One of my favorite things about fall and winter are the boots! I love them with skirts, with leggings, with all my straight leg denim and more. But let’s be honest, they take up a ton of space in your closet. As someone who has a very very small closet (you can see it here), I have to get creative with organizing. I always want to aim for a well-organized closet that makes it easy to find what you need. Plus, keep my boots in tip top shape over the years by making sure they’re not being stored improperly. So let’s get into how to organize your boots.
How To Organize Your Boots
Edit Your Boots Down
Before you even get to storing your boots and keeping them organized, let’s do a bit of a closet edit. At the end of every fall and winter season when I go to store my boots for the summer, I like to review what I have. If I didn’t wear a pair of boots the entire season, and maybe didn’t wear them the last one either, it’s probably time to donate them. By doing this now before you store for the summer, you’ll avoid taking up valuable space in your home. Either way, no matter when always be editing down your closet if you’re not wearing things and not finding yourself reaching for items.
Round Out Your Collection
Now that you’ve donated the boots you don’t use and love, fill out the rest of your boot collection with the ones you need. You can obviously skip this step, but when I’m editing my closet, I like to make notes of what I find myself needing. Maybe you find yourself wearing a lot of skirts and you want another boot option for them besides your heeled boot. Maybe you switched up your jeans this season (hello Millennial updates!) and need new boots to go with your new denim.
Line Boots Up On The Floor
Now that we know what we’re keeping, let’s get things organized. I like to line my boots up along the floor of my closet. This is usually the best space for it in most closets. Tall boots can’t really be stored on a shoe rack so maximizing your floor space is ideal. Usually placing each boot in the pair in the opposite direction will also maximize your space.
Pair Like With Like
Within my closet, I always like to pair like with like. Instead of mixing high-heeled pumps with my boots, I want to categorize them all together. This usually helps to make getting dressed easier so you can see what you have.
Choose A Convenient Location
If you live in a really cold climate with snow and lots of rain, you may choose a shoe storage solution for your winter boots and rain boots to be by your front door. Maybe pop them in your coat closet or keep them nearby on a boot tray. And your fashion boots you may want to store in your regular closet. Find a storage solution that’s most convenient for how often you’re grabbing these pieces.
Use Boot Shapers To Keep Them Upright
Sure you can stuff your boots with paper or pool noodles, but I really like these boot shapers to maintain their shape. Plus, it helps to keep them upright in your closet. They don’t take up space when you take them out of your boots as they unfold into a completely thin flat piece of plastic. This is particularly why I love them above other boot shapers. I wrote a whole post on these I love them so much. You can read about them here.
Hang Boots With Boots Clips
If you have some hanging space available in your closet, try boot hangers or boot clips. These simply clip to the tops of your boots and have a hook so you can hang them on a clothing rod. I will emphasize that you may want to place some foam between the boot and the clip so that it doesn’t leave any marks on your leather or suede.
Use Shoe Racks & Boot Organizers
We’ll get more into all the options below, but having some good boot organization storage options are key to keeping a tidy closet.
Where To Store Boots
During the months you wear your boots, you’ll want to store your boots in an easy-to-access area. I usually move mine to the front of my closet so I can easily grab them. Come spring and summer, you can store boots under your bed, or along the back of your closet out of sight. This helps to free up space and avoids over cluttering your closet.
- Under your bed – these containers are great
- Back of your closet against the wall
- Separate shoe containers and boxes
- Shoe racks in your closet
- Shoe cabinet storage
Boot Organizers
No matter if you’re storing your pairs of boots in your closet, your coat closet, or in your mudroom, here are some boot organizer solutions that you may want to try. Maximizing your space and making it convenient to grab your favorite pairs of boots is key!
Entryway Or Closet Boot Rack
This is a great option to keep in a mudroom so the soles can dry off. Perfect for those of you who may live in a super cold and wet climate in the winter. This can easily be popped into a coat clost as well so it’s out of sight.
Under The Bed Storage
There are lots of options for under the bed. Any sort of bin will work. Use these to store boots and other shoes for the season that you don’t reach for. This helps to free up space in your closet for the off season.
Short Boot Storage
I love a shoe cabinet for small spaces. Especially for narrow entryways or hallways. While this cabinet won’t be able to store your knee high boots, this would be a great solution for your Chelsea boots, short rain boots and so on. This is a really popular type of furniture and I’m also rounding up more below.
