Shoe Racks Blog

Shapers Keep Your Boots from Sagging!

Men and women alike can benefit from this Cool Shoe Tool of the week!  Most people have a pair of boots for some occasion.  Cowboy boots, work boots, and dressy boots can be found in almost every shoe rack around! 

If you like to wear medium or tall boots, you have probably experienced the sagging around the ankles that happens not when you are wearing them, but when they are sitting around in the closet.  Unlike other shoes that deteriorate when you are wearing them, boots actually deteriorate also when you are NOT wearing them.  Boots tend to be on the pricier end of the shoe cost spectrum, women’s designer heels aside. 

So, to get the most life out of your boots, invest in a pair of boot shapers for each of your set of boots.  Boot shapers are very inexpensive and are well worth the investment, as they will greatly extend the life of your favorite boots.  Without boot shapers, you have probably noticed the following problems that your boots will go through during their lifespan:

1. Sagging – The boots usually bend over at the ankle, causing uncomfortable creases.  With heavier materials, these creases can even sometimes hurt your legs – ouch! 
2. Wrinkling – Especially with leather boots, it is not uncommon to have a lot of wrinkling in the leather that cannot be repaired – once these wrinkles show up, they are not going anywhere. 

So, the solution to these problems is very simple – just slide a boot shaper into each boot.  These shapers are made of plastic and are universal in size.  They provide the structure that your boots need to  stay upright when you are not wearing them.  They couldn’t be easier to use!  You and your boots will thank you for investing in this cool shoe tool of the week!

Donate Your Old Shoes to Bring a Smile to Someone’s Face this Year – A new, fresh idea for Holiday Giving!

Get in the true holiday spirit by donating your shoes to those in need this Christmas.  It’s that time of year again when we are reminded of what the holidays are supposed to be about.  We all know that times are tough, and we may even see them get tougher.  Not just here, but around the globe, the impact of our economic troubles are going to be felt hard by everyone, especially in developing countries.  Those in need are going to need even more. 

So, in addition to your usual charitable contributions this year, you may want to consider digging through your shoe rack to see if you have any shoes that you can donate this year to help someone else out.  You may think they are old and useless, but it is guaranteed that someone around the world will appreciate them very much.  

Here are some shoe donating companies and non profits that I found.  (You can always check with the Better Business Bureau to make sure your charity is legit, but, since you are donating shoes, obviously it’s not as much of a concern as sending off a check to someone.)

A match donation:  One for One

http://www.tomsshoes.com/ourcause.aspx  I like this one because if you buy a new pair of shoes from them, they will, in turn, donate a new pair to Argentina or South Africa.

Donate your usable shoes to them and they will send them oversees to someone in need:

http://www.solesunited.org/ 

http://donateyouroldshoes.org/

http://www.shoebank.org/  - an almost 20 year old operation, but drop-off locations limited to the Texas Area

Find the nearest Goodwill or Salvation Army, they are all experiencing a drop in donations due to the economy. 

http://locator.goodwill.org/

http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf 

From O-T-D Shoe Rack to Toy Storage Rack

You are now looking at my absolute favorite shoe rack ever.  These over the door shoe racks are easy to find and can be used for pretty much everything.  I have two of them in my house right now, and have had them for years.  The first one I use in downstairs in the coat closet for shoes. 

The second one pays its way as the best toy organizer I have ever found.  It hangs on the back of the kids’ door!  Here is how to get the most out of your organizer:

As an Over the Door Toy Organizer:

In the kids room, an over the door shoe rack is great for toys.  Kids need a toy storage solution that is simple enough for them to use.  This organizer is almost as easy as throwing their toys into a bin, but since they are hidden behind the door you don’t have to worry about looking at them spilling out of a basket.  The pockets aren’t big enough for large toys, obviously, but they are great for small items (think My Little Pony and all her little accessories). 

If you are overrun with stuffed animals, you can easily put the smaller ones in here.  As you can see in the picture, the OTD shoe rack that I have has 24 sections.  If you look more closely, though, you will see that each large pocket actually has another small pocket attached to the front of it, making it a 48 pocket organizer.  Here is another similar one with 24 larger pockets. 

Another benefit to these over the door racks is that you can use them for years – you will never NOT have a use for them.  Once kids get older, they can organize their own shoes, socks, hair clips and more in here.  And, when they move out of the house, they can either take it with them to the dorms, or leave it for you. 

Some other uses for these multi-purpose racks:

Bathroom:  For toiletries, hair accessories, shaving tools

Garage:  For Lightweight tools, hardware and cleaners

Closet:  Shoes, Scarves, Belts, Socks and Accessories

My #2 Cool Shoe Tool Pick: Electric Shoe Polisher

For a totally polished, perfect look, consider purchasing a shoe polishing system. If you have nice shoes, especially expensive ones, then you should polish them often to keep them looking their best at all times.

A newly polished shoe serves two functions:

• It looks like a new shoe and you look classy
• It also keeps leather shoes in tip-top shape, maybe even extending their lifespan.

There are many levels of shoe polishing methods, and each has its pros and cons. Check out my guide below to selecting a home shoe polishing system – It is broken into three categories - choose the one that matches your needs and make sure to keep it right by your shoe rack so that you’ll actually use it!

1. Shoe Polish and Sponge Method – This is by far the most affordable method, great for young adults and college students. It also takes up the least amount of space, but, it requires the most amount of elbow-grease, so, you have to really want polished shoes if you are going this route. Polishing shoes is surprisingly easy and very gratifying. You just buy shoe polish at any shoe store or even drug store, rub it on the shoes, wait a minute and shine it off and… voila! An instant facelift for your favorite shoes! Make sure to cover the floor with a towel or newspaper to avoid stains.

2. Shoe Valets and Boxes – This is one step up from method 1. You still have to use your very own muscles to polish, but the nice thing here is that the shoe sits up on the box (less mess) and more comfortable. Also, there is usually storage in a box underneath the shoe for polishes and rags. This cedar shoe valet comes with everything you need to get started.

3. Electric Shoe Polisher – I have to admit I don’t have one of these and I’m not sure I’d necessarily spend the money on it this year, but I have tried an electric polisher at a friend’s house and it is really nice. They fit right into the closet and do all the buffing for you, you don’t even have to use cleaners or chemicals – great if you have kids and pets.

Now, Get Polishing!!!

It turns out that people have been celebrating St. Nicholas day, December 6 each year, a long time before Santa Claus came around. On St. Nicholas day people around the world, mostly in Europe, honor this saint from long ago. I know, what does this have to do with shoe racks?

Not exactly much, but it has everything to do with shoes! Stories of the original St. Nick tell of a generous man who gave to the poor - he even gave away his inheritance from his parents to those who were in need. He would put coins, nuts and more in the shoes of the needy and that is where the tradition of children putting their shoes out on St. Nicholas eve came about.

My parents always celebrated with us this holiday and taught us about the “real Santa Claus”. Every year we would put our shoes out and in the morning there would be nuts, a tangerine, rice and flour plus a small present for each of us – it’s a fun, magical tradition and it made us feel special to know about this other, more authentic Santa Claus that existed long ago.

You can read here the history of this special saint and see how he inspired our modern day Santa. Hint: it mostly has to do with everyone’s favorite Christmas poem, Twas the Night Before Christmas – (Remember, “I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick”)

And to everyone, no matter what your religion, I want to wish you all a Happy Holiday Season!

My #1 Cool Shoe Tool Pick:  Shoe Stretchers for Squashed Feet
I started using these shoe stretchers a year or so ago to help my aching toes.  I already had duck feet before I had kids and now that I’ve been through two pregnancies, they are, alas, even wider. 

Really anybody can use them, I have friends that have more average-width feet (lucky gals) and even they still sometimes can’t fit comfortably into all heels, especially pointy narrow toed ones and peep-toes. 

My Shoe Stretcher

Shoe stretchers are easy to use, you just have to have a little time – for example, you can’t stretch your new gray suede pumps an hour before the party, they really need to stretch for at least 24 hours.  But the nice thing is that the longer you stretch them the more roomy they get.  Also, you have to be realistic – you can’t turn a size 6 into a size 8, ever. (sorry ).  But, if you’re looking for just a little more room, they are actually a really great product.

All you do is put the shoe stretcher in the shoe and expand it to fill the shoe – each shoe stretcher is different but most of them have some kind of hand crank system.  Then you can expand the stretcher a little bit farther than the natural size of the shoe, and after 24 hours you may be able to crank it out a little bit more.  Some of them come with “plugs” that you put into holes along the stretcher so that you can customize the stretch to accommodate corns, bunions and hammertoes. 

Important Notes for Choosing a Shoe Stretcher:
· Look for a shoe stretcher that works for width and length (not all can make them longer) – this will give you the most stretch. 
· They work best on natural materials – leather, suede, some fabrics
(they don’t work well on plastics and vinyl)
· Make sure you know what you are getting for the price – a lot of times they are sold as a single stretcher, not a set of two which means you can only do one shoe at once

Have fun with your happy feet!