Shoe Racks Blog

A tilting Shoe Cabinet is a stylish and discreet option for Shoe Storage!

A Shoe Cabinet is a great choice for shoe storage.  It is roomy enough to hold a large collection and, best of all, it hides clutter.  This is particularly useful if your shoe rack has to be out in the open, in the bedroom, hallway, or entryway.  You can close the doors on your shoe rack and no one will even know what’s inside!  There are many different types of shoe cubbies and shoe cabinets.  A traditional cabinet with doors looks like it could hold anything, but when you look inside you will see built in shoe cubbies.  These are available in a variety of finishes, usually made with a sturdy MDF design.  An alternative to the traditional shoe cabinet is a tilting cabinet.  These hide shoes and organize them at the same time, just as the old fashioned shoe cabinets.  But, instead of opening doors fully to access shoes, on these cabinets the door tilts down and brings with it rows of shoe organizers.  These are very handy for use in the closet or out in the open!  The doors don’t have to open as wide as the other cabinets, so it’s also a great choice in awkward spaces and small homes.  Best of all, you can find these tilt out shoe cabinets in a stackable form. This Triple Shoe Cabinet is a great example – it’s available in five different finishes, and also in different sizes.  Choose from single level and double level models.   Made of sturdy MDF, these are an affordable shoe organizer choice.  Each cabinet holds 12 pairs of shoes, so three cabinets equals 36 pair storage capacity – plenty for even the best shoe collector!  Next time you are looking for a new shoe rack, consider one of these tilt-out style shoe cabinets!

Shoes:  Front and Center!  Give your shoes a prominent location in the closet to avoid clutter and damage. 

A custom closet allows you to design a closet organizer that fits your needs exactly.  Custom closets, though, can be pricey.  But now you can buy closet organizer kits to give you the “custom” closet of your dreams, at a fraction of the price.  If you have a lot of shoes, pick one that has a tower capability, so that you know that your shoes will be front and center, ready for putting on, taking off, organizing and keeping neat and tidy in general.  This shoe tower kit is made of laminated MDF which is a great choice for shoes, as it is a very easy to clean material, so you don’t have to worry about scuffing, dirt and mud.  Another good choice would be wire, although of course then the dirt can fall through to the floor, but hey, that’s why vacuums were invented, right?  Some of these closet kits have adjustable shelves, if you choose one that does have adjustable tower shelves, you might want to take a careful look at what types and sizes of shoes you have before you build it.  For example, high heels can lie flat on the shelves, so that’s not a problem, but high top shoes (your husband’s) will take up a lot of room vertically, so you’ll want to plan accordingly when setting up your closet.  The nice thing about a shoe tower is that it is perfectly suited to this important piece of apparel, because it is narrow and tall, making the best use of what is usually wasted vertical space in the closet.  Some closet organizers allow you place the tower anywhere you want.  If you would rather look at your shirts and dresses hanging than stacks of shoes, you might put the tower in the corner or back of the closet.  If you are like me, then you will love to put your shoes away every night and pick out the next day’s, meaning the shoe rack should go front and center!

A Multi Purpose Modular Shoe Rack is this Week’s Product of the Week!

This week, the featured shoe rack has just about everything you could ever want from one. 

• Style:  Made of beautiful hardwoods with a natural finish, this shoe rack will match almost any decor.  The natural wood is left to shine through the clear finish, so you get the benefits of a finished piece and still have the beauty of the hardwood details.  Natural light colored woods match most decors, they are a very neutral color, so they can blend with colorful decors and muted ones alike. 
• Size:  This shoe rack is the perfect size for being left out in the open in a room or shoved to the back of a closet.  Alone, it holds between nine and twelve pairs of shoes, perfect for a seasonal assortment of footwear for anyone.  In closets and bedrooms, this shoe rack can be used one per person to hold their whole seasonal collection of shoes.  In open areas like the hallway and entryway of the house, a whole family can each put one or two pairs of their most frequently used shoes on this rack. 
• Foldable:  This shoe rack is foldable. Simply fold the shelves down and then the sides in for an easy to use and transport shoe rack.  This is a great idea for formal guest rooms, bring the shoe rack out when you have overnight visitors, and fold it up and put it away at the end of their visit for storage. 
• Stacking – if nine to twelve pairs of shoes isn’t enough, you can stack two units on top of each other, secured in the back with a simple plate and screw to amp up the storage to 24 pairs of shoes.  This is great in the closet where tipping isn’t an issue, and maximum shoe storage is a must.

A True Celebration of Spring Starts with Cleaning out Your Closet

Yesterday was the first day of Spring!  To me, spring means the start of my favorite time of year (the sunny, warm part).  I enjoy fall somewhat and the holidays are fun, but by the time February comes around, I have just about had it with clouds, low sun angles and wearing socks.  Spring cleaning is a time to start fresh, open up the windows and let fresh air in while you go through each room of your house and give it a thorough cleansing.  While cleaning with a sponge, soap and water is imperative, organizing is just as important. 

The places that need organizing most are the places where you tend to “store” things – that is, you put things somewhere that you don’t have to look at them (for the moment, anyway).  This usually starts in the closets, followed by the office and the garage.  Since the garage fortunately is not my problem, and the office is not fun, I always like to start with the closet.  And somewhere in that closet is a shoe rack, begging for attention. 

Here are some tips on how to organize your shoe rack and clean it, if need be. 

• First, sort through your shoes and decide what can stay and what has to go.  If I find a pair of shoes that I neglected to wear through an entire season (sandals in the summer, boots in the winter, etc.) I donate or sell them.  The rest of them I take down in preparation of cleaning the shoe rack.  Even in the closet, shoe racks can get dusty and dirty and, in turn, make your shoes dusty and dirty.  Get a wet cloth and wipe it down, getting inside each corner and crevice.  TIP: Baby wipes work really well on this (and many other) cleaning jobs, as they are thin and thus easy to get into hard to reach places. 
• Now you are ready to put your shoes back on the rack and enjoy another year of shoe wearing!  (Bonus:  If you get rid of a few pairs, then you have space for a few new pairs throughout the year!) 

Here is a helpful article about organizing shoes.

Stacking Shoe Racks Provide Customized Shoe Storage

Let’s talk about Modular Shoe Racks.  But, first, a definition of “Modular”:  designating or of units of standardized size, design, construction, etc. that can be arranged or fitted together in a variety of ways.  In the furniture and organizing worlds, modular means that you can customize your storage or furniture in some way.  For furniture, you use modular styles to choose the pieces that you need, for example, on entertainment centers, you might only need certain media storage pieces.  And, in storage and organizing, modular means that you can maximize storage, creating a storage rack as large or small as you need it (always paying attention to certain restrictions such as weight limits and tipability). 

Modular shoe racks can come in many different forms, from specially designed racks that are sold singly, to bins and boxes that aren’t necessarily shoe racks to begin with. 

Here are some great products I’ve found to help you design the right amount of shoe storage for your shoes, some tips on how to use them and where to find them! 

• Stacking Shoe Racks: This is a great option because these shelves are designed to hold shoes, nothing else.  Choose from simple metal and wire shelves, cedar cubes and more.  A natural finished modular stacking shoe rack is a nice choice as it is both decorative and functional.  Another great choice is a plastic starter kit that comes with six cubbies, and then you can purchase more shelves to add in increments of 3 cubbies at a time – these are very affordable, too. 
• Other Bins and Boxes:  Stacking bins are also a great way to create modular shoe storage.  They are very inexpensive and usually sold in singles or sets of three.  The only drawback?  Since these tend to be larger bins, you may have to do some digging to find the right pair. 

And, a fun DIY shoe rack project I found.

Product of the Week:  A Shoe Rack Specially Designed for the Mud Room

You’ve probably heard me go on and on about mud, muddy shoes, mud on the carpet, etc.  And, yes, you guessed it – I’m a neat freak!  In fact, I am hereby declaring this to be MUD WEEK!  It has been raining buckets where I live on the beautiful Northern Coast of California, and since we live out in the country, buckets of rain eventually just means buckets of mud.  We have mud flowing down the driveway, into the front yard, then around the house and down the backyard and into a creek, where, no doubt, it meets up with its muddy friends! 

If it were up to me, I probably wouldn’t venture outside, but you know kids and mud.  Since they’ve been cooped up for about a month now, there are no more excuses, it’s time to visit the world that exists outside our cozy home.  The question then becomes:  How do we keep the mud outside?  I can’t possibly allow mud on the carpets, especially since we are renters, so I have to think of a way to trap it at the door. 

That’s where this week’s product of the week comes in:  It’s a great new shoe rack designed specifically for mud rooms.  Even if you don’t technically have a mud room, this is still a must have mud control shoe rack that can be kept at the entryway to your front or backdoors.  At the front, it begs visitors to take their shoes off before entering your home, and, at the back, it begs your kids to take off their muddy boots!  A win-win, either way!  There is nothing really that different about this shoe rack except that whoever invented it had the great idea of putting a metal tray on top for muddy shoes.  It’s a nice looking shoe rack, made of solid beech wood and stained an elegant walnut.  When the weather turns better, simply remove the tray and use it as a regular old shoe rack in your closet! 

Now get outside and make some Mud Pies!

Shoe Trees provide Revolving Shoe Storage and Much More!

On a whim, I decided to give this Shoe Rack a try.  It is known as a shoe tree, because it is basically a chrome tree with branches and everything, just like a real tree.  Except instead of leaves, this tree grows shoes (sort of).  Actually first I buy the shoes, and then decorate the tree with them.  You get the idea. 

The main reason I was interested in this shoe tree is that it is revolving.  It’s really a great space saving idea, here’s why:  On a normal shoe rack, the storage you use is really only two dimensional, up to down and side to side.  This shoe rack, however, is able to make use of all three dimensions!  The reason it can do this is because it rotates.  That way you can put this shoe rack in the corner of your closet and still use the storage space on the back – basic physics, if you ask me!  A regular freestanding shoe rack can’t use the space in the back because you could never get to those shoes.  But since this one spins, you can make use of the whole rack, while taking up very little room.  And, since it is over four feet high, you know that you are in the maximum shoe storage potential zone. 

Here are some observations after using it: 

• Spins Great!  It’s easy enough to spin and doesn’t topple over because it has a weighted base 
• Adjustable height between racks accommodate some larger shoes, however it is really not designed to hold large athletic shoes or boots 
• Chrome – Love it! 
• 24 pair capacity – this is a pretty good capacity for a shoe rack that only takes up 12” in diameter 

All in all, I really like this shoe rack and give it two thumbs up!  Available at StacksAndStacks.com.

What to do with Athletic Shoes and Sports Equipment!

Everyone is getting in shape these days!  For kids, sports are a natural form of play, along with which comes piles and piles of sports equipment.  For grownups, fitness and sports involvement are on the increase, and, just like with kids, so are the athletic shoes and equipment!  An obvious place to keep all this sporting goods equipment is in the garage, but without the right organizer, you are still going to be losing shoes, tripping over ski poles and slipping on skateboards! 

So, to organize your athletic shoes in the garage, a great way to start is with a sports storage rack, many of which include a shoe rack with them, since most sports require shoes (many requiring special shoes, like cleats, golf shoes and boots).  A shoe rack in the garage ensures that your sports shoes can remain muddy, dirty and smelly, without ruining interior carpets and flooring.  It’s also great for kids because they will see that their sports equipment goes on the rack, and putting two and two together, they will realize that their muddy shoes need to go there too. 

There are many different types of sports racks.  For golfers, a golf storage rack keeps golf bags upright, and usually has some kind of shelves for shoes, hats, gloves and more accessories.  If you are into bikes, this garage sports and shoe rack holds bikes, shoes and more sporting goods.  Two bikes can mount to the side of it, while the shoe rack underneath holds every type of athletic shoe.  Hang backpacks from the hooks, and keep skis in the upright position.  And, for multi sports and outdoor enthusiasts, a tension pole allows you to customize your sports storage with snowboard hooks, ski racks, bike racks, tennis and even general baskets for shoes.

Imagine having a million pairs of shoes, just piled up in the closet, some in the kitchen some in the living room and a few by the bed. You get the occasional “would you pick up your shoes!” and even you get a few stubbed toes from your own shoes. The truth is, you know that when you put those shoes back in the giant pile in the closet, you may never find them again.

The answer to this problem is simple - a discrete shoe cabinet.  I love the whole idea of shoe cabinets. Not only does it keep your shoes out of the way, it keeps them organized and eliminates that scary pile in the closet.

This particular shoe cabinet is from StacksAndStacks.com. It holds up to 36 pairs of shoes and has three separate pull out sections. The sections open allowing you to easily see your shoe selection.   The best part about a shoe storage option such as this one is that your shoes are out of sight. There is no clutter in the closet, no expensive storage units to keep stacking - just one unit that would actually be able to go anywhere in your house.

There are other styles that are smaller in size or different styles. Not only does storing your shoes keep them off the floor but it also keeps them in good condition. By storing them in a unit such as this one, you keep the shape of the shoe, they get proper ventilation and they stay clean. When your shoes are in a giant pile in the closet they scuff each other and get in weird shapes from laying in every direction.   Shoes are not cheap, so invest in a storage system that will help you maintain and take care of your shoes.

Find Shoe Storage in the Unlikeliest Places!

Do you feel like you’ve already filled every single inch of every shoe rack in your home?  I do!  If you’re not ready to part with your important footwear, but you are fed up trying to find places to put it, have you looked under your bed lately?  The under side of a bed is a great storage place, but is often overlooked in homes.  You can put virtually anything under the bed for storage, and specially designed underbed boxes make this a cinch!

Here are tips for different types of under bed storage for shoes, how to choose them and how to use them!

1. Under the Bed Storage Boxes – these are storage boxes that can be used for anything, from sweaters and shoes to holiday decorations.  They are usually long and pretty flat, so they will slide under the bed easily.  They sometimes have lids and wheels, some are rigid plastic and others are canvas, or vinyl.  These are all great for holding shoes, except for an underbed storage drawer, because the shoes tend to get caught when pulling the drawer out (the underbed drawer is great for other items, though, including towels and linens).
2. Under Bed Shoe Chest – this is a great box, designed just for shoes.  It holds up to 16 pairs of shoes, each is divided by a plastic divider.  I like the fact that it is crystal clear, so you can see what is in there without opening it.  It is also a nice, flexible vinyl material, which is really easy to pull in and out from under the bed!

Tip: If your boxspring is on the floor, and you don’t have underbed storage space, a set of bed risers can help.  Bed Risers raise your bed, when on a frame, from 4 to 15”, giving you tons of storage options underneath.  Most underbed storage boxes are about 6” high, so you will need to have at least that much clearance.  Check all measurements on the boxes and risers before purchasing.

Additional Resources:
Bedroom Organization Tips