Conquering Shoe Clutter One Sole at a Time

When I walk into my house I am often greeted by a pile – or sea- of shoes. Amazingly, this doesn’t seem to bother the other three humans (or two cats) with whom I share my home. And not shoes lined up neatly but here a shoe, there a shoe, every where an over-turned shoe. Most of the time, they are separated from their mates, blocking the stairs and begging to be put away. Sound familiar? It would be nice to have a room dedicated to shoes ala Carrie Bradshaw in the first Sex in the City film. A girl can dream.

In the meantime, here are some real world solutions to cut down on shoe clutter:

Shoe Storage Racks

I ordered this inexpensive shoe rack from Lowe’s this fall and it has helped tremendously. For less than $22 it actually looks more expensive. I will say that I seem to be the one who uses it the most but the price is right and I love having it in the hall when neighbors come to visit.  (Yes we have an annoying “shoes-off” policy but we also have a crawling baby so make sure your socks aren’t smelly and deal with it.)

Individual Bins for Everyone

My neighbor places a bin for each family member near the door way for all personal items-shoes, mittens, hats, etc. She empties the bins periodically when they overflow.

Shoe Clutter Basket

One big shoe basket works as well (if you have a big family, make that a huge shoe basket). This is also handy when you are having company – you can just pick up one big basket and hide it in a closet. If you are a no-shoes-in-the-house family, you can also leave a basket of slippers by the door so family members can take off outdoor shoes and “slip” into something more comfy.

Keep Shoes Organized in Bedroom Closets

A key to controlling this downstairs clutter is to encourage all family members to move their shoes upstairs to their respective rooms. All of our bedroom closets have the over-the-closet-door shoe pocket organizers that work well and free up closet space too. I also use the pockets for scarves and belts.

Cut Down on Shoes 

How many times have you come across flip flops in your shoe area in the middle of winter? If you are vigilant about cleaning out your shoes by season, you could definitely combat your shoe clutter issue. You know there are several pairs of shoes that aren’t just wearable anymore. Toss or donate them for immediate shoe clutter relief. One or two pairs of shoes tops per family member per season for everyday wear should be ready to pop on and off by your home’s main exit.

Put the Little Ones to Work

Our middle child has just been assigned shoe organization as his everyday chore.  His chore is to make sure that the shoes are put away icily on the rack. As he is only 6 years old he views it as more of a game. The best part is when he lectures my husband about leaving his shoes in random corners of the house instead of “nice and neat” like mommy likes them. To my future daughter-in-law, I say thank you.