You know what feels awful? Wet socks! And they’re all but unavoidable during the winter. Plus, the clutter of boots, scarves, gloves, and coats is messy and unsightly, and all that water can wreck your floors or carpets over time.
There are better ways to store your winter gear—some of which are more creative than you’d think! Let’s start with that mucky mudroom…
1: Raid Your Kitchen!
When’s the last time you baked cookies for the family? Cooling racks are perfect for wet shoes and boots. You’ll just need a sturdy, waterproof tray to set the racks on, and all that snowy melt-off will be contained.
2: Nix the Overflow
Coatracks wind up a tangled mess when gloves, hats, and scarves come into play—and who wants to stuff damp accessories into drawers or other tight places? Getting organized is as simple as labeling sturdy, metal buckets for each item. Even better, these buckets make it easy to dump out all the snow that’s melted to the bottom!
3: Pull-Out Trays for Indoor Gear
Any footwear that you want to keep dry and separated from your outdoor gear will do well in convenient, pull-out trays that can fit in your current shelving. This guarantees dry, comfy slippers or gym shoes!
4: Accessory Hang-Time
Clothes that don’t hit the dryer are often hung to dry, so why should your winter coats and accessories be any different? If you don’t already have a clothesline up in your laundry room, you can use hangers on your shower rod with large clothes pins. BONUS HACK: if your coats are especially heavy, use chip clips instead!
5: Power Wash Station
If you’re in the mood for a total mudroom makeover, you can install a miniature boot shower. All that salty, muddy slush will get powered right down the drain, leaving your mudroom fresh and dry.
6: Vertical Space Saving
You’re running late and you can’t find your other glove. That scarf doesn’t match your coat, either. Multiply that by everyone in your family, and you might be late for school and work! You can avoid all of this by storing gloves, scarves, and hats in a hanging shoe rack, where each member of your family can have their own spot for their gear.
7: Shield Your Walls
Your floors aren’t the only surface that can be damaged by excess melt-off. You can protect the walls of your mudroom with a large, corkboard surface that’ll slurp up any melting snow. In the summer, you can hang beach gear here, too!
8: Strength is Key
Always buy hanging bars and hooks with your most heavy, bulky coat in mind. Smaller, decorative pegs are fine for spring and summer, but during the winter season you’ll be glad for more strong, solid hooks.
9: Dress Up That Rack
Your prettier parkas and pristine pea coats deserve to be on display—but you still need to cut down on the mess. Keep your expensive gear in better shape by upcycling a clothing rack. You’ll have more space in your closet, as well as in your mudroom, for things like salt buckets, snow shovels, or more bulky, messy items.
10: Speaking of Bulky…
Remember the cooling racks and metal buckets? If you don’t want these things in plain sight in your front walkway or mudroom, consider putting a nice, thick cloth over an entry way table. Your bootrack can fit on the bottom, while the buckets can be laid on their side up top.
Now that you’ve got a list of wintertime tricks up your sleeve, no one will ever know where all your winter gear is hiding… and no one will have to endure wet socks, either!