Whether you have five pairs of shoes or 50, you need to keep them visible. If you don’t, the next time you go shopping, you could end up with the same pair of shoes you already own – but they are buried in the back of your closet. Shoe organizers play a couple of important roles. First, they keep your shoes visible.
When you put on a pair of black slacks, you look at your organized shoes to see which of your shoes will be a good match Organizers also keep your shoes from getting dusty. No matter how good a housekeeper you are, your shoes will collect dust – especially your winter shoes in the summer month and vice versa. Other shoe organizers will encase your footwear, keeping them from catching dust. These storage systems include plastic boxes, cubbies and vinyl pouches. Others will just keep your shoes tucked away, so less dust falls on them.
Choices
Before you select your shoe organizer, you need to decide how you want to store your shoes. There are a few choices to consider. First, you could store them by color. All brown shoes go on one rack and all black shoes on another. All light colored shoes go together – and maybe all funky colored shoes go on another rack. Another option is to store your shoes by the season in which you wear them. On one rack, you could store you winter shoes – your half boots, mucks and Uggs. On another rack, you could store your spring shoes, heels and pumps. Set aside your summer sandals and flips flops on yet another rack. And for those shoes you wear all year long – little black pumps and the like – you may find the need for a fourth rack. Another organization alternative is to store your shoes by their function. Shoes you wear to work go on one rack, casual shoes on another. Set aside another rack for your running shoes and training shoes. And don’t forget a rack for your sandals, flip flops, sneakers and truly casual shoes.
Storage Systems
One way to decide on the best storage system is to decide where you will be keeping your shoes. Believe it or not, not all shoes should be stored in your bedroom closet. For example, if you have kids who play in the mud and dirt outside – and then run into the house – you will need a set of mud room bins. Have the kids take off their shoes at the door and then store them in the mud room bins before they get out of the entry way. These bins are angled cubbies made of particle board. There are three bins in each set, giving you a total of nine cubbies to store boots, sneakers, cleats and even gloves and hats in the winter. Set it by your back door and your children can drop their footwear off as they enter the house. Each bin is 25½ inches long by 11½ wide by 9½ inches deep. When it turns warmer in the year, use the bins for flip flops, sandals and cleats in the spring and summer.
If you are frustrated with sports equipment taking up space near your front entryway, consider a storage system set up in the garage that encourages your family to keep the mess outside of the house. You can decide how many PVC square cubes you need to organize all of your sports equipment. Each cube, which interlocks with the other cubes, is 18 inches by 18 inches by 18 inches. Set up a system in your garage or in the mud room, and you will never need to see another cleat, spike or running shoe inside your home.
Closet Systems
If you are looking for a storage system for the bedroom, you have many choices. Over-the-door racks can store up to 36 pairs of shoes. They hook over the door or can be permanently anchored on the wall. The rack has polymer sides and steel rods. Either hook the shoes over the steel rods, or use the racks to store shoe boxes (which will certainly keep the dust off of your shoes). If you are short on space, consider a space-saving rolling shoe organizers. This attractive vertical tower holds up to 28 pairs of shoes. A blonde wooden frame holds the polyester unit. And in case you’re not putting this system in your closet, there is a flap you can pull down to cover the front of the unit, hiding the fact that is a shoe rack. Best of all, the rack is set on wheels, so you can move your collection from room to room. The organizer is 52½ inches tall by 13¾ inches deep and wide. The bottom line is there are plenty of ways to organize your shoes. So pick one out today and get that pile of shoes off the floor and out of sight.
