Practical Mudroom Solutions for Snowy Winters

We live in Minneapolis, Minnesota where winters are brutal and a practical mudroom is essential for our snowy wet boots. Keeping this hard working room looking “cute” year round hasn’t been my reality. It opens up to our laundry room into our living room so it’s my goal this year to find a solution. If you’re searching for practical mudroom solutions for snowy winters, I have some great recommendations for you!

While it looks great during the warmer months (especially after I painted the door, read here) , it’s a challenge to combine style and function during the cold months. There seems to be no way to combat the inevitable mess of muddy, wet snowy boots tracking in the house without rolling out our unattractive but functional and durable utility mats. I despise them but they get the job done.

After scouring the internet on ideal rugs for a mudroom that is practical without sacrificing style, these are the best solutions I found.

Mudroom Rug Round Ups

Waterhogs, Water Trapper, Water Guard Mats/Rugs

Whatever you call it, these commercial grade rugs are ultra durable, trapping dirt + mud and containing water. They’re mold and mildew resistant and can be hosed down to clean when the season is over – def the hardest working rugs! They come in a variety of colors and are much better looking than our current utility mats. Bonus that many are made from post-consumer recycled material.

Chilewich Utility Mats

This isn’t your ordinary utility mats. Chilewich mats look good and feel good too thanks to its soft, synthetic construction that effortlessly withstands heavy foot traffic. It’s easy to clean and comes in multiple stripe patterns and sizes.

Natural Mats/Rugs: Sisal and Seagrass

According to plushrugs.com, “sisal rugs that have been treated for stains are a great option for a mudroom. Once treated, sisal rugs are the most stain and water-resistant. They are excellent dirt traps. When you’re ready to clean your rug, just hang the rug up and hit the dust away. Dry carpet cleaning kits are also great ways to clean sisal rugs”.

Also, according to plushrugs.com, “seagrass rugs hold up well to high traffic and are naturally resistant to stains. They are so tough that they can withstand mud, snow, and whatever else you might track home with you. Due to the resilient fibers, seagrass rugs are the easiest rugs to clean. Just clean your rug with water and stains will disappear”.

Washable Rugs

I have had a lot of people suggest getting a rug that can be washed! I have not tried them but really like the look of these from Ruggable!

Other Recommendations

Boot Trays

Keeping a mudroom clean means you need a place to dry and store all the bulky boots. It also needs to be easily accessible because convenience is key which is why I love boot trays.

Baskets

To keep our mudroom organized with all the additional clothing layers, baskets are a must! We have a set of matching baskets for shoe storage under the bench – *tip: look for baskets that will hide dirt like a darker natural fiber. We have another matching set of baskets to store all of our hats, scarves and mittens! Each of our family members has a designated basket and allows us to be responsible for our own belongings.

What’s my solution? For our mudroom, I have to be super practical and considering the L.L. Bean Recycled Waterhog runner in the camel color. It looks like a natural fiber rug but can be hosed off, comes in several sizes and reviews are good! Once I have the rug, I’ll make my decision on boot trays. I’m leaning towards the copper metal but afraid of it rusting per some of the older reviews. I’ll keep you posted. Hope this helps all of my fellow residents in snowy climates!

*Update: We’ve been using the L.L. Bean Recycled Waterhog runner for over a year and can’t recommend it enough!