Shoe storage dilemmas are often solved by purchasing a shoe storage cabinet. But is that all? Are you aware of a few hacks that can help you extend the life of these walking beauties? Do you have a huge collection of shoes and sandals but have been storing them incorrectly all this while? Buying a cabinet and stockpiling all your footwear in any random order is not going to help in retaining your footwear collection for long. One has to swear by a few rules to keep their footwear neatly organised and to prolong their life.

Here in this guide, we will help you get acquainted with a few basics to keep your shoes smelling fresh, neatly organised and serviceable for an extended period: 

Go for aired shoe cabinets

If you are here to read this article, you probably already have a shoe closet and might be in no mood to invest in a new one. But if you are about to buy a new one, go for shoe storage cabinets that either incorporate an open shelving pattern or, even if it is a closed unit, it is well-aired to prevent your footwear from any sort of damage. 

Make use of acid-free tissues

If you are really particular about your shoes and want them to serve you long term, consider stuffing your shoes with acid-free tissue papers. These tissues are made of high-end absorbent materials and help maintain the moisture level in your footwear. Such a hack increases the shelf life of your shoes and prevents them from deteriorating sometime soon. 

Also, ensure that you do not use any inked paper for stuffing because the ink can do more harm to your shoes than doing any good and result in damaged shoes. As an alternative, you can use muslin cloth if you have long shoes and boots and wish to skip acid-free paper. Muslin cloth can also help fight moisture and also aids in preventing the decorative pieces and designs embedded on your boots and shoes from accruing any type of scratches. 

Use air freshener

Despite all the efforts you put into maintaining clean and non-smelly shoe storage, there are chances that your shoe cabinets in Australia may start letting out a stinky smell with too many footwears occupying space inside it. In such cases, using an air freshener is a rescue factor to prevent your shoe cabinets from stinking. You can also consider placing lemon slices or a jar filled with coffee beans inside the shoe shrine to mask any such shoe odour. 

Segregate as per the season

You might have a lot of shoes, but do you wear them all the time? Probably most of you have answered it as a ‘no’’, right? This is the story of almost every person who loves shoes and has a vast collection of these foot beauties. Every shoe cabinet has some or the other shoes that are only used as per the seasonal requirements. While some stay reserved to be used during the rainy seasons, all those high boots come out of their racks only during winter, and others mostly get a chance for a summer treat. To make your shoe cabinets look neat and organised, segregate them as per the season and frequency of use.

If you have a huge shoe cabinet, consider storing seasonal shoes on different racks or shelves. Or, if you have a small cabinet, seclude the off-season shoes at some other storage place or any other repurposed study desk with shelves to get enough room in your shoe cabinet to place all your current season shoes. Also, when you put your off-season shoes apart, make sure that you clean them and store them right so that it is safeguarded against dirt, dust, mould and stains. 

Take special care of your special occasion shoes

Every shoe closet has shoes for daily purposes, party wear and special purposes. While it is imperative to shower care on all your shoes if you love to keep your footwear in a good state, it is also essential to shower your special occasion shoes with some additional care. If possible, store them in a completely different shoe home. And, if this is something impossible, consider keeping such shoes in shoe boxes and separate shelves for that pinch of additional care.

Long term storage

If you have shoes that only come out for a day or two in a year and require some long-term storage hack, wooden horns are your go-to option. Using these horns to secure your shoes is one of the most effective hacks you can try to keep your shoes looking new, beautiful and in the right shape. But, while buying these wooden horns, ensure that you are getting the right size to avoid unnecessary stretching of your footwear while storing them. 

Allow your shoes to dry before storage

Before you simply stash your just-worn shoes inside the shoe cabinet in Australia, make sure that you allow them to dry. Practising this habit in a regular fashion helps kill the bacteria and any sweat traces on the shoes so that they do not become a breeding ground for bacteria, pests, mildew and moulds.

Conclusion

Whether you own a massive shoe assemblage where all your possessions lie jumbled up fighting the space crunch in the shoe storage cabinet or only have a few pairs to meet your daily footwear need, this guide can surely help you store your shoes right to serve you long term. So, what are you waiting for? Make up your mind and follow the tips mentioned here to organise your shoe home in a clean and neat fashion!