If you live in a place where winter is a season of wetness, via snow or hail or rain or sleet or mud, then you’ll appreciate the distinction between what’s required of any old mudroom versus a winter mudroom.

In case you’re moving to somewhere cold, or you’ve spent so much time in the summer sun and the crisp fall air that you’ve forgotten the down-and-dirtiness that can be wintertime garb, then here are some tips for how you can prepare your mudroom to be effective for the season ahead.

Having a place for winter footwear (translation: wet galoshes and snowboots) to be stored appropriately will play a key role in the success of your mudroom’s winter duties. If the footwear can dry quickly while it’s stored, that is a huge bonus.

While we’re speaking of wet, muddy, and/or snowy boots…how about incorporating a place into your mudroom where such dirtiness can be immediately taken care of? This is, of course, an architecturally in-depth solution, what with the plumbing requirements and all. But, where possible, worth considering, don’t you think?

It’s no secret that we wear more clothing during the colder months. Plenty of places to hang coats, bags, scarves, hats, and whatever else you can think of to hang is a winter mudroom must. You can build in a fancy hanging system or simply attach some hooks to the wall. Both are equally effective in providing a place to hang all the goods.

A bench is a winter mudroom must. Actually, it’s an all-season mudroom must, but particularly in the winter, when little puddles of water from melted snow or wet boots can seem to take up permanent residence on the floor. It’s nice to have a place to sit – off the floor – while preparing for the transition from inside to outside, and vice versa.

Don’t forget the rug! A weatherproof mat outside the door, and a sturdy (yet stylish) rug inside the mudroom itself will help keep the floors somewhat dry (safety) and protected (aesthetics).

Picture sources: 1, 2, 3, 4,5,6and 7.