Generally, mud rooms are not the primary entrances of homes, since they tend to be informal in nature. A side or backyard door usually leads into the mud room, and family members may be encouraged to use it while guests are welcomed through the front door. Often, the washer and dryer are also tucked into the mud room, for the sake of convenience. A mud room which doubles as a laundry room is handy, since wet baskets of clothing do not need to be carried through the house to outdoor clotheslines, and soiled or wet clothing can be immediately dumped into a washer without being tracked through the house.