Organize your shoes

Apr 1, 2011 | Blog, Cleaning Tips, Closets, Organizing Tips

I get asked  how to organize shoes a lot. I mean, a lot. If your home lacks a good entrance way and you are forever tripping on shoes, I feel your pain.  I have also seen people with grand entrance ways with huge closets complete with shoe racks who still have shoes all over the floor. 

I think the most important thing you can do to contain the shoe clutter is take the time to put them away, every time. I still nag my husband a few times a week, but it takes just 10 seconds to pick them up and put them away. That 10 seconds makes all the difference to the function and appearance of your entrance way.

What if you don’t have a place to put them? There are a million shoe organizers out there for all price ranges.  We have a small coat closet in our entrance way and I used to have a shoe rack in there. The problem was that the coats got in the way, so the shoes never made it on the rack. Our shoe solution? A $3 hanging canvas shoe organizer hung from the rod.  It can hold a lot of shoes!! It is machine washable and it is super durable. We have had ours for four years and it still works to hold everyone’s “EVERYDAY” shoes. I rotate the shoes based on season and I keep my dress shoes in clear and labeled storage boxes on the top shelf (I’m a geek, I know).  We also have a shoe rack in our storage room downstairs for out of season family shoes.

What if you don’t have a closet? The days of neatly lining up your shoes by the door are over my friend. You can invest very little (under $100) and get some beautiful shoe storage pieces that will complement your home.

If you have space for a small bench, why not get a shoe storage bench! These are pretty and practical. They easily flip down to store your shoes or company’s shoes.

Not room for a bench? Even the smallest entrance ways..aka…your stairwell… have room for these super slim shoe holders. This ones are

from Ikea and are under $200.  Add a pretty bowl or basket on top for keys and you have an almost invisible yet functional way to hold over 25 pairs of shoes. Still too big? Ikea sells even smaller wall mounting shoe organizers that are about the size of a picture frame! Why not Mod Podge  beautiful family photo’s right on the front and no one would be the wiser!

If you want a solution for your shoes without breaking into your wallet,  why not use a book shelf! You probably have one in your home already that isn’t being used to it’s best ability! If not, you can find them on sites like www.kijiji.ca or local thrift store for $10 or less. Book shelves can hold a lot of shoes, simply line the bottom of each shelf with that drawer lining tic tac stuff, or any waterproof material and you have, it’s a great way to get the shoes off the floor!

For the super, duper space limited family..check out this cool DIY! Shoes are out of the way and up off the floor for easy cleaning!

Check out how they made this by clicking HERE!