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If you have a small entrance in your home


MamaBearTeacher
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Where do you put your family's shoes?

 

We have a 5-person family and the shoe size is getting bigger. The boys have 2-3 pairs of sneakers each and a pair of sandals. I have 2 pairs of sneakers and store my other shoes in my bedroom. DH has 2 pairs of sneakers and sandals. There is a small closet that holds all of our rain boots on the floor and a backpack for outings. There is only enough room in the closet to hold jackets and room for 2 guest jackets if we squeeze so we can't hang a shoe organizer in there. The entrance is very small (about 4x6) maybe smaller and it is hard to have room to have everyone in there at the same time and then open the door. There are hooks all along the main wall for sweatshirts and I don't have them too high so the boys can reach them. That rules out a tall shoe cabinet because it would cover the jackets.

 

There is a small wall on the entrance wall and I am thinking of putting open-fronted stackable bins there but I am worried it will cover the light switch. The other option I thought of is a bench with little holes for each pair. This would cover the whole length of the wall with the hooks and would cover half of the closet doors and would really reduce the space but the bench is more attractive. if I had the bins I could have a small tray for wet shoes or guests.

 

What are other options? What do you do?

 

Right now, we have a tray that holds about 5 pairs but they end up putting the shoes all over the entrance and I have to put them in a neat row a few times a day. It also makes it hard for them to reach the hooks over the pile so jackets are on the floor. I would like an easy system where everyone can put their stuff away easily.

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We have a shoe rack next to the front door and a no shoes in the house rule. There's room for six pairs of adult/teen shoes on it and my youngest's shoes fit underneath. Dh has three pairs on top and the two teens and I each have one pair. The only shoes that sit by the front door are ones that are worn at least two or three times a week.  Shoes that are worn weekly or less are kept elsewhere.  

 

Most of us have only one pair of shoes we wear more than once a week and that's been the most helpful thing in keeping the shoes under control.

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How do you deal with entering and leaving though different doors?

 

We have a front door which we go out most of the time and is where the shoes are usually kept. But there is also a back door that is used to take out the trash or go out in the back. And a door to the garage where the bikes are kept.

 

Usually I put on and take off my shoes near the front door, but that means wearing them through the house to get to either of the other doors. And I do go through the other doors daily.

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We have this 6 tier shoe rack vertically next to the door. We use the top tier for boots.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/studio-3b-trade-6-tier-fabric-storage-shoe-rack/3266791

 

ETA:

We have a patio and we have patio shoes for the patio which are parked at the patio.

 

ETA:

We have a coat closet which is used for the vacuum cleaner and other stuff. We have a coat rack at the hallway for convenience.

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My house sounds similar to yours.  The entryway is about 4X6 feet, and the closet is less than 4ft wide inside, with a door of 27 in.  Unless you have really long coats, there is room to go vertical on the floor of the closet. 

 

We have a wide shoe shelf on the floor of the closet.  It is three levels high, including the floor level.  That holds about 15-20 pair, depending on the shoe size.  My shelf looks like this (only mine is white), and it looks like Target is out of stock.  I've bought similar ones from Lowe's.  I'm thinking of getting another shelf unit to stack on my existing one.  That would give me plenty of room.

 

The boots are placed in pairs along the sides of the floor, and the currently-in-use shoes go on the floor in front of the shelf.  They're not always neat, but at least they're not in the entryway.  There are generally only about 5 pairs there, so it doesn't get too bad.  

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We have this 6 tier shoe rack vertically next to the door. We use the top tier for boots.

http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/studio-3b-trade-6-tier-fabric-storage-shoe-rack/3266791

 

ETA:

We have a patio and we have patio shoes for the patio which are parked at the patio.

 

 

You could set this up inside your closet.  It looks like you could just build the number of tiers that would fit beneath your coats (I would guess 4).  Then you could possibly use the other two tiers somewhere else (another door, perhaps?  Or in your entryway, below your hooks, for the "today" shoes.

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We have a very, very small entryway. This is our hallway leading off of it. We have two rows of hooks for coats and bags, and below each child has their own milk crate - wet, muddy, or snowy shoes go in the bottom, church shoes and sandals go on top. I wish we had a coat closet!

 

Ignore the stuffed goldfish toy. Long story. There are six crates in all, as the baby has only one pair of soft shoes and my husband keeps his in the garage:

 

image.jpg

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When we had a small entry way, shoes were kept in each person's bedroom closet. Actually, we still do that today. I can't stand clutter by the front door. Exception is when someone is wearing something muddy. Then they come in through the garage and leave their shoes there.

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I have one small rack by the front door that everyone is allowed 1 and only one pair by the door though it doesn't always work out that way.

 

All the winter boots/ mud boots/ ski boots/ hiking boots go in the garage. My husband, daughter,  and I have one pair of dress shoes in our room but the boys only wear dress shoes now and then so they go in a box in the basement and we hope that we have close to the right size for that once or twice a year that they are needed. They have worn them way too big and too small. Mainly they went around the church in socks until they had to get on the stage and wore them just for that. 

 

The coats float. I haven't figured out what to do with them. Some are in the basement with the shoes but half the time rain coats are needed in winter and light jackets are needed in spring and well we have about five coats per hook despite having Two rows of hooks by the front door and one by the back.

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Theoretically, in the shoe cabinet (the same Ikea one others seem to have).

 

In reality, they are strewn all over the entryway and all the way to the kitchen.

 

Frankly I am just about over it but I believe it is a battle I will never win so I have given up.

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We have a shoe bench by the front door, similar to the one posted earlier. We have a smallish coat closet in the entry that also has some bins. I got them a long time ago at Target for toys but now they work well for shoes. The rule is supposed to be that all the shoes have to be inside the bench and not on the floor. If they won't fit, they go in the closet. Things like winