Organizing a Mud Hallway

Provide a sitting area in the mud hallway, which will provide houseguests a place to sit while they take off their boots. Choose a chest, trunk or other piece of furniture that has storage space underneath. If you are storing items in the furniture, place a mat at the bottom to catch drips from wet or snowy boots and shoes. Store extra mitts, scarves and hats in the furniture.

Install coat hooks on the wall. Use enough coat hooks so that everyone in the household and guest can hang their jackets. If you have children, install special coat hooks 40 inches off the ground so your children can reach the hooks and hang their coats.

Lay water- and dirt-absorbing mats next to the door. Choose mats that are large and take up much of the mud hallway floor, which will ensure that when you have a mud room full of guests or children, all the mud and water will be collected in the hallway and not dragged into the house. Use non-slip mats so they stay in place.

Make the walls easy to clean by covering them with vinyl wallpaper or high-gloss paint.

Set a small table in the mud room to collect keys, purses and anything else people want to keep handy. You can add a basket to help contain these extras or choose a table with a drawer. Install a mirror above the table so people can check themselves before they go out the door.

Place baskets or other bins in the mud hallway for kids to toss their backpacks, books or sporting equipment in. Use colors or labels to help organize the bins so wet sports gear isn't thrown on top of school books.