Make The Most Out Of Your Shoe Storage With A Simple Method

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Your shoe collection can easily get out of hand if you're not keeping them appropriately organized. Whether you store your shoes in the closet, on a shelf, or hang them in shoe organizers, there's a straightforward method you may be missing for keeping things neat, organized, and under control: rotate them each season or more often. While seasonal rotation gives you an excellent opportunity to remove shoes you won't be wearing for the next few months, you can also opt to rotate at other times (like every six months) to decide if some shoes don't belong in your collection anymore or to pull out rarely worn pairs and store them elsewhere. Decluttering your closet becomes easier with simple rotation techniques, and they can become a habit over time.

Before you start moving your shoes around, we want to walk you through your shoe rotation strategy — no matter which one you choose. You can also try them all, so you never have to worry about a cluttered shoe space. Seasonal closet swapping helps prevent clutter, even with your shoes, so it's a trick you definitely don't want to skip when rotating your shoes.

Start with your shoe rack. Remove everything from it and sort your collection into regular use, seasonal pairs, and those you rarely wear. Then, select the pairs that are currently in season and place them, along with your regularly worn shoes, back on the shoe rack. We suggest organizing all of your shoes by type — keeping sneakers together, dress shoes together, and, finally, boots (we're talking those all-season boots). Now you're left with a shoe rack that reflects the current season and the shoes and boots you're most likely to grab when getting ready for the day.

For the rest, there are two things you will want to do. First, those out-of-season shoes can be stored. Wipe them down to clean them, and then pack them in storage totes you can slide under the bed or tuck away in a storage closet until they're needed again. When the change of season creeps up, pull these totes out and swap those shoes for the ones that just ended their run. For those special-occasion shoes you still want quick access to but don't want cluttering up your shoe rack, invest in some nice shoe boxes to keep them in. While there are all sorts of shoe box options out there, including keeping the original boxes your shoes came in, you can't go wrong with stackable versions. The Attelite Shoe Box Organizer Set, in particular, keeps your footwear visible yet safe from dust. Not to mention, it's a great space saver, since you can stack the boxes as high as you need. Once in the box, store them in a space that's easy to get to.