Welcome to week 3 of the Ultimate Roof Refresh! Last week we organized our laundry room. This week we are tackling the mudroom and/or drop zone(s)! Drop zones consist of any areas in your home where you walk through the door and drop your stuff – purse, mail, workout equipment, etc. Your drop zone may be in the mudroom, but if you don’t have a mudroom, your drop zone might be the kitchen counter, the table…or the floor. If you do have a mudroom, this room might be a tough room to declutter and organize if your guests use an alternative entrance to enter your home. Today’s post is long so let’s just jump into it!

Mudroom

• We are going to use the same process on the mudroom as we did the laundry room. You’ll first clear the room of everything. Set up an area outside the room with 5-6 different piles labeled “keep”, “discard”, “donate”, “sell”, “remove”, and “store”. If you read my post from last week, you know how much I don’t like the “store” pile. While I think you should avoid this last pile at all costs, if it keeps you progressing through the challenge then I’m all for it!
• Now that the room is clear, give it a good scrub! Be thorough!
• The hardest part is next – deciding what to keep and get rid of! You need to go through every single thing that you pulled out of the mudroom. That includes shoes, purses, backpacks, grocery bags, umbrellas, calendars, coats, mail, dog-walking gear, and/or electronics, and any seasonal gear that might also be stored in the mud room. Use your piles to sort through all of the items.
• Anything that is broken beyond repair needs to go in the trash or be recycled (if able to). Items that you use regularly should go in the “keep” pile. Items you haven’t used in the last 3 months should be sorted into “donate”or “sell”. Only items that you can sell in a reasonable amount of time should go in the “sell” pile. If you don’t have time to list items or can’t sell the item within a few days posted on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, etc., then it needs to go into the donate or discard pile. Guilt for something you bought that you don’t use does not warrant you to try and sell any item. Lastly, the “remove” pile are items you plan to keep but reside or should reside elsewhere. Only use the “store” pile if you are experiencing overwhelm and analysis paralysis due to not knowing whether to keep or get rid of something.

• Questions to consider while editing:
  • Do you need it?
  • Do you have duplicates?
  • How often do you use it/wear it in a month?
  • What is the worst thing that can happen if you get rid of it?

• Moving on to CATEGORIZING! Zones are the key to form and function. They are physical spaces that you designate for a category of “like” items. In order to create zones we first need to categorize! Categories are highly personalized. We may or may not have the same kinds of items in our mudroom. I don’t even have a mudroom, but I’ve definitely got plenty of drop zones! Based on the items you are keeping, view trends in items and start creating categories. If you store similar items for each individual in your household you may want to keep them together. For example, you might want to store all keys in a bowl or hang them on a shelf near the door. OR you might want to keep similar items separated by the owner of those items. For example, you might want to keep your spouse, kid’s, and your winter gear, purse/backpack, and gym bags separate. You then could create separate categories and zones for each individual to prevent any confusion during busy times of the day when you are just trying to get out the door on time. If you find categories that are better stored elsewhere, move those items into the “remove” pile.
• It’s now time to establish zones! Now that you’ve categorized the items you are keeping, it’s time to determine where each category will reside. Keep in mind that workflow and space is of utmost importance when determining where your items will reside. A bad workflow is not conducive to creating good habits or routines.
• Now it’s ORGANIZING time! Now that you’ve determined where each category will reside, now is the time to evaluate storage. If you are familiar with the blog then you may know that I’m not particularly fond of storage containers. I wrote a post on it here. However, I’ve since being in quarantine I’ve started using containers to create zones. If you overflow a zone/container you get a visual reminder that you need to go back and edit either the items you are storing in that area or revise how much real estate you designate to a zone.
  • Personally I prefer clear containers because they allow you to easily see what you have. Each container, bin, shelf, trivet, etc. that you use needs to be able to contain each category. Because they are clear you will more likely keep it organized and use what you have as your items will be on display. Concealing bins and containers can be a trap for clutter to build up and create a visual barrier to using your items.
  • If you have other baskets, bins, totes, etc. in your home that might work, definitely try those out first. There’s no need to get all wrapped up in the expensive organizers if you can utlize something you already have on hand. You are creating a personalized space that functions for your family, so crates, labels, hangers, dividers, carts, etc. are all suitable options. I urge you to shop your own home before venturing out to the store. You may find that you don’t even need containers to create specific zones.
• Lastly, assemble your zones! If you remember from last week, you might not get it right on the first try! There may be a lot of trial and error and that’s perfectly ok! As we progress throughout the challenge we will definitely be re-evaluating our refreshed rooms!

