Sarah Baeumler’s Five Minutes to Clean: Mastering the Mudroom

First and foremost, you need to assess what you’re dealing with. I try to do this whenever I am tackling a space that needs cleaning and organization. Otherwise I find myself flitting from one thing to another. If I take 30 seconds to assess the situation and see how to approach the job, I feel as if I can get it done in a much more orderly fashion.

Once I’ve determined what areas need to be cleaned and what kind of organization is needed, I collect everything off the floor and place it temporarily in a basket, or on a surface. I do this to determine what will need to be put away, and clear the space to move around easily as I organized and clean.

I always start with coats. If they are wet or dirty, hang them up in the garage or outside. These often are the bulkier items and therefore will reduce the clutter in the mudroom immediately. You will need to bring these back in at some point, but for now it’s good to get them out of the way.

The smaller jackets, scarves and hats should be hung up on hooks (if you don’t have hooks, I highly recommend finding space for them on an empty wall). I try to use one or two hooks for each person in the house, this way there won’t be any arguments or questions when it comes to finding everyone’s stuff.

A boot and shoe rack is essential for any mudroom or entryway, especially in the winter months. This not only keeps the space organized but it also reduces the amount of dirt and outside undesirables accumulating on the floors. Get the boots and big shoes on the racks and take the time to place them in order. (But good luck enforcing this rule with kids!)

During the colder months, gloves and mittens will find themselves in every nook and cranny of your home. I tell my children to put them near the heating vents, but this doesn’t always happen. If you can manage this with your family, winter accessories will always be easy to find, and toasty warm when you’re running out the door.

If there is anything that is not necessary for the season you’re in, store it in an alternate room or better yet, a bin so you can pack it away. It makes life so much easier if you keep just the seasonal clothing and footwear in the mudroom and will make cleaning next time that much easier.

Once everything in your mudroom is organized, grab a dusting glove and wipe down all the shelves and benches, try to give all the nooks and crannies a clean as this will get all the dirt and dust on to the floor (soon to be swept!) and will stop it from drifting into other rooms of your home.

Once dusted, take your multi-purpose spray and cloth and give each surface a quick wipe down. I try to use a lemon based cleaner for this as it will help give your mudroom a refreshing scent for any visitors entering the house. This doesn’t need to be a rigorous clean, but it will help remove any unwanted dirt that the dusting missed.

Once the surfaces have been cleaned, grab your broom and quickly sweep up the dirt and dust from your cleaning. I like to keep a broom hidden somewhere near the mudroom, either in a closet or tucked out of the way.

If you have the time, a quick mop after sweeping will bring your floors back to a sparkling shine (but all bets are off on how long they’ll stay this way!). While hitting all of these tasks in a single day would be ideal, the mudroom sees constant action, so I aim to tackle one of these tips a day, and overall the mudroom remains in pretty good shape. When you only have five minutes to clean, you’ve got to be realistic about what can be accomplished, but you’d be surprised at how much a five-minute clean can improve a room (and your outlook!).