House Grail is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.

How to Store Shoes (13 Easy & Helpful Tips)

shoes cabinet

Many of us amass an extensive collection of shoes, from flip-flops to high-legged boots and high heels. Rarely do we need access to every pair, and whether you’re looking to put away your summer shoes for the cold winter months or you have so many shoes that you can’t reasonably store them all in your wardrobe, there are ways you can store them over a longer period.

Below are 13 great tips on how to store shoes without having to throw half of them away and without taking up all of your wardrobes or floor space.

light bulb divider

The 13 Easy Tips to Help You Store Shoes

1. Have A Sort Out

Every clothes storing journey should start with a clear plan. Sort through all of your shoes. Get them from the different rooms of the house and include your summer and winter shoes, low and high shoes, and even your flip-flops and kicks. Be realistic and honest. If there are any that you will never wear again, consider selling them, donating them, or throwing them in the trash.

Portrait happy brunette woman hold black stylish pair of shoes on heels tidying wardrobe closet at home
Image By: Kostikova Natalia, Shutterstock

2. Clean Shoes Before Storing

Make sure all the shoes are clean before storing them. If they have mud on the soles or in the material, it will harden and can start to smell. It’ll be much harder to clean the shoes once they come out of storage.


3. Don’t Dump Them in a Pile

Avoid storing shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe or in a pile on the floor. Not only does it take up a lot of room unnecessarily, but it means that the shoes get folded, creased, and they will get damaged. Even if they’re shoes you wear frequently, look for better ways to store them.


4. Categorize and Prioritize

Gather your shoe collection and then group them according to how often you wear them. You will need to easily get hold of your everyday shoes, while those that you only wear to weddings or special occasions won’t need to be as easily accessible.

Summer shoes can be stored during winter, and your holiday shoes can go away until you’re packing for a vacation. Beyond this, you can categorize them according to whether they’re dress shoes, work shoes, casual shoes, sporting shoes, or activity shoes. Keeping shoes together in this way will make it easier to locate a pair when you need them.

a heap of old used shoes
Image By: Jakob Owens, Unsplash

5. Use A Bookcase

You can get creative with storage solutions if you have a vast collection of shoes and don’t have a dedicated shoe wardrobe or even a shoe room. A bookshelf or bookcase can make a good storage area for shoes, especially if it is one where the shelves can be moved and dividers placed in. Bookcases are more readily available than shoe closets, and because the shelves and dividers can be moved, you can customize the layout according to your shoe collection.


6. Use Clear Boxes with Lids

Once your shoes are in storage, you will still need to be able to access the shoes from time to time. Clear plastic boxes enable you to easily see inside to find exactly the pair you’re looking for.


7. Boxes with Picture Labels

Whether you’re using shoe bins or some other opaque storage boxes, being able to see what is inside each box will make it easier when searching. Attach a picture of the contents to the box’s exterior so that it’s easily visible, and you won’t have to pull out every box and open it to determine the contents.

Old wooden attic interior with old cardboard boxes for storage or moving
Image Credit: A-photographyy, Shutterstock

8. Store Lightweight Shoes in Door Hangers

Door hangers are convenient and inexpensive. They hang over the back of a door and have slots or pockets to hold pairs of shoes. As long as you have some clearance behind the door when it is open, they can work well to provide storage for a dozen pairs of shoes or more. However, these hangers won’t store hard shoes well because they will rip the pockets, or you will have to fold boots to fit them in the pocket.


9. Use Shoe Baskets for Sneakers

Shoe baskets are another good storage option and can slide into draw spaces and other areas. They are especially useful for sneakers because you can put several pairs in a single basket and out of the way.


10. Stackable Shoe Bins or Racks

If the plastic boxes are stackable, even better. Alternatively, you can buy stackable shoe bins or racks. You can put a single pair of shoes in one bin if they need space and need to be kept in shape, or you can put two pairs of similar shoes in the same bin.

Collection of stylish shoes on rack storage near white brick wall
Image Credit: New Africa, Shutterstock

11. Keep Boots Upright

When storing boots, you want to ensure that they keep their shape. Throwing them in a pile or leaving them at the bottom of the wardrobe means that they will lose their shape and may become damaged. While you can buy dedicated inserts that fit inside a boot, you can alternatively use rolled-up newspapers or magazines for the same purpose.


12. Keep Shoe Shape

When you buy a new pair of shoes, they often come with balled-up paper inside. This is done to keep the shoe’s shape, and you can use the same technique to maintain the condition of your shoes when storing them. Use tissue paper, ball it up tightly, and place it down into the shoe, so it sits firmly.


13. Under-Bed Drawers

Finding the right place to store your footwear can be challenging, even with the right storage box. If your bed has space underneath, buy rolling drawers, fit dividers, and put your shoes there. You won’t forget where they are and because you can slide the drawer out completely, you can see your entire collection and easily find the shoes you’re looking for.

ladies shoes storage
Image Credit: moerschy, Pixabay

light bulb divider

Conclusion

If you’ve gathered an extensive collection of shoes, it’s unlikely you regularly wear them all, which means that they will be taking up valuable wardrobe space or, worse still, cluttering the floor. Several solutions can help you conveniently and easily store your shoes. Whether you’re looking for a way to store seasonal shoes out of season, or you want some way to protect your best wedding shoes until you need them again, our 13 tips will help you store footwear easily and reliably.

 

Featured Image Credit: iced.espresso, Shutterstock

Contents

Related posts

OUR categories

Project ideas

Hand & power tools

woodworking

Garden

Automotive