Monday, February 24, 2014

DIY Muddy Boot Tray

Last week our weather warmed up enough to melt all the ice that had plagued us earlier this month, so things have been quite messy around here. I'm happy that the dangerous ice is gone, but now there is a thick layer of mud to deal with. Which apparently can also be dangerous, as I've found myself sliding and nearly falling on my way down to the chicken coop several times!

Due to the muddy conditions, I knew it was time to bust out the muddy boot tray again.

Photobombing Gizmo strikes again.

Our boot tray is simply a tray filled with river rocks. That's it! I found the plastic tray at Target a while back (it's actually a food serving tray) and the rocks are repurposed from our wedding reception way back when. They were used in the centerpieces on each table and we loved them so much that we saved them after the reception to use again in the future.


By placing the rocks in the tray, the boots can drain and don't just sit in a wet muddy pile all day long. When the river rocks and tray start to get dirty, I just give everything a good scrub down. I put the rocks in a bucket, fill it up with water, and swish the rocks around a few times to remove the caked on dirt. Hose the tray out then place the clean river rocks back in and it's good to go. Easy peasy!


Our tray is located in the entryway right inside the back door, so we can take our dirty boots off right away and not track the mess throughout the house. Even though I do sweep the floors daily, this cuts down on the frequency of mopping. And that is one of my least favorite chores, so I count this simple muddy boot tray as a big win!

~Tammy

48 comments:

  1. Great idea. I'll remember this for the future. If Gizmo puts his front legs together I think his markings are in the shape of a heart. So, he wears his heart on his sleeve. :)

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  2. Gizmo completely stole the thunder from the boot tray....lol. Both are very cute!

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  3. That is a brilliant idea and I am totally making one for my house so the kids have a place to put their wet, muddy boots!!

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  4. What a great idea! Love the posing cat too.

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  5. This is a neat idea and I like the rocks match your tile flooring.

    Down on a farm of one of my ole bosses, they dug a 10ft long by 5ft wide and about 1 foot deep trench next to the walkway and filled it with small pebbles that some people put in gardens and such. When they come in from the field they walk through the trench and their feet sink down into the pebbles, the friction removed the mud and dirt. At first when you are walking up the sidewalk to the house you think that maybe this is a garden area where they will be putting pots and yard art. If one is new their place, they had you guess at what that is, guessing it correctly came with rewards. I lost…

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  6. What a fantastic idea ~ there will be one in our back hall this week :))
    Thanks for the tip !

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  7. I've always wanted to make one of these!
    We've got a ways to go before we get down to any dirt of mud (the snow is about hip deep now, and hard packed on all cleared surfaces) but when all that snow MELTS... it's a muddy world we'll be living in! Anything to help bring less of it into the house is wonderful. :)

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  8. Cool idea! I love the fact that you repurposed the river rocks from your wedding. Unfortunately, we had to move our boots out of the mudroom because our bunny chews on them. So they are awkwardly placed in the kitchen for now.

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  9. Tammy this is brilliant! We live in a dust bowl these days but we do get hard frost often which turns to mud as the day temps rise. I clean our floors daily too and have a basket that we put our shoes in but our boots simply sit out. I am so excited to try this! Thanks for such a great idea, yay!

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  10. Such an adorable idea. now i just need to get rain boots for my dogs- who need to not track in the wet muddy rain. :)

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  11. Seriously a fantastic idea! This one is pinterest worthy. There are only two of us at our house and always too many shoes by the door

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  12. I have pinned this idea before and didn't realize it was so easy. Yours came out fantastic! Definetely on my "to do" list! Thank you for sharing my friend. Love the colors!!!

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  13. I love river rocks and what a wonderful way to use them!!

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  14. Do we ever need one of these! It's a mud pit after all the melting snow!

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  15. Great idea Tammy .. and a necessity in my opinion! Here in Seattle it's muddy through much of the year and everyone removes shoes when entering the house. Our pup Layla has been trained to wait for a good paw drying too! We all have boot trays. I like the idea of adding the rock! (Your are so organized!) xxleslie

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  16. Great way to repurpose your river rocks! Anything that keeps the house clean saves you so much time down the road!

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  17. I made a tray like that for my boots but the boot tray I bought is too big for the space. I'll have to look in the kitchen department at Walmart. :0)

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  18. We have a massive boot tray, but I guess I should call it the manure tray! lol I like yours much better than mine!

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  19. I love this idea, Tammy! I also love that you have re-purposed your rocks from your wedding! Your entry-way is very nice - I really like your tiles and that little school desk/chair is wonderful. Of course, your kitty steals the show - so sweet! xo Karen

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  20. Visiting with you via TexWis. I love this idea and your kitty is precious. Georgia has had so much rain and our yard is very muddy. Hubby slipped and fell last week on the mud. I will have to make one of these trays for his work shoes! Thanks. Mildred

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  21. I really need to do this. We have puddles that the kids keep stepping in. I (foolishly) left our boot trays at the other house. I think we need a trip to the ocean to collect-stat! :)

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  22. Oh, I would not be brave enough to photograph my boot tray! No pretty rocks, no sweet kitty. Three pairs of boots in a tray for two with straw, chicken poop and sand spilling out. Yours is much, much nicer!

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  23. Great idea, and such a cute kitty cat.

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  24. You are so clever! That is the neatest idea ever and looks really pretty too!!!

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  25. That is a WONDERFUL idea! And it even looks pretty!

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  26. What a brilliant idea, Great looking to. I will be making something similar for our house as well. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  27. What a smart way to keep things clean at the back door!!
    Easy on and off!!
    Gizmo - love those eyes!! Waiting for Momma!!

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  28. You are so clever! Mopping is my least favorite chore as well, so I really need to implement this!

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  29. Great idea. My husband built us a mud boot rack. Kind of hard to explain, I will have to blog it sometime. It really helps on tracking in dirt.
    I like your idea.

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  30. That is a good use of the tray and the rocks! And it looks nice.

    I like your photo bomber. He's my favorite blogger kitty. :)

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  31. Ohh, I love this idea! How pretty :)
    xo TJ

    http://www.hislittlelady.com

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  32. Super cool idea Tammy...and LOVE the new look of your blog. I need a face lift. Eblogger bores me and there are so many technical errors and I pin all the things i want to. And cute bomber!!

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  33. Gizmo is a cutie! And what a great idea for your muddy boots. Enjoy your week ahead!

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  34. Very smart idea. I hat it when snow and salts get tracked into the house.

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  35. We never have snow here in my tropical country. But as the seasons are only dry and wet season which means mud and water, sure this is a good thing to try. Thanks for the inspiration. :-)

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  36. Awesome creation Tammy -- sure would help to keep the mud off of my floors. :)

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  37. I love this and it looks great too! Maybe when my toddler isn't so much a toddler, I'll incorporate this into our home (I immensely dislike the muddy water that pools in our entrance).

    Thanks for sharing.
    xoxo

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  38. I sooooooooooooooooo love this. Its is very simple to make. Our muddy boots just go on the floor which gets real messy.

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  39. Gizmo is sooooooooo cute! And that is a very stylish way of storing muddy boots. Great idea! :) Tammy

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