11.18.2012

DIY Under Bed Boot (or shoe) Storage


Fashion.

My Kickin’ Boots Need a Home

I LOVE BOOTS!  Tall, ones, skinny ones, heeled ones, riding ones, black ones, brown ones.  I love them so much that when buying food, I often think which ones I would have bought if I didn’t need to buy food that week.  I love all eight pairs (booties don’t count) of them like they were my own child. 

Well, when you love boots, you tend to purchase them often.  When you purchase them, you need to store them.  That is where the problem lies.  Our town house does not have the most closet space.  Fall and winter clothes get stored in the office closet and when those bad boys get switched for the season, I am often wondering… Where do all the boots go?

In the past, I had kept the boxes and would stack them really high on the top of the closet.  That worked, but after the boxes falling down on me from the shelves, I wasn’t going to allow that to happen again this year.  

Last season, I put them all in a large plastic container and they didn’t store so well.  I thought that after I had solved the limp boot issue (see post here) that I could use the container again.  Well, I was wrong so I needed to come up with another plan.

Being the cheap  frugal genius I am, I came up with a master plan:

(Playing with my imaginative mustache)

 If the closet won’t work, then where else can my cherished boots go?  Hmmm.

Ah-HA! Under the bed!

But, the bed is very low and no matter what search term you try, all the storage boxes are too tall. 

(Playing with my mustache again)

If they wont make one for my treasured boots, than I shall make my own!

It didn’t really go down like that, but in my dramatic mind that was how I imagined it.   I set off to fashion a boot under bed storage system.  After much searching, I found flexible plastic storage for regular size shoes at Walmart.com.   I probably could have gone to store, but I wasn’t sure if they had them.  Calling would have probably been more effort than it needs to be.  So, I ordered them online and had them shipped site-to-store.  This was convenient because the place is right on my way home from work and I could pick up other items while I was there.



I ordered three of these guys because I figured I could always return one if I didn’t need it, but I ended up using them all; two for the boots and the final one for my scarf collection.  You’ll read about that obsession another time. 


The organizer was totally flimsy, but perfect for my situation with low 8 inch clearance under my bed.   I first tried to lay the boot in the bag (see above), but the dividers were somewhat of a hindrance to zippering the bag shut.  To solve that problem I got out my handy dandy scissors and began cutting.  I cut out the sections that weren’t doing anything but causing problems.  After cutting out the sections in t-shapes, I have space enough for four pairs of boots per container.  With the addition of my DIY boot shaper (see post here), the boots now had a home that was safe and secure under my bed.  Why didn’t I think of this before?




Shoe storage after I cut out three of the middle t-shaped sections


One pair of boots


Two pairs of boots


Three pairs of boots


Four pairs of boots

I also added self adhesive felt padding to the bottom so my wood flooring wouldn’t get scratched when I pulled them out. There is also a handle at each end to pull the storage out from under your bed.  


So, for about $15 bucks, I was able to give my prized boots a new home and a more convenient way to
access them, without any shelf-induced injuries!


<3 MK


Popular Posts