Running out of space in your closet to store your shoes? Don’t worry, your garage is going to be a great home for your shoes to find shelter.
Below you’ll find three ways to store your shoes and what to avoid when storing shoes in the garage.
Let’s get into it!
Should You Store Shoes in the Garage?
Storing your shoes in the garage can be a great way to free up some space in your closet and bedroom. You should watch out for a few things to ensure your shoes don’t get damaged.
When storing your shoes in your garage, you’ll want to watch out for pests, mildew, and heat damage.
Heat Damage
If your garage isn’t protected from the summer months, you can look into insulating your garage. Otherwise, your shoes may get dry and lose their shape over months of storage. You may want to avoid storing your shoes in the garage if you don’t have a way to regulate extreme heat.
Pests
If your garage has pests, you may want to call an exterminator to take care of the issue. If your shoes aren’t stored properly, then you may find them to be eaten up in no time.
Mildew
Mildew can also be an issue when storing items in your garage. It’s a good idea to get some silica gel and store it with your shoes. You can also dehumidify your garage to reduce mildew.
How to Store Shoes in your Garage
Before you go to store your shoes, organize your shoes by style. This will help you find the shoes you need when it comes time to get them out of storage. It’s also a good time to clean your shoes so they’re ready to wear when taken out for a spin. Remove the laces as well.
If you have shoe trees or acid-free tissue paper, stuff them inside the shoes so they keep their shape. This is important for shoes like leather so they don’t get damaged from long-term storage.
Best Ways to Store Shoes in Your Garage
You have a few options when it comes to storing your shoes in the garage:
If it were up to me, I would go with a shoe rack. The right type of shoe rack will give you enough space to store 30+ pairs of shoes while letting the shoes breathe so they don’t dry out and get damaged. It’ll protect them from dust as well if you buy one with a cover. Rodents will also be kept away from the goods.
Clear garage storage containers are also a great idea. You’ll be able to store a ton of shoes at once, just make sure you throw in some silica packets to ensure they stay fresh. This option can be a bit iffy if you have expensive shoes that you’d like to preserve.
Last but not least comes the overhead garage storage racks. You’ll be able to store your shoes out of sight so you won’t have to give up valuable garage real estate. It’s not a bad place to store a ladder, tools, or a variety of different other items. If you have your original shoebox, then you can leave them inside no problem.
What to Avoid When Storing Shoes in Your Garage
- Avoid storing your shoes in an extremely hot or cold garage
- Avoid storing your shoes on a rack
- Avoid leaving your shoes out in the sun
- Avoid mix/matching different kinds of shoes
- Avoid storing your shoes on the floor
- Avoid storing heels towards the bottom of your organizer
- Avoid storing boots on their sides
Final Thoughts
Storing your shoes in the garage is a good idea as long as you know what you’re doing. If you account for heat, mildew and pests, then your shoes should stay fine as long as you keep them in the garage.
If you can’t regulate the heat inside of your garage, I would recommend not storing them there so you don’t find your shoes damaged after months of storage. You do have plenty of options to cool/heat your garage though!
