HOW TO STORE YOUR SHOES

Storing your shoes properly will keep them looking great while lasting for as many seasons as possible. Shoes need to be protected from dust, water, and sun so they don’t fade or bend while they’re in storage. Make sure you don’t throw them in a pile, since this can cause them to get misshapen. Store your shoes in their original boxes or in containers that will keep them looking new.

Before storing your shoes, do the following:

1.Clean the shoes: Storing shoes that have dirt or dust on them could cause the quality of material the shoes are made from to reduce over time. This is especially true for shoes made of leather or suede, but all shoes benefit from being cleaned up before storing. Even if you’re just storing your shoes for the night and you’re planning on wearing them again the next day, it’s a good idea to clean them and let them dry immediately after wearing before keeping them aside for the next day. Let them dry before storing. Here is how to clean them:

Clean leather and suede shoes by brushing off dirt and dust with a soft brush. Use a special leather or suede cleaner to remove stains.

Clean canvas shoes by brushing them off, then use soapy water to clean stains.

Wash rubber shoes with soap and water. You can do this by dipping the shoes in a bucket of soapy water knowing that the water will not destroy your rubber shoes

2. Sort them by season and purpose. If you’ve previously been throwing all your boots/ heels in one big pile, picking out pairs as you need them, it’s time to sort your shoes. Sorting them by season and purpose will help your closet stay organized and keep your shoes in better condition than if you just toss them all together.

Group your heels and other dress shoes together.

Plan to store your rubber shoes and other shoes for the rainy season in the same place.

Group flip flops, sandals and other shoes worn during dry season together.

Group your exercise shoes and casual shoes together.

3. Find a suitable temperature. Shoes remain in their best condition when they’re not exposed to lots of sunlight, hot or cold temperatures. The best place to store shoes is in a cool, dark closet that doesn’t get excessively warm and stuffy. If you don’t have enough room in your closet, you could store them under your bed but make sure under your bed is clean and free from dust or you can store them in a shoe bag hung on your bedroom wall.

Don’t store shoes in places that might get cold during rainy season and hot in dry season. The fibres the shoes are made of could damage over time under these conditions.

4. Stuff them with acid-free paper. If you’re going to be storing shoes for a month or longer before you next wear them, stuffing shoes with paper helps them retain their shape. Just make sure it’s acid-free paper, since paper that contains acid can damage shoe materials. Avoid using papers that could discolour your shoes.

Cut up toilet paper rolls also work well.

Use shoe trees for your best shoes. If you have a pair of nice leather shoes, store them with shoe trees so they stay in a good condition. Shoe trees made out of cedar keep shoes smelling fresh, and they also reject moths and other bugs.

5. Store Boots Upright. If you have a nice pair of boots you want to store, use boot stands to keep them upright. If the top falls over, they could end up with permanent lines after a few months of storage. If you don’t want to invest in boot stands, try this trick, use empty dry wine bottles to keep your boots upright.  

6. Find a Convenient Storage Solution

Have a specific mat for everyday shoes. If you and your family have certain pairs of shoes you wear almost every day, a convenient way to keep them in one spot is to have a specific mat for everyday shoes. Keep it near the door and have family members kick off their shoes and line them up neatly so they’ll always know where to find them.

You could also get a shoe corner/space for this purpose. Reserve it for the shoes that are worn most often, like school shoes and exercise shoes.

Have a separate spot reserved for wet shoes that need to dry out. This could be a mat in your entryway.

7. Use a shoe rack. If you have a big collection of shoes, you’ll need a second storage area for the shoes you don’t wear very often. Shoe racks make it easy to organize shoes in a closet. Choose a plastic or wooden shoe rack and group shoes by purpose, lining them up neatly and putting them away after each use. If you have an old wooden ladder, consider using it to make a unique shoe rack. Just paint the ladder to match your room, and then place it sideways against a wall. Line up your shoes on the rungs of the ladder for easy storage.

8. Store shoes in shoe bags. If you’re low on storage space, pick up a shoe bag and start using it to store your shoe in pairs. This keeps them off the floor and organized so they don’t clutter up your closet floor.

9. Put them in boxes for longer storage. If you’re storing shoes that you don’t plan on wearing for a month or more, it’s best to store them in a box. You can store shoes in their original shoe boxes or use transparent plastic containers so you’ll be able to see what shoes you’ve stored.

Old wine boxes are good substitutes for shoe boxes if you can’t locate a pair of original box.

Wrap the shoes in acid-free tissue paper to keep them safe during storage.

Part 3

Knowing What Not to Do

10. Avoid storing wet shoes. Don’t put shoes in their storage containers until they’re completely dry. Wet shoes can get mouldy in storage, plus storing them wet will make them smell bad. Place shoes in a dry, ventilated area to let them dry out completely before you store them.

11. Don’t heap shoes on one another. Many people store shoes one on top of the other to make more room, but storing your shoes this way can cause them to lose their shape over time. It’s fine to stack flip flops this way, but for any other shoe, store them side by side instead. Even if you stack them so that one shoe is upside-down, storing them this way for several months will cause them to start getting misshapen.