Repurpose Your Old Shoe Rack For Clever Toy Storage

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If you have kids, you probably know how quickly their toys can pile up and turn any previously tidy room into clutter central. Though you can likely find a stray toy in any room in your home, playrooms are usually the hub for all the disorganized toy cars, stuffed animals, art supplies, and anything else that brings joy to your little ones. Even after you manage to find a place for each item and straighten the place up a bit, everything can turn around again in a matter of minutes when your kids continue playing with their toys. For many parents, this cycle can get frustrating fast. Luckily, there are a couple of simple toy storage ideas that will help keep your playroom tidy. If your child has a lot of bulky toy cars and trucks, one way to get on top of the mess is to use an old shoe rack as a "parking space" for their favorite items.

Shoe racks typically feature two or more tiers of shelves, and shelving is the cornerstone of any smart storage solution. These shelves are also close to the ground in general, so they're of a convenient height for even toddlers to effortlessly pick up and put away their toys when they no longer need them. Open-format racks add even more convenience, as your kids can have direct access to their toys and don't have to open any doors to put them away. Finally, in addition to providing a way to creatively add more storage space in your kids' room, repurposing an old shoe rack doesn't break the bank. Even if you don't have a shoe rack lying around, you can get something like the Mainstays 2-Tier Shoe Rack from Walmart for just over $5, and it works perfectly for this project.

Makeshift parking spaces are among the most popular toy car storage ideas because they become a part of your kids' world of play. Picking up toys is usually the one and only chore in kids' eyes, but this method transforms it into something else entirely. Creating a pretend parking space turns cleanup into an activity your kids actually look forward to. Instead of looking at it as a chore, your kids will think of it as an addition to their game. They'll pretend they're parking their toy cars, not cleaning up after playing. It's a win-win situation — your kids get more fun out of their toy cars, and you get a tidy playroom.

To make the setup look more organized and further declutter kids' toys, you can add some cubbies to the shoe rack. In addition to reducing visual clutter, cubbies provide a simple way to categorize toys for easy location. To make cleanup part of the fun, call each cubby a "private parking spot" and let your kids' imagination take it from there.