If shoes are taking over your living room, entry way or closet, you need some new shoe organization ideas! Whether you have several pairs of shoes for just one family member, or several family members with several pairs of shoes these organizational ideas will fit the bill!
Shoe Organization Ideas: A Place for Everything and Everything in Its Place
The key to organizing shoes is simple. Every shoe pair and type needs to have its own small corner of the house. You want to keep shoes off the floor and keep pairs and types together. For example, it does you no good to have a shoe basket with boots, high heels, and flip-flops all together. You should also think about storing your shoes by seasons. You're not going to wear your winter boots in July so find a good place to store them in the off season!
Organizing Shoes in the Closet
The best way to organize shoes in the closet is to provide a spot for each individual pair. Getting shoes off the floor helps make easy work of keeping pairs together. Choose shoe organizers based on the space you have and of course the number of pairs that you have:
- A vertical shoe organizer helps organize many shoes. Organize them by color so you can easily match shoes to your wardrobe.
- A horizontal shoe organizer that sits on the closet floor is great for kids and for those who don't have a ton of shoes to organize.
- Something over the door saves space in the closet and keeps your shoes from cluttering the floor.
An organized closet is the first step to organizing your wardrobe.
Organizing Shoes in the Entry Way or Mud Room
When you come home, and you want to take your shoes off before attracting dirt all over the house, where do those shoes go? If you tend to kick them off into an unruly pile it is time to change your habits. There are better ways to organize your shoes in the entry way.
- A boot mat is a great place to keep shoes, especially in the wintertime when every time you step in the door you're tracking in dirt, mud and water.
- Shoe benches come in a wide variety of styles but have two distinct advantages. First, they keep the entry way looking tidy, but secondly, they provide a place for you to sit down while you put your shoes on or take them off.
Store shoes in the entry way that you use daily. This can include slippers if you take your shoes off in the house.
Seasonal Swapping
So where do you store all of your out of season shoes? The only correct answer is in clear storage bins or their original shoe boxes that are labeled or have the pictures on them. Why? Whether you put these in an out of the way spot on your closet, or if you put them in your garage or basement, storing shoes so that you can clearly identify them later will help you in your organizational efforts!
Special Organizational Challenges
Now that you've read about the basics of shoe storage, it's time to look at shoe organization ideas that involve trickier situations. What do you do with special footwear like ice skates or ballet slippers? What about things like work boots that don't fit anywhere or are too dirty to bring inside? Or tiny children's shoes.
Sports Footwear
If you have children, you undoubtedly have specialized footwear. You might have oodles of tap shoes, or ballet slippers from sizes 3 to 7 along with cleats, hockey skates and more. These are much trickier to store and keep track of. Here are just a few ideas:
- Dance shoes: Dance shoes can be kept in the child's dance bag along with other dance necessities. The dance bag can go over a door in the child's room or in a closet. Keeping dance shoes in a bag ensures that you'll never forget them.
- Cleats or other outdoor athletic sneakers: Store cleats on a pegboard with hooks on it in the garage or in a milk crate that holds other equipment from that sport.
- Skates: Store skates on a hook along the wall in a closet or in the garage.
Children's Shoes
Children's shoes are small and easily lost. Try these foolproof methods to prevent losing them!
- Place a decorative basket or canvas bag in your entry way with your shoe bench. Babies shoes can be stored in there.
- Sorting shoes is a great activity for young minds. Have your child put away his/her shoes in a designated spot and if the pairs get mixed up play a matching game.
Really Dirty Shoes
What to do with shoes that you don't want in the house? Keep them outside on the patio or garage! Keep a pair of hard soled slippers or Crocs by the door so that you can change easily when coming inside or going outside.
Principles of Shoe Organization
Once you have your shoes organized use these tips to keep them that way.
- Every shoe pair needs its own home.
- Shoes that you use frequently should be closest to the door.
- Keep off season shoes in clear storage.
- Use organizing tools to provide a home for each shoe pair.
- Keep special shoes on hooks. If they are really dirty keep them outside.
Having your shoes organized can keep your busy mornings calm. No more racing through the house looking for that missing red pump or wearing brown heels with a navy suit because you couldn't find the shoes you wanted. Organizing will become a habit over time if you stick with it.
