coat, leaving the outdoor world behind when you enter your home. This concept has always existed, but they were never previously called mud rooms.
A mud room might be a utility room toward the back of the house or a front porch conservatory area. In bigger houses, mud rooms might also include the washing machine, sink, and drier.
Mudrooms are an efficient addition to any home. Before you start thinking of mudroom design ideas, you first need to understand how you can benefit from having a mud room in your home.
Here are five important reasons why you should consider a mudroom.
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Keep the Home Clean
No one likes to have the kids (or bigger people) tracking dirt or mud through the house every time they walk into the home. A mudroom creates a neutral area between the inside and the outside of the home. The mudroom can be used to store wet shoes, boots, coats, and other outdoor gear, keeping the wet mess out of the house.
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Organize the Entry and Exit
As you prepare to leave home for another regular school and work day, does it often descend into a screaming match of “Where’s my jacket?” “Have you seen my keys?” “Did you pack my gym shoes in my school bag?”
This can be one of the biggest hassles you face most days. But a nicely organized mudroom makes it easy for everyone in the family to know where to store whatever they might need the next day. Each family member can have their area for their items. They will always know where to find those coats, shoes, bags, keys, etc.
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Add Storage
Most homes are always struggling to find enough storage space for all of their ‘stuff’. A mudroom can provide that storage space, but with the added advantage of also being designed so that all that ‘stuff’ can be stored in an organized manner.
This could include space specifically for household cleaning equipment, and each individual’s outerwear, and shoes.
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Improve Home Value
An organized storage area is like a magnet for homebuyers when you come to sell. A mudroom could be designed to include storage options like cabinets and benches, making the space more inviting and useful. This will increase your home’s value and make it easier to sell fast, and possibly above the asking price.
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Save Energy
Every time that exterior door of the home opens, some of the heat in the home disappears outside, while the chilly air from the outside rushes in. Your heating source then has to work twice as hard to heat the interior of the house again to what it was.
A mudroom can separate the living areas from the outside. The exterior door opens, and wet and dirty clothing and footwear are removed and stored in the mudroom as the exterior door is closed.
Then the interior door to the living room opens. With all the ‘unclean’ items left in the mudroom, the individuals can quickly come into the interior of the home with minimal heat moving into the mudroom and no freezing air from outside making its way inside the home.
That’s a big energy saver over time.
A mudroom is a fantastic way to improve your home and at the same time, you will enjoy greater efficiency and organization.
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