6 hacks for keeping shoe clutter in check

In his Miami home, DJ Khaled displays his 10,000-plus pairs of sneakers in a library-like room with a sliding ladder – the better to reach high-tops and trainers on high shelves. Kim Kardashian and her sibs store their hundreds of heels and tennis shoes in jumbo dressing rooms that are lit up and styled like boutiques.

Most of us possess far fewer shoes than these celebs. But storing and organizing a single household’s worth of flip-flops, running shoes, loafers, etc., still presents challenges.

“The most important thing is that your shoes have to be accessible – you won’t wear what you can’t see,” says Lani Inlander, a personal stylist in D.C. But that can devolve into a mess.

“So many people just have a heap of dirty shoes by the front door,” says Shira Gill, a professional organizer in San Francisco whose latest book, “LifeStyled: Your Guide to a More Organized & Intentional Life,” comes out in December.

Here’s how Inlander, Gill and other pros recommend you keep your shoes organized and close at hand. Or is it foot?

Sort through your shoes

Before organizing, take inventory. “I start any closet project with an edit and a purge,” Gill says. “It’s easier to organize less stuff.” Put all of your footwear in one place to survey what you have. Then try on everything, perhaps with a buddy or family member on hand to weigh in.

“Ask yourself if they’re still comfortable, if you ever wear them, and whether they even fit,” says Detroit-based professional organizer Amelia Pleasant Kennedy. “If you aren’t in love with them, it might be time for them to go.”

Post-pandemic, many people no longer tolerate uncomfortable shoes, and some find that their feet grew. Items you no longer want or need can be thrown away, donated, consigned at a secondhand store or sold online via Poshmark, the RealReal and other resale sites.

Put damaged or worn shoes in a separate pile to determine whether they should be tossed or repaired. “You’d be surprised about the things a good cobbler can do, from redyeing shoes to putting new soles on boots,” Inlander says.

Get rid of

the shoe boxes

The cardboard boxes shoes come in can be attractive and status-conveying – think the trademark burnt orange of Hermès or Tory Burch’s pink and purple checkerboard pattern. “But if you keep shoes in their original boxes, you tend to forget what’s inside,” Inlander says. Instead, display footwear on shelves or racks or swap cardboard boxes for clear plastic or fabric-covered boxes with drop-down fronts.

Tame the front door

Whether you’re a shoes-on or shoes-off household, you’ll need an organizational system by the front (and maybe back) door. “Reserve the space by the door for just what you can store in an easy way,” Gill says. “You probably don’t want everyone seeing the dirty shoes you wear to walk the dog or run to the grocery store. Avoid a mountain of shoes.”

She suggests a bench with cubbies, a basket, or something that conceals footwear while keeping it handy. Gill had lockers built near her front door; Inlander has a simple bookcase tucked into a hallway near the door. “Everyone in my family has a bin and a shelf and puts their shoes there when they get home” (at least in theory), Inlander says.

Create order

in the closet

While you want to conceal shoes by the front door, in your bedroom closet, you want to see them. “Assess what makes the most sense in the space you have,” says Caroline Solomon, a professional organizer in New York. “That might mean an over-the-door rack if space is at a premium, a shoe rack on the floor, or an Ikea bookcase that you place sneakers and sandals on.”

Built-ins – either from a custom closet outfitter or via an adaptable system such as the Container Store’s ELFA – give you multiple ways to stow shoes, and they can be tailored to how many pairs you own. “If you have room, you can put in cubbies, drawers or shelves that angle out,” Kennedy says. You can even install glass-fronted cabinets with interior lights, the better to show off those prized Louboutins.

Whatever system you decide on, it’s easier to locate things quickly if you arrange shoes by type and color. Place pairs on shelves with the right toe and the left heel forward to conserve space. “I sometimes store pairs of flat sandals on their sides with the soles facing each other,” Inlander says. “You can squish them together and fit more in.”

Be smart

about gadgets

It can be tempting to hit the Container Store or Amazon and purchase every shoe rack, boot tree and light-up sneaker box you can find. But don’t get carried away. “It’s more important to maximize your storage space than to get gadgets you have to fiddle with,” Solomon says. She and other organizers counsel using things you already have when possible.

Gill likes simple round baskets for corralling flats and sandals – just arrange pairs in a circle, toes up. Or repurpose an existing piece of furniture such as a vintage china cabinet or credenza. Inlander helped one client store her shoe collection in antique Asian armoires using clear acrylic cubbies.

The tall boot problem

You can store booties or short boots the same way you would shoes, but it’s challenging to find space for taller pairs. “You don’t want the shaft of riding or over-the-knee boots to fall over and crease,” says Elizabeth Todd, the owner of the Shoe Hive, a footwear boutique in Alexandria, Virginia. “I use cut-up pool noodles or the original packing material from the box to stuff the boot.” Inlander encourages clients to store tall boots on their sides, stuffed with foam boot trees in long cubbies.

There are multiple tall boot “solutions” on organizing websites, but most get low marks from closet pros. Seemingly ingenious hanging boot trees tend to malfunction and drop your boots on the floor. Tall boot racks, in which you place each boot upside down on a slender dowel, don’t shape the shaft. “You’d do better just rolling up magazines and sticking one in each boot,” Gill says.