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How to Properly Organize Shoes

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Footwear is something that’s bound to be part of any wardrobe. For some people, finding a place to store shoes isn’t a problem because they only own a few pair. Others seem to have footwear for all sorts of occasions. If you’re in the latter category, developing a system for storing and organizing the shoes is a must. So how do you store your shoes yourself? Here are some tips that will help.

Tossing Footwear on the Closet Floor Isn’t Organization

Most people go through periods when shoes are tossed on the floor of a closet. Some may be slightly more organized and pile them on top of one another while they rest on a shelf. While a quick solution, these approaches don’t really call for any type of organization. They certainly don’t make it easy to find what you want when you want it.

It is possible to use the floor of the closet to store your shoes, but not in the manner described above. A better choice is to keep each pair in a separate container. Feel free to use the boxes that the shoes came in originally, or you can opt for plastic boxes that are easy to stack.

On this note, some people may object to storing shoes in boxes. Is it best to store shoes in their boxes? The answer is yes. Boxes with lids help prevent dust and other residue from settling on the shoes. That helps the materials to last longer while also reducing the cross contamination that can occur from one pair of shoes to the next. Wrap each pair in acid paper if you like, since that will also help preserve the shoes.

Transparent Containers for Each Pair Works

You’ve decided that the original manufacturer boxes won’t do, but you do like the idea of storing the shoes in boxes. One of the most practical shoe storage solutions is to invest in transparent shoe containers that can be stacked on the floor or on a shelf. Along with making it easy to store more pairs in less space and protecting the shoes at the same time, those containers also provide one more valuable benefit.

With the shoes in transparent containers, you can see what’s in each one at a glance. There’s no need to keep opening boxes until you find the pair that you want to wear. A quick scan of the boxed collection allows you to spot the right pair and remove the shoes without any difficulty. Think of what those extra seconds can mean when you’re running late and need to leave the house as quickly as possible.

Arrange the Shoes by Categories

Transparent containers are great, but that doesn’t mean your organizing is complete. Assuming you want to keep the shoes in the closet, consider arranging the footwear into categories. You get to settle on the categories based on your lifestyle and the type of footwear that you own.

For example, you may choose to organize by season. That would mean everything you own that’s appropriate for winter is grouped together. The same goes for your spring, summer, and autumn footwear. This works especially well for people who work from home or are retired, since they may be less likely to leave the house each day.

Another approach is to organize the storage boxes based on occasions. You could group all of your work footwear together, shoes for exercising and casual in another, and have a third one that is for footwear you will use when a formal occasion rolls around.

Keep in mind there is no one way to determine the categories for your footwear. The best one will make sense to you even if it doesn’t seem logical to someone else. Remember the point of organization is to ensure you know what’s on hand at any given time and can get to the right pair without any hassle.

Then Arrange the Categories in the Most Practical Order

You have your footwear sorted into categories. Now you need to figure out how to best arrange those categories in your storage space. There’s more than one idea you will want to consider.

One approach is to organize the categories based on what you will use most often. Maybe you work five days a week; that would make your office footwear the priority and the first one that you come to in the closet. Next would likely be the casual footwear that you don once the work day is over.

If you went with seasonal categories for your shoes, make sure the current season’s inventory is what you come to in the closet first. That eliminates having to shuffle through the autumn stuff when you need to get to a pair of summer footwear.

As with the choice of categories, arranging them in your storage space doesn’t have to make sense to anyone but you. Whatever sequence helps you keep more control over your shoe collection and find what you want with ease, then that’s an arrangement worth considering.

The Closet is Not the Only Storage Site

Much of the focus of storing shoes focuses on using the bedroom closet. While common, that doesn’t have to be the only or even the best solution. There are other spots to consider. Where to store shoes in house? Here are some ideas to think about.

One solution is a shoe storage bench. While there are different designs, one of the most popular has seating on the top and storage underneath. It may be in the form of drawers that you can pull outward with ease. Assuming there’s space, place the bench at the foot of the bed and arrange your clear shoe boxes in each drawer. Along with great storage, you have a place to sit while you slip on your chose.

Another approach is to go with a shoe storage cabinet. Just like a wardrobe, the cabinetry makes it possible to make better use of vertical space for storing things – in this case your shoes. Open the cabinet and you’ll see shelves that are ideal for holding the clear shoe boxes. Float the cabinet along a wall or situate it in an empty corner. This is a great way to add more storage space and still keep things organized.

Remember that the closet in your bedroom is not the only closet in the house. The other ones can also provide the space for closet shoe storage that you crave. There’s no reason why a hall closet can’t be used exclusively as a shoe closet. You can also allocate some space in a closet near the front or back door as the entryway shoe storage of choice. As long as you find it convenient and there’s enough room to organize things to your liking, the closet will do.

Get Creative If You Have Less Storage Space

How do you store shoes without space? That’s a question people ask when they live in older homes with limited closets or lease studio or other types of apartments that may have no more than one or two closets. Fortunately, there’s more than one way to get around this issue and still keep things organized.

One approach is to create your own DIY shoe storage solution. A small platform with a low lip mounted on rollers could be your solution. In this scenario, you construct the platform so it will slide with ease under the bed. Arrange your clear shoe boxes on the platform; the lip will help keep them in place. When you need a pair of shoes, roll the platform outward, select your shoes, place the empty box back in the right spot, and slide the platform back under the bed.

Vertical space can also be your friend. A narrow set of shelves on one of the back walls of your space will do. To hide it, hinge a piece of artwork to act as a door. This type of wall shoe storage allows you to arrange the boxes on the shelves, then hide them behind the artwork. Unless someone snoops around a bit, they aren’t likely to notice that the wall art seems a little thick.

Consider a Door Organizer for Casual Footwear

One of the simplest shoe storage ideas for small spaces is to use a closet door organizer with pockets for your pairs of shoes. In fact, you could use this on the back side of the bedroom door. Start with the pairs you wear most often at the top and work down to the pair you rarely wear. Remember you can always rearrange them as your needs change.

The door organizer provides the same basic function as the shoe storage bench Canada, although this is one you will likely want to hide from view most of the time.

Remember to Cycle Out Older Pairs Even If You Never Wear Them

How long can shoes be stored? Even with boxes, shoes will deteriorate. That’s true even if you only wear them once in a great while. On average, expect to cycle out older pairs of shoes once then pass the one-decade mark. By then, some of the materials will be brittle and starting to break down. Get rid of them and invest in something new.

And Do Air Out The Shoes From Time to Time

Shoe box storage is great, but don’t forget to air out your shoes. This is especially true for the ones you wear often. You may want to leave a pair out over night after wearing them most of the day, then put them in the right box in the morning. Airing out does help prolong the life of the shoes, minimizes contamination, and also helps them smell better. That also means you’re less likely to be hit by an unpleasant odour when you open any of the shoe storage containers.

Take a Fresh Look at Your Collection as Your Lifestyle Changes

As your life enters a new phase, do consider how that impacts your shoe collection. After retiring, you’re less likely to need as many dressy pairs of shoes. It may be time to ramp up the collection of more casual options. Feel free to cull and replace what’s in your shoe storage containers so the contents are in keeping with your current needs. Along with eliminating clutter, you’re always prepared for the most likely activities that occupy your time now.

Remember that there are all sorts of shoe storage ideas out there. The trick is to identify the approaches that work best in your space and with the type of footwear that you prefer to keep on hand. Take a critical look at what you have today, check out the various storage locations around your home, and then come up with a plan. Once the organization is completed, knowing where to find the pair that you need right this minute will no longer be an issue.