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Boot storage solutions - what are yours?

Anonymous

I spent a good 3 hours tidying up and sorting through winter stuff today . I threw out a ton of stuff I haven't used in years (random scarves, hats, boots that are past their prime etc) and really got ruthless. I hate having too much stuff and hate the way my laundry room (where all this stuff lives) looks when it's too cluttered and stacked high with Rubbermaid totes filled with THINGS.

Anyways, that brings me to my question that could never be asked anywhere else but here. Where do you keep the winter boots you and your family are wearing every day? We live in a house built in the 50's ; so no closets to speak of, and a front and back entrance that are immediately overwhelmed when more than one person is taking off their coat and boots etc. There is nowhere to put these boots other than to leave them drying right there on the mat. That's bad enough, but where do you keep the other 40 pairs of boots and runners and booties, and all the other footwear you use? I have had little success with the standard boot racks sold in every home store - somehow boots never stay upright, and the whole thing is a mess within 5 minutes.

What solutions have you found, and where do you put these racks, or whatever it is you use? How do you keep everything looking tidy and nice? I am so fed up with my system that doesn't work.

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15 replies

Latest reply was from viva

Suz

(website)

Veteran

UGH!!

Bane of my winter existence!

And, if you think you have it bad...I live in a house built in 1860.

Okay, enough whining. My girlfriend, who lives in a similarly aged house, actually renovated to deal with this. She built a long corridor in what used to be a side porch. The corridor now consists of a place to take off boots, coats, etc., separated by a pocket door from the laundry (where her kids muddy slushy clothes go, pronto) and a bathroom with bathtub, where her kids clean off, before heading into the kitchen and the rest of the house!

However, if you don't have an extra $60,000 to spare for that little reno, I don't have much help to offer.

In our miniature entryway sit DD's boots and DH's boots. I hate tripping on them coming in the door and seeing them, but at least we have a second door we can shut to hide them from our living space. Mine I leave to dry there...and then transport them magically into our basement. This is also where everybody's extra boots, etc. go. But I need some kind of bin or shelves, because at the moment we store those boots and shoes "wherever."

Hats and scarves, etc. are housed in a basket in our hallway. DH and DD once again ace it with a nicely divided basket, his and hers. I have my own basket (which sits in the living room posing as a decorative object) but which is the devil for digging stuff out of. Ugh.

I HATE WINTER!!!

Tania

Veteran

We had a bench and cubby system built for the kids, in our foyer. I rotate their shoes depending on the season.

My husband and I share a wooden shelf that he built for another purpose, plus a cubby shelf. I keep them in the foyer closet. We put tall boots on the bottom taller shelf, and I put shorter boots/shoes on top. I rotate out the out-of-season shoes and try to keep a small number of shoes in rotation. Right now, I have a pair of tall rain boots, snow boots, Docs, tall Aquatalias, and a pair of sneakers. My husband has a set of rain boots, two pairs of work shoes, two sets of casual shoes. We keep our slippers in the spot of whatever shoes we are wearing.

I keep my other utility shoes (hiking, water shoes, heavy duty snow) in the basement, my summer shoes and heels in my bedroom closet.

thimblelina

(website)

Veteran

Sonoma county resident here, but I do have an 800 square foot snow cabin that can easily look like a retail war zone if everyone leaves multiple boots out. We keep a stack of boot drying trays that I move around the house in various states of dryness. And everyone gets admonished to 'Put those boots away!' by bedtime.

Deborah

Veteran

I guess our climate is different so the need is not the same so this wont help at all lol.

I do keep my wellies in the garage! Our more modern houses tend to be attached to the house with the door from the garage directly into the house, so some people have shelving where outdoor shoes are kept in the garage.

Anonymous

Well, so far , I think I'm coming out ahead of all of you except Tania Suz - your "system" sounds like mine. I end up magically transporting everything of mine down to the basement, where they then dry and leave messes of dirty snowy gunk and sand . Why do I spend more time cleaning up during the winter? These old houses are useless. I am tripping over DH's size 12 massive boots and birkenstocks and runners which he takes off right in the middle of the doorway and then leaves them there. And no, a $60k renovation to have the mudroom of my dreams is not in the cards.

Deborah - your system of keeping boots right outside the door of an attached garage is pretty common here too. But there are as many of us living in older houses (Suz 1860??) where nothing was designed for normal human beings. Sigh.

Anonymous

Maybe this is telling me that I have too many pairs of boots. It's where you keep the boots you aren't wearing that day that is the question. Racks? Shelves?

tulle

Veteran

An interesting and topical question! My husband and I live most of the time in a ca. 1914 3-story house built on the side of a mountain. We each have 2 pairs of Wellies--one stored in the downstairs pantry for easy access to the deck & hillside, one stored in the middle-floor coat closet, along with extras for our grown daughters & visitors, for access to the front door & road. I have a sort of dressing room on this floor with a closet for clothes, and most of my other boots live on the floor of this closet, along with everyday shoes. Not ideal, but not impossible. Every year, one pair of boots seems to surface as a favorite that gets the most wear. (This year it's my Rag & Bone waxed suede Mercers.) These I keep handy on a flat-topped wicker basket in the dressing room. The best tip I ever got for keeping boots upright is to roll a magazine (a hefty one like Elle Decor for tall riding boots, a smaller one like The New Yorker for mid-calf or lightweight boots) and insert it into the boot. It works! Keeps them upright and protects the shape.

Jenava

(website)

Veteran

We try to keep only a few pairs by the front door. I use rolled up magazines to keep boots from flopping over, which seems to help. But, at the end of the day, it's about taking the time to put away the boots that aren't in rotation back in the closet upstairs (once they are dry and cleaned). The only boots that are permanently tucked away by the entrance are my wellies.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Okay, well this is ridiculous. But here's my answer. I have booties. The booties live in my bedroom closet. I don't really wear them as outerwear except when the weather is decent -- or if I do wear them in the rain, I will let them dry in our entry and then spirit them back upstairs to the rack in my closet. I wouldn't wear them in the snow.

I also have a few knee high fashion boots. These do go out in rain or snow but when I come home I let them dry in the entry way, I wipe them off, and then they go upstairs to the bedroom closet.

And then I have my not-quite-gear weather worthy boots. These ones -- my Blundstones, my Aquatalia motos -- will stay in the basement on a boot tray. (Luckily, our basement is only five steps down from the kitchen area, so not a steep stairway.

The same goes for my snow boots. I have a pair of Kamiks and a pair of insulated hiking type boots (true gear -- not worn except for hiking in snow).

But honestly, if we could come up with a better system, I'd be so happy. We just don't have the home real estate for a proper rack or cubby in either of our entry areas and there is no garage.

And yup. The house is a simple 2 up, 2 down built in around 1860 with an addition in around 1910.

Deborah

Veteran

Lisa, I recall only too well an early house we lived on with ver few mod cons:). I might be getting confused. Are we talking regular boots or hiking, wet weather etc! All my boots live in my closet. I simply wipe them down if necessary and pop them away when I get home and take them off:)

And no you don't have too many boots lol. I am not even sure I understand the the question " do I have too many boots"

catgirl

Veteran

All my boots and shoes are lined up on a counter in the laundry room. I don't own THAT much footwear (despite what my husband thinks). The main problem is lint and dust - so I spend some time every couple of weeks fondling, er, dusting everything off and doing any necessary polishing or spraying. It's not ideal but at least I can see them all.

Diana

Veteran

I have shoe racks installed along a short wall in the front hallway (I live in a small apartment for the record). We built them from those custom Rubbermaid wall rack systems so I made sure the bottom level( so basically, from the floor to the first shelf) is tall enough for knee high boots. The top shelf is also unobstructed and can take tall boots. I use rolled up magazines and occasionally those cardboard inserts that sometimes come in boots to keep them upright.

I don't like to wear my dirty shoes through the house so it's important to me that the racks be by the front door. The really wet, sandy, salty, etc ones get taken off on the doormat until they dry and get brushed off. Hall has wood floors so it's easy to vacuum up loose salt and sand.

Out of season shoes go on a different rack inside the hall closet. Dress up shoes are in their boxes in another closet. Otherwise, I like to have all of my in season shoes visible and out, or else I don't wear them.

Meow

Veteran

Oh Lisa, I don't think there is a magical solution. I also live in a 1950s home with little to no closets. I have 3 boys and I have worked tirelessly to get them to use the "back door" - which is a walk out basement door. This door is not convienient as they have to walk around the house. I make them and their friends take their shoes and boots off at the door which inevidibly ends up as a big pile. Mostly its' ok unless you want to go out the door - which is often as it leads to the detached garage- and you have to kick a pile of shoes and boots out of the way even to open the door. I've tried bins and storage units etc. but mostly I'm just happy that 2 of them are now at College! Most of my boots are stored under my bed or in my closet - so go unworn as I'm too lazy to find them. My boys don't understand why I would even own more than one pair! ok, wait -----there's a pair under my desk as I type, and next to the sofa, and on the floor next to my bed ...geez....I need a housekeeper!

Astrid

Veteran

Well I can't offer a good solution. I have all the shoes/boots I'm currently using in my "hallway" in a corner, which has space for up to four pairs. They are just sitting there on the floor because I don't have enough wall or floor space for a real storage solution. The ones not currently in use are put away in boxes, which are stored in either the closed sections of my book shelf or a missapropriated part of a kitchen cupboard. Not enough space in the wardrobe! Although it is my goal to get everything in there, with planning and culling.

viva

Veteran

We have a mudroom -- or a longish entryspace that runs between the garage and the house -- and that is how you enter. You'd think with that space that I'd have a very organized and lovely way to deal with this problem, but no. I actually don't think I am using the space very well, so I'm going to tackle it. Thanks for the inspiration, Lisa.

I am like Suz -- no booties or fashion boots, even if worn outside (Aquitalia) -- live in this space. Only wellingtons, Uggs, Tims, snowboots. But there will be four of us this winter and that means probably 4-8 pairs of those at any time. Usually we have a pile stacked up in one corner (your clipart is a nice rendition). Not so nice.

I like picture 1 below -- it's a lot of floor space, but it's easy (cookie sheets and stones) and it deals with snow and muck.

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