Shoe Racks Blog

Being environmentally friendly is in.  Here’s one way you can do your part in your closet!  Read on…

I’ve blogged before about eco friendly shoes, and what you can do with old shoes to help the environment instead of harming it, and now I’m going to take it a step further.  If you are in the market for a new shoe organizer, and you like to shop green, an environmentally shoe rack may be the right choice for you!  There are many different ways you can go with this.  One way is to buy a product that is chemical free, like a cedar shoe rack that is left unfinished.  Just make sure first that it is made of a replenish type of cedar, like a farmed red cedar.  Another way is to use something you already have around the home, or search ebay or craigslist for something used.  Better yet, get yourself to the goodwill or Salvation Army for a pre-used shoe rack.   If you really want to buy one, though, this environmentally friendly shoe rack gets two green thumbs up from me.  This shoe organizer is made of 70% recycled plastic bottles, a fine way to make good use of wasted materials, turning them into something nice and new so that consumers have a choice of buying green planet friendly products.  This shoe rack has 20 pockets, for holding ten pairs of shoes, but is also great for organizing socks, scarves, and other accessories.  Best of all, it hangs over the door, one of the most space-efficient shoe storage options on the market, and requires no assembly or drilling.  Use it in the hall closet as the family shoe rack, in the kids room for small toys and stuffed animals, or in your own closet for easy access to your most used shoes!

Need a New Year’s Resolution?  Nike Offers Another Type of Shoe Recycling

Almost everybody is getting on board with the environmental movement, including big name athletic shoe maker Nike!  A great way to start the new year off right is to clean out your closets.  Donating what you don’t need anymore is great for your family and it’s also great for thrift store shoppers. 

So, if you are starting spring cleaning early this year, as I am, you may run into a few pairs of running shoes in your shoe rack.  Some shoes can be donated for reuse around the world (see my Holiday post about shoe donating charities) or even sent to the goodwill.  But, some gym shoes are just too warn (a good sign that you are getting your exercise, right?) for use by anyone else.  In this case, resist throwing them in the garbage, where they will pile up with others in landfills for decades to come. 

Nike Grind has been collecting shoes (22 million and counting) for almost twenty years, and the results are amazing.  And no, they don’t have to be Nike brand to be recycled – any brand of athletic shoe is accepted!  Basically the shoe is sliced into three pieces and each piece is used for a different product.  Track surfaces, gym tiles, basketball court cushioning and consumer products like zipper pulls are just some of the many things that your shoes can become in their next life.  It couldn’t be easier to do – there are many dropoff locations around the country and they will handle the shipping for you.  Read up on more of the benefits and details about donating at http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/. 

There are some great products available at StacksAndStacks.com that use recycled products:  Recycled Aluminum Doormats, Recycled Office Organizers, Recycled Plastic Luggage.  Do your closet and the world a favor by having your shoes recycled. 

Discover the Benefits of Cedar in and Around the Closet

Have you ever smelled cedar wood?  It has a beautiful aroma that smells woodsy and almost a little bit like cologne, but in a very natural way.  Cedar is available in the form of hangers, shoe racks and some people even line their entire closet with it. 

It has been known for years that cedar wood has some natural qualities that can benefit your clothes and shoes.  Here are some of the many benefits of cedar that you may not know about, and some suggestions of how to use it in your closet. 

1. Smell and Deodorize: Cedar is a scented wood.  As said before, the aroma that the natural cedar oil gives off is very fresh and natural.  If you keep your shoes in the closet, you can combat the stale old shoe smell with many different cedar products.  Here are some inexpensive cedar aroma blocks that you can literally toss anywhere, in your closet organizer or boxes of out-of-season clothes, and you can even toss them right into your shoes to freshen.  I also like cedar rings which slip onto the top of your clothes hangers – great for deodorizing the closet. 
2. Insect Repellent:  Cedar wood oil is a natural insect repellent.  That is why many people line their entire closet with cedar planks – it keeps moths and even fleas away, saving your clothes from insect damage. 
3. Durability:  Cedar wood is also decay resistant, so you can be sure that it will last for many years.  It is also very sturdy yet lightweight, that is why a lot of patio furniture is made of cedar.  Here is a beautiful cedar shoe rack that I really like from StacksAndStacks.com – it’s a great one for anywhere in the house: the closet, in the entry or hallway, and even right outside the door. 

Aroma Tip:  To renew the beautiful aroma of cedar, simply sand the wood lightly with a fine sandpaper.

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