Drop Zones

For those of you that have drop zones (raises hand!) take a look and notice what gets dropped where and why. Does mail get piled on the counter because you have no place to sort? Whether it’s a table in the entryway, a space in the kitchen or office, designate an area for organizing mail and invest in a mail sorter. Wall-mounted organizers are great to get mail off the counter. Categorize your sorter. Some categories include “bills”, “take action”, “to file”, etc. If you have a full household you may want to set up an inbox for each individual. Commit to a daily routine of managing your mail when you get it. Immediately discard junk mail, then open your mail and sort. Anything that has a deadline or due date should be marked on the outside of the envelope and placed in the sorter in order of due date. Routinely (at least weekly) go through your mail sorter to prevent it from piling up and to take care of action items in a timely manner. If you have other drop zones be sure to evaluate them thoroughly and implement a solution.

Lastly, anything in the “remove” pile should be redistributed to the correct rooms or area. Sell anything you wanted to sell. If you have items left over from last week’s “sell” pile that you ended up not selling, then it needs to go into the “discard” or “donate” pile. Dump the “discard” pile and take your donation pile to where you plan to donate them. You need to remove the pile from your home as soon as possible. Anything that you put into “storage” needs to be labeled with a date 1 month from now and stored. We will re-evaluate the need for the items in the box in 1 month.

Tips

1. If at any point you get overwhelmed and want to give up…walk away from the challenge and go do something fun and entertaining for awhile! If you have years of clutter then it might get overwhelming. That’s why each room is a week long! Just chip away at it a little bit at a time. It’s always good to step away and come back with fresh eyes and renewed energy!
2. Limited space is not an excuse for why you are not organized. If you think space is the issue, you have a clutter problem, not an organizing problem. You can always browse pinterest or instagram for small, space-saving organization ideas that you may not be able to envision for yourself. You always have more space than you realize!
3. Labeling containers is a great way to help family members identify the correct zones to put their items in, especially if the categories aren’t immediately apparent to them!

The Sweep

Now…you may be thinking that you are done with this week’s challenge. However, the goal of this challenge is to create functional spaces and establish better habits and routines. That means you need to evaluate the work you have already done and so far, that is the laundry room. It’s now time to go back to the laundry room and evaluate what you did last week. Does it still look as good as it did when you completed the room? Are there things out of place or items that don’t belong? Do the systems you have put in place seem to be working? Determine what is and isn’t working and make any changes you feel are necessary.

From here on out in addition to our weekly challenge we will also be implementing a daily sweep of each room we’ve “refreshed”. Before bed (or at the most convenient time for you) go to the laundry room with a basket. Look around the room and throw anything that does not belong in the room in your basket. Take care of anything that is out of place. Then take your basket and go through the house putting the items that don’t belong in the laundry room in their proper place. This should be a quick pickup and should not take long. Remember your family is there to help you as well.

The nightly “sweep” will also be a good time to continuously evaluate the effectiveness of your systems in real time as you may notice that you are returning the same items to their proper place night after night. You can then make minor adjustments to your system as you see fit and continue to evaluate changes each night as you go through the house.

I know this was a long post and this may all seem a little overwhelming, but the more you get into the habit of picking things up on a daily basis and become more aware of what you are bringing into you house, the easier it will become. On average it takes about 66 days to create a new habit. That’s a little over 9 weeks. This challenge is 18 weeks – so if you stay the course and push through you’ll have new routines and habits well before we tackle the hardest rooms in the house!

Next week we tackle the office, but I’d love to know how you make out with your drop zones and/or mudrooms and the implementation of a nightly sweep!