You leave the office and plan to head straight home, when you come across an eye-catching window display. You can’t help it, that pair of shoes just staring at you, smiling, telling you how they’ll fit like a glove…and so you give in.
Unless, of course, it’s the rest of the family that amasses multiple pairs of boots, shoes, and trainers of all kinds? Either way, you’re going to have an issue with space….the footwear will all pile up and drive you slowly mad.
How can you save space? How can you declutter the wardrobe and free up a corner for all the shoes that are gathering dust in a heap? Check out our tips and tricks!
Stage 1: sort each pair into groups
It is highly likely that you have shoes strewn all over the house: on a shoe rack, in stacked shoe boxes, under the bed, at the back of the wardrobe… It is therefore vital to gather up every piece of footwear and start to truly sort through them.
Until you have every single pair of shoes in front of you, it’s difficult to truly assess how bad the situation is. Start by making two piles: for shoes you wear at least once a week, and for out-of-season shoes or ones you don’t use at all now.
Stage 2: select the must-keep pairs
In this stage, you have to emotionally detach yourself from your shoes. Put yourself in the shoes (pardon the pun!) of a coach: your job is to select only the ‘dream team’ of shoes. You’ll probably choose some pairs for their style, and others for comfort…the idea is to chuck what you don’t need and keep only the footwear that will truly be of use. If you are particularly fond of a specific pair (where the emotional attachment is just too strong…), but you rarely wear them, put them to one side.
Related article: What shoe storage solutions can I use?
All the others – the ones you haven’t worn for the last 12 months – will go in the loft, bin, or to a charity that takes used shoes to give to people who really need them.
Stage 3: identify a storage space
This seems obvious, but now you’ll need to choose a suitable storage space or spaces to keep your shoes. This could be in the wardrobe, under the stairs, in the entrance way…note that it’s preferable to go for a space near the front door, so that you can quickly kick off your shoes and avoid dirty footprints throughout the house.
Plan for at least 2 storage areas: the first one for shoes used daily, and the second for out-of-season footwear or pairs you only wear on special occasions (weddings, job interviews, parties, etc).
Stage 4: design your storage space
Your storage accessories will need to be chosen according to the space(s) you’ve set aside for footwear. Here are all of the options we offer:
For the footwear you use on a daily basis
Hanging canvas shelves: our first choice is these 9-tier hanging shelves that can be hung up inside the wardrobe. Perfect to store a whole week’s worth of footwear.
Shoe rack: ideal for the entrance way, this can hold up to 12 pairs on 2 tiers.
For those shoes for special occasions
A protective case: this case protects your shoes from dust, and can be stored under the bed.
Storage boxes: transparent, these boxes are a great idea for your most special pairs. And you won’t have to open the boxes to find out what’s inside.