Parking for Shoes: A Few Words About Storing Footwear

Today, we're once again drawing on automotive analogies to describe and explain how to clean, protect, and store shoes. This time, we'll talk about putting your favorite footwear away in a cabinet, which refers to those pairs of shoes that we use regularly. We can also distinguish seasonal shoe storage, which we'll also explore in the near future.

Once you know how best to treat your shoes immediately after taking them off, it's time for the next step: placing them in a designated storage area, such as a shoe rack, container, organizer, or another type of shoe furniture. We want to take care of our footwear, and we understand that maintenance involves more than just polishing and waxing.

Shoe Trees: How to Maintain Their Shape

Using shoe trees should be a no-brainer for anyone who wants to take care of their shoes. Shoe trees significantly extend the life of shoes and keep them in good condition. If I had to point out just one passive care practice that brings the greatest results, I would undoubtedly choose using shoe trees. Combined with another passive shoe care principle—rotation (avoiding wearing the same shoes two days in a row)—we build a solid foundation for using shoes for many years that won’t show their age. Shoe trees help keep leather shoes in good shape and also maintain their flawless form.

Dusting Shoes: Proper Storage in a Closet

Throughout the day, shoes gather dust, which, over time, can turn into an impermeable layer that attracts even more dirt. Therefore, in the area where we store shoes, it's worth allocating some space for a piece of soft cotton cloth or a brush with natural horsehair bristles. Before putting the shoes away, simply wipe them gently or brush them a few times.

Sole Inspection: When to Check the Heel Caps?

Before putting shoes away, it's worth performing an action we mentioned in the "Underbody Inspection: How to Care for Soles" post. A quick inspection of the sole and, if necessary, removing any grains of sand that have embedded themselves takes just a moment and greatly benefits our shoes. At this point, it's also worth checking the condition of the heels, specifically the heel caps. The wear and tear of the soles and heels is a natural process and cannot be avoided, but it’s important to monitor how they wear and act accordingly. There is a consensus among cobblers that delaying the replacement of heel caps for too long can lead to more serious repairs. Overly worn heel caps also affect the wear of the sole, especially around the ball of the foot along the line of the hallux bone and the protrusion of the little toe. It’s definitely not worth waiting until the last minute to have heel caps replaced when they’re worn down almost to the very end. In such cases, instead of a simple cobbler service, we might have to rebuild the heels, which significantly increases the repair cost.

Leather Sole Inspection

Putting shoes away is also a good time for a general assessment of their condition to determine if active care is necessary. If, after wiping the shoes with a cloth or brush, we see that the leather uppers are matte, this is the first sign that the shoes need more thorough care requiring the use of cream and wax polish. At this point, it's also possible to check the condition of the laces for fraying, which could soon lead to them breaking when tying the shoes.

How to Properly Store Shoes in a Closet?

The place where shoes are stored should meet a few conditions. First and foremost, we should try to ensure that shoe storage takes place in a designated area. This could be a separate cabinet, shelf, or part of a wardrobe. It's important that the shoes have their own space rather than “squatting” near the coat rack, where they could be at risk of damage. Organizing the storage space helps control the chaos in one of the many places in our home where clutter can easily accumulate, and as we all know, clutter tends to build up on its own.

What Should the Ideal Organizer, Shelf, or Shoe Cabinet Look Like?

It should be dry (but not too dry, as we’ll discuss later) — remember that we can bring moisture into such a place ourselves. Therefore, it’s important to park shoes only when they are dry. This applies equally to situations when shoes get soaked in the rain and to the moisture that collects inside the shoes after a whole day on your feet. Another aspect relates to the previously mentioned general feature of a shoe storage place, which is that it should provide some level of isolation—being set apart. This way, shoes won’t get dusty while being stored. Dusty footwear is, first and foremost, unsightly. Another issue caused by dust is that it facilitates “attracting” more dirt. Dust combined with water can also cause stubborn stains on the leather, which will require thorough shoe restoration.

Harmful UV Rays for Leather

Shoe storage must take place in a shaded area. Shoes should not be exposed to sunlight for extended periods. UV rays can cause the leather to discolor in areas with the most sun exposure. This could result in a beautiful patina, but more often than not, the shoes will lose their uniform, nice color in an unattractive way. UV rays also negatively affect rubber and textiles. A common issue with the yellowing of white soles in sneakers is mainly caused by sun exposure.

Air Circulation: Appropriate Humidity and Temperature

The place to park shoes should also be relatively airy or reflect the conditions in rooms where we feel comfortable. If the balance between humidity and temperature is disturbed, the leather shoes may lose their properties and appearance. If the area is too humid, in extreme cases, mold may develop on the shoes. On the other hand, a place that is too dry will cause the leather to quickly lose its elasticity and start to crack. Organizing a shoe storage area that meets all (or most) of the characteristics mentioned above is not excessively difficult. Sometimes it takes more effort and determination to consistently use the storage space and put the shoes back in their place.

Golden Rules for Proper Shoe Storage

When storing shoes, it's also important to follow a few storage rules. Shoes should be placed in their designated spots so that they do not come into contact with other shoes. Avoid creating layered constructions and placing shoes on top of each other. This can lead to damage to the leather uppers of the shoes that are on the lower level. We should also try to maintain at least minimal spacing between shoes if they are in the same row. This way, we avoid scratching the uppers when taking shoes out.

Feel free to browse other articles on our website. If our shoe parking space isn’t impressive in terms of parking slots, it should be filled with pairs that we actually wear, and for those unused, find another garage.