What to do with shoes: organizing your footwear

It used to be that women and their shoes were the butt of a lot of male jokes. These days, many men have so many pairs of athletic footwear that they have no right to talk about the ladies. No matter who you are, shoes can be stumbled over, piled up in closets or all over the house. Often times, they end up in a huge stack somewhere in your home. It is time to take control and organize your shoes and boots.

However you decide to proceed, you must first cull the herd. Go through your shoes and figure out what you need and what is simply taking up precious space. Shoes go in and out of fashion. Toss or donate shoes that do not go with any of your clothing or need serious repairs.

If you have a large assortment of shoes, divide the organizing chore into smaller sessions. You will not feel as overwhelmed this way. Either divide them by style or season. Go through each pair and consider how often you wear them and what clothing they accompany.

Kids outgrow their shoes, often times before they wear them out. Donating or giving away the shoes is an option. If you are lucky, shoes can be passed down from one child to another.

Avoid going out to buy any type of shoe organizer until you see how many pairs of shoes and boots you have after you pare down the collection. There are several types of shoe organizers. Some fit over a closet or bedroom door, but do not accommodate a lot of shoes. Larger storage containers slide under the bed. Shelving can be added to walk-in closets to accommodate lots of shoes.

If you rotate your clothing by seasons, you can put winter boots and shoes with your winter clothing. When you change over to the winter season, move in the winter shoes and move out the summer ones.

When traveling, having your shoes organized, can make packing your bags quicker and easier. Knowing where each pair of shoes resides is half the battle.

No matter how many pairs of shoes you have, there is an organizing solution for them. Once the shoes are sorted and put in their space, you will feel a lot better. You will experience the wonderful feeling of walking through your home without stumbling over shoes.