Choose a hanging shoe caddy that has breathable fabric pockets for individual shoes. Avoid plastic pockets that don’t let your shoes “breathe. ”
For example, if you have an old wooden ladder, cut it if needed and lean it against the wall. Line up your shoes on the rungs of the ladder for easy storage. Search online for lots of creative DIY shoe rack ideas. You’ll find options ranging from PVC pipe sections to wooden pallets to pieces of wire fencing!
Here’s a cool idea if you often have wet or snowy shoes: make an absorbent shoe mat out of an old sheet pan filled with smooth pebbles. Rinse and dry the pebbles and pan every so often to keep them clean and fresh.
Don’t store your shoes in any kind of furniture that’s located in a basement, attic, garage, or another place that gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer. The shoe materials will break down more quickly under these conditions.
For extra protection, individually wrap the shoes in a layer of acid-free tissue paper before putting them in the box. While they seem like a good idea, avoid using clear plastic shoe storage boxes. They don’t allow for enough air circulation. If you want to be able to “see” your shoes in the box, take a picture of the shoes and tape it to the outside of the shoebox.
Don’t use newspaper—it’s not acid-free and the print might discolor your shoes.
Shoe trees are available at shoe stores or online. Use cedar instead of mothballs to keep bugs away. Mothballs are made with toxic chemicals that aren’t safe for kids or pets and that create an unpleasant scent that’s very difficult to get rid of.
If the tops of your long boots flop over, they could end up with a permanent crease after just a few months.
Clean leather and suede shoes by brushing off dirt and dust with a soft, non-scratchy brush. Use a special leather or suede cleaner to remove stains. Clean canvas shoes by brushing them off, then using soapy water to remove stains. Wash plastic shoes with soap and water.
For example, group together all your dress shoes, your winter boots and other winter shoes, your flip flops, sandals, and other summer shoes, and your exercise shoes and casual shoes. While sorting and arranging your shoes for storage, weed out shoes that you haven’t worn in a while and probably won’t wear again. Donate or sell them to declutter your collection and make storing your shoes that much easier.
Don’t store shoes that are wet. Wet shoes get stinky and may even start to rot. Set up a fan to blow air over the outside of your shoes if you want them to dry faster. To help dry out the inside, stuff in some acid-free tissue paper for about an hour to soak up the moisture. Don’t seal up your shoes in plastic. This is especially important for leather and suede, but all shoes need to breathe! Wrapping, bagging, or boxing your shoes in plastic could cause them to end up moldy and discolored. Don’t stack shoes on top of each other. It’s okay to save a bit of room by stacking your flip flops, but avoid stacking any shoes that have more structure to them. Otherwise, within a few months or even weeks, your shoes will look more worn out and less stylish!
