Moroccan Rugs: What To Do With Muddy Wet Shoes In Your House If You Don’t Have A Mudroom

The mud can be totally maddening if your house isn’t set up for that designated drop zone. I feel like I sweep and mop every other day right now. When my Oregon friends would come visit in LA, their kids would take their shoes off immediately without being asked and I thought it was from good parenting, but now I realize that it’s an unbreakable habit due to the almost daily mud swamp that can be tracked inside by little monsters. These days my general MO in life is to look at all the things that stress us as a family and figure out systems to avoid them. So instead of focusing on the best cleaning products or booking a service, I want to create systems to not have them in the first place. So we need both an outdoor solution (a tray or rack) with a bench so we can take some off before coming in on the hyper muddy days, as well as an indoor solution when it’s not quite as wet. Now to be fair, from car to door is not cement, it’s mud. So I know that my situation might be worse than most (and it’s good to know for the farm so that I can be sure to create a clear hardscape path to the back door). Don’t get me started on these mud pups. Meanwhile, as I’m finishing up Robyn’s basement makeover which includes a mudroom through the garage, she ALSO was having boot tray woes so I figured we are not alone.

photo by sara ligorria-tramp | from: 8 steps to building a smart, organized pantry & mudroom

The Inverted Boot Rack

Now I’m not totally sure if an inverted rack is better or worse than a tray that you just set them on except maybe the soles dry out faster? Critters can’t get inside them if you leave them outside? I do think it looks cool though and is something I’m considering just for wellies outside our front or back doors (which are both covered). If we were here more long-term or if I gardened I’d consider a hanging one as this one is so lovely.

1. MyGift 6-Pair Natural Wood Inverted Boot Storage Rack | 2. 6-Pair Natural Boot Rack | 3. Oak Welly Rack

The Big Boot Tray

This is a no-brainer both inside and out, but I was surprised by how ugly so many of them are on the market. I have one at the mountain house via Hearth and Hand with Target that is GREAT (high-lipped, simple with cute handles) and would buy that again in a second, but they didn’t put it out this year. So here is what I’ve found with a few that I’m pulling the trigger on.

1. Marquetry Boot Tray | 2. Metal Boot Tray | 3. Natural & Recycled Rubber Boot Tray

1. Classic Galvanized Multi-Purpose Boot Tray | 2. Bamboo Rolling Plant Tray | 3. Galvanized Boot Tray

The Shoe Shelves I’m Eyeing

There are a million on the market but so few that I really love enough to see first them when I walk in or near the front door.

I have this one from West Elm and it’s super sturdy and looks really nice. It only holds a few pairs of shoes, but can be sat upon and I think would look nice outside next to the boot rack or boot tray.

The Sturdy Basket

I’m a massive fan of woven wood baskets, even though they are much more expensive than wicker. They are wide and low, making them easy to sort through and feel more modern and yet organic. Anytime I see one at an antique store I snag them because new can be super expensive. I just find them visually so appealing and more utilitarian. I’ve used these forever.

1. Aubrey Woven Oversized Rectangle Basket – Natural | 2. Chunky Round Woven Basket Natural | 3. Decorative Round Rattan Basket Gray

The Metal Basket

For full visibility and to be easy to maintain and clean, we have a couple of these inside our armoire full of shoes and I think they look really really nice, modern, and utilitarian (and I don’t mind hoarding these because they last a long time and can be used for laundry, cleaning supplies, etc).