Choose Your Shoes

Start by piling up every shoe you own; don’t forget the muddy ones in the garage, the boots from the attic, and the painful pumps under the bed. Now take a breath and a good look at all of your shoes. The time for culling has come!

Try on each pair of shoes and strut around the room. Are the shoes painful? Destroyed? Too small? Never been worn? Never will be worn? If the answer is yes to any of the above, toss ‘em in the “donate” pile and move on.

Unsure? Ask yourself: why do I want to keep these? If the answer is “I paid so much!” or “they look so pretty and perhaps one day will be comfortable” we suggest kissing them goodbye. You’ve already spent your money; it’s a sunk cost, so don’t let it sink you further into disorganization. Let the pair go to a new home where they will be used instead of sitting in your closet collecting dust, bad feelings, and clutter. Drop ‘em in the donate pile and don’t look back!

Love Your Shoes

Congratulations! You have survived the purging process, and (should) officially love all of your shoes! Now it is time to take care of them.

Decluttering feels great, but cleaning out your shoe stash is only the first step. At OBE, we believe in using what you have better, which includes taking care of your possessions. This year, extend the life of the shoes that bring you joy with our 7 shoe-care tips.

1. Proof-and-prep

Giving your shoes a little VIP treatment will double their life. Find a quality shoe repair shop or cobbler and get your shoes repaired and weather treated. A cobbler will add taps or heels and give them a coating so puddles and spills won’t stain the leather and suede. If going to the pros is out of the budget, give your shoes a home treatment with a protectant spray and conditioner specific to your type of shoe.

2. Remove scuffs

Clean your shoes! Wiping off the daily scrapes and grime keeps stains and unnecessary wear to a minimum.  Learn how to care for leather shoes and how often to polish shoes. A little extra time spent caring for your footwear will greatly extend the life of your shoes—and keep them looking great along the way.

3. Pack extra

Wear the right shoes for your activity. If you’re getting your steps in on the way to work, wear a proper pair of shoes and pack your pretty pumps to slip into when you’re back at your desk. Your shoes—and feet—will last much longer, and you’ll still look chic when it matters.

4. Keep ‘em off the floor

Store your shoes correctly. Shoes on the floor get unnecessarily kicked, beaten up, lost, squished, and covered with dust and grime (which damages the surface and makes them undesirable to wear). We prefer using flat shelves to store daily wears because they’re fast and easy to use.

5. Keep the curves

Help your boots keep their shape. Boots that are knee-high or taller do not have the strength or structure to maintain their shape. Without help, they develop unsightly and damaging creases, kinks, and wrinkles. We love to use a rolled-up magazine to help maintain curves while they’re in our closet. When the season changes, store boots flat in an underbed plastic storage box.

6. Toss the cardboard

Get rid of those shoe boxes! Cardboard shoe boxes are hard to stack, never the same size, potentially full of critters, and (obviously) impossible to see through. Throw them away. Swap out for clear, stackable containers that fit your space. Bonus! These bins are also inexpensive. Use them to store out-of-season kicks and shoes not worn during a typical week. We even like to put a picture of the shoe on the outside so there’s no guessing what’s inside.

7. Box up the seasonal shoes

Reduce clutter, stay organized, and keep your other shoes safe by boxing up (aka clear plastic container-ing) the out-of-season boots and shoes you hardly wear. Keeping shoes contained when they’re not being worn protects them from damaging dust and accidental bangs that happen when you grab your daily shoes. Tight on space? Rotate seasonal shoes in and out of the same box. We even like to put a photo of our winter boots on one side of the box and summer sandals on the other, then swap them out according to the season.

Ready To Get Organized…

Cleaning out your closet is much more than getting rid of a few pairs of old flats! Make sure you make the most of the shoes and space you have.

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Need more spring cleaning ideas? Let’s chat! We provide free consultations and are committed to helping you learn how to declutter your life and make room for what really brings you joy.

Learn how we Organize with S.O.U.L.