Brilliant NEW Way People are Using Shoe Organizers!
Most of us have seen these hanging shoe organizers at some point. I love them, and I use them all over my home…for everything except shoes, LOL! Keep reading or check out the video here to get creative and find out how much you can store with these!
In the Bathroom
Shoe organizers are awesome for hanging over the inside of the bathroom door or the linen closet door for a little extra storage. Especially in a small bathroom, sometimes you just need a bit more space! I keep razors, extra toiletries, cotton swabs, wash cloths, hair tools, hair ties, and hair and skincare products in these. The little pockets are great for keeping small things separated and contained.
In the Sewing Room
My mom keeps one of the sleeve style shoe organizers in the closet in her sewing room and stores interfacing rolls for her embroidery machine, but you could store fabric this way, too, and it keeps everything visible.
In the Craft Room
My friend who knits loves the pocket style organizer for storing skeins of yarn. She can easily see what’s there, and it prevents tangles and keeps her yarn protected. You can also store all sorts of other craft supplies:
- Glue sticks
- Markers and pens
- Little paint bottles
- Ink pads
- Heat gun
- Scissors
- Paintbrushes
- Vinyl
- Ribbon
- Fabric or fabric scraps
- Bead boxes
In the Office
I store little things in the pocket style organizer such as:
- Envelopes
- Stamps
- Tape
- Markers
- Mini notebooks
- Post-it notes
- Boxes of extra staples or paper clips
- Label refills
- Cords and charging cables
- Adapters
- Cleaning products
You could even separate out your cords by type or by device and easily keep them categorized in the pockets.
In the Pantry
The sleeve style is awesome for long rolls of things like parchment paper, aluminum foil, or saran wrap. The pocket style can be used for all sorts of things like:
- Snacks
- Mixes
- Candy
- Kids’ lunchbox items
- Granola bars
- Anything in small packages
In Kids’ Rooms
These can make fantastic storage for toys. Barbies or other dolls will fit great in the sleeve style, and your child can easily see which dolls are where. You can also hang these over the door or buy the type that hang in the closet if you want to keep it more out of sight.
The pocket style is great for smaller toys like action figures or the little toys that come in kids’ meals. I can’t be the only one with kids who just will not let go of those cheap little meal toys, LOL!
In the Coat Closet
Both shoe organizer styles are great for hats and mittens. Of course, they can also be used for shoes in this spot, LOL!
What to Look For
When choosing a shoe organizer, I’ve really never found durability to be a problem, even with the cheapest organizers. I’ve also never seen one for more than $20!! They tend to range from $10-$20.
The Two Types
There are two different kinds of shoe organizers:
- Sleeve Style– This type is great for storing longer items like wrapping paper or things on rolls.
- Pocket Style– This one is better suited for smaller items that you want to separate or keep categorized.
Transparent vs. Opaque
There are benefits to both. If it’s opaque, it tends to look more tidy because you can’t see all the little bits that it contains. However, it also makes it harder to find the items you actually need, and you will most likely need to label the pockets so you know what goes where.
Hanging Style
These are either meant to hang on the back of a door or on a closet rod. The door style will have grommets and some sort of hook system to hang flat over the top of a door. The closet rod style will just have a hanger hook like a clothes hanger. You can convert these to an over-the-door style, but you’ll have to buy an over-the-door hook and then hang your organizer on that hook.
Where to Buy
These can be found almost everywhere you would buy an organizing product. I’ve seen some at:
- Amazon
- Walmart
- The Container Store
- Home Goods
I’m always excited when I can find new ways to use a product other than its one intended purpose. Some of the best storage solutions can be found by thinking outside the box, LOL! If this is also your idea of fun (first of all, we’re kindred spirits!), then you’ll love my videos on how to use Beadboxes or Photoboxes in a ton of different ways, too!
Organization that actually sticks for busy, happy lives
Copyright 2024, Get Organized HQ.
Francie Sheridan Says
I use one on the inside of my shed door for trowels, weeders, pruners, plant ties, plant markers, seed packets, string trimmer line, etc. Love it!
Cheryl A Steiger Says
I have one hanging on the back of the door from my kitchen to the mudroom and store all my travel mugs and water bottles.
Deborah D. Says
I, too, love shoe organizers!
I like to use the shoe organizers for medicine/first aid items. If anyone needs a bandage, they know exactly where to go. I keep one upstairs and one downstairs.
I also have one for cleaning products.
Note – I do not have small children in the home so it’s no problem that these items are easily accessible.
jeanne Says
My husband and I camp each summer for a least two weeks. We have a dining tent, where we prep meals and eat. We have used the pocket shoe organizers to store silverware. lighters, salt and pepper and the can opener. this frees up space on the table. And we can find items more easily. Some of organizers are not waterproof and because the bag hangs on one of tent poles. we purchase a piece of plastic to hang on the back of the organizer or just store things that will not be damaged should rain gets on them. This was not my idea, I found it on “Camping Hacks”.
Kimberly Says
I loved your suggestions, I will be heading straight to Walmart to get at least two shoe organizers.
Shawnda Says
I completely agree regarding the many varied uses for hanging shoe pockets. Something we used a hanging shoe storage thing for was when we had 4 people in our room on a cruise. If you’ve ever been cruising, you’ll understand that space is at a premium, ESPECIALLY when you bring your kids and they stay in the same room. Organization is key to stave off the chaos. I put a shoe organizer on our bathroom door to hold everyone’s toothbrushes, toothpaste, hair products, hair ties, safety pins, medication, sunscreen, bandaids, face wash, cosmetics, deodorant, etc. It was a great way to keep the bathroom countertop clear and easy for the housekeeping team too keep it clean. Plus, it kept us from having to do the dreaded DUMP onto our tiny table just to find something in a suitcase or bag.
I’ve also used them in my workshop to hold spray paint, lubricants, and adhesives for easy access without getting knocked over or requiring shelf space.