Do you dread trying to find the right shoes in a jumbled mess that is piled in your closet or on the bedroom floor? Or, as one frustrated individual lamented about the shoes stored not only in storage bins under the bed but in a storage drawer as well as shoes strewn all over the floor, how can they be organized? There is a way to start your day off on the right foot (no pun intended) with these shoe organizing tips!

* In order to even have room to organize your shoes, check to see that only clothing and shoes are in your closet—not holiday decorations or photo albums, etc.

* Get rid of excess clothing to free up space in the closet and make it manageable.

* Now to the shoes! Gather up all of your shoes and discard those that are beyond repair. Set aside those shoes that are worth taking to a shoe repair shop. Even better, put them in a bag or box and they are ready to be put in your car.  

* Sort your shoes by the frequency of wear and by seasons. Do you wear them daily or are they special occasion shoes?  

* Keep shoes you wear daily, athletic shoes and evening dress shoes separate. 

* If you live in a climate that has four distinct seasons, you probably have cold weather shoes as well as warm weather shoes. Keeping only the current season's shoes handy and storing the off season shoes on a high closet shelf will free up space you need on a daily basis. 

* Eliminate any duplicates as well as footwear that is outdated and shoes that are not comfortable or no longer fit. Keep only the shoes that you love and wear. This is a basic principle when getting rid of anything in your home. 

* How many pairs of shoes do you now need to store? It is time to go shopping for shoe organizers. My favorite shoe organizers are hanging cubby bags and slanted, vertical shoe racks.  There are also horizontal shoe shelving units that make the most of the space between the bottom of your hanging clothes and the floor.

* If you have extra space between the standard shelving and the ceiling of your closet, this is a perfect place to add extra shelving for shoes and accessories.  Make the most of the space available to you!

(The shoe shelf shown in the photo is made by Rubbermaid.)

For organizing every room of your home, click here:  www.lynnshomedecor.com/f/organizingsalespage.html

Lynn Cressy