Much has been said and written about the differences between men and women from their multi-tasking abilities to their culinary skills, however, one of the greatest differences probably lies in the way they view shoes!

Most men would have an average of five pairs of shoes to their name – a smart black pair, a smart brown pair, a white pair of sports shoes, a black pair of sports shoes and a pair of summer sandals or flip-flops. This gamut usually suffices all their footwear needs.

So when they see a women’s range of footwear it’s no wonder that their mouths drop open in disbelief at the sheer range and selection on offer. Flat shoes, heeled sandals, heeled boots, sports shoes in different colours, closed toe court shoes, open toe court shoes – the list is endless and yet, every woman will claim that each pair was purchased out of a need to match a particular outfit or be appropriate for a special occasion. No pair of shoes is ever extra; however, when one owns enough shoes to open their own boutique shoe shop, storing them can be an issue.

Many people remove their shoes at the front door so as not to drag in any dirt from the street; leaving a couple of pairs of shoes there would be acceptable but it’s not a long term solution for someone who owns more than 10 pairs of shoes – and really, who doesn’t?!

So where can you store your carefully selected and much loved footwear?

The easiest option would be to keep them in the vicinity of your clothes so that everything is at hand. If you’ve got space available in your wardrobe or in a separate cupboard, ensure that all your footwear has its own shoe box so that they won’t get squashed or ruined, then stack the boxes, putting the shoes that you wear the least often at the bottom and those which you wear regularly at the top. You can also arrange them according to season. In order for you to remember which shoes are in which box you can either label the boxes in black marker with a description of what’s inside, or alternatively, take a photo of each pair of shoes with a digital camera (or a Polaroid if you’re lucky enough to have one available), then print out the photos on your printer (the quality doesn’t have to be great, you just need to recognise the shoes) and affix each picture to its corresponding shoe box.

If this sounds like a hassle that you’d rather not go through, ditch the old shoe boxes that you get from the shop and invest in clear storage boxes (similar to Tupperware containers) which are big enough to fit your shoes. With this method you can clearly see your shoes, plus if you buy same-sized boxes they’ll be a lot easier to stack. If you can’t find clear storage boxes in a local DIY shop, they’re easily available over the Internet.

Another great space saving solution is a behind-the-door rack. Wall space and floor space are often precious commodities that we already don’t have enough of without having to add shoe cupboards to the equation; but there is that air space behind each door that can be put to perfectly good use. Over-the-door shoe racks hinge on the door and provide you with plenty of room to stack all your shoes (whether heels or flats) without taking up valued space. Again, I’m not sure whether these are available locally unfortunately, but a quick online search will provide you with good results.

The space under the bed also makes for great storage space. Using the same concept of the clear storage boxes mentioned beforehand, you can find large clear storage boxes on wheels that are wide but not too deep which can easily roll under the average bed. Simply place your shoes side by side in this container and roll it away. You could even consider having two containers and dividing the shoes by season.

If you’re proud of your shoe collection and want to show them off then how about a shoe storage solution that’s slightly quirky? Get a tall step ladder (those that open into an inverted V), place it anywhere in the room and balance your shoes on it. You can personalise this by painting the ladder in a bright colour, or painting each rung a different colour and matching the shoes to that particular rung. Let your imagination run wild! This solution would be best for tall people, but shorter ladders can also be used for the more vertically challenged.

Whether you store your shoes in large wicker baskets or paired up on shelving units, it’s important to clean them first and ensure that they’re stored in a dry place to avoid them getting ruined. Brush off any loose dirt that may have gathered using a brush or dust cloth and place a shape holder or shoe tree inside each shoe so that they retain their shape. Plain tissue paper will also suffice if you have too many pairs of shoes to have shoe trees for all!

Tips

• Shoe cupboards are available in furniture shops and provide proper shoe storage space
• Always store shoes in pairs and label the boxes clearly
• If you’re storing shoes outside of a cupboard ensure that the room is dry
• Always clean shoes before storing them
• If storage racks aren’t available locally, you could probably get them easily online