Shoes are a big problem for most people. We have dress shoes, work-out shoes, winter shoes, summer sandals, hiking shoes, running shoes, and boots. It’s no wonder that the closet gets overrun with a mountain of dusty shoes. Keeping your shoes in a pile is not only a dust collecting heap of disorganization, it is damaging to your shoes and you can never find the two that you need. If you do, they’re probably smashed out of shape and scuffed from being buried in the mess.

Shoe storage is a must. You don’t need much room for shoe shelves or cubbies. A lot of people install a shoe rack on the back of the closet door to save space. Another option is to build small corner shelves up each side of the closet. Those front corners are rarely used and are perfect for creating shoe cubbies.

Another option is to install a low shelf all the way around the floor of the closet. You can double it up for double the space. If you need to, move the hanging bar and top shelf up a foot. You can still reach it, you make more room near the floor, and you take up some of that wasted space near the ceiling.

Shoe hanging systems are great too. You can put them on the back of your closet door or on an interior wall of the closet. Use padded hooks at the bottom to hang boots and other shoes that are too large or too tall to fit on the hangers.

Stuff boots and other leather shoes with newspaper or tissue paper to help them keep their shape through the seasons. Using cedar clothes hangers in your closet will keep it from smelling like feet. This clothes hanger absorbs moisture in the closet and deodorizes the air. You can put cedar accessories down in shoes that you know get sweaty, like hiking boots and running shoes. When shoes smell, it is because they are teaming with bacteria. Put them into a plastic bag and freeze them overnight. Just put them outside when it is below freezing outside, or straight into your kitchen freezer. The bacteria will be killed and the smell will be gone. Washing often just feeds the bacteria with the warmth and moisture that they need to survive.

When your shoes are nice and orderly, finish out the rest of the closet by updating your clothes hangers. Like I said, a cedar clothes hanger does double duty in your closet. Specialty hangers like shirt hangers, skirt hangers, and dress hangers keep your closet looking super organized and neat. It all starts with taking care of those shoes!

About the Author: Charlie Hafter is on the staff of Closet Hanger Factory, a leading online resource for clothes hangers. Get all of the closet and clothes hanger accessories you could need at http://www.closethangerfactory.com, which is recognized worldwide for their excellent quality hangers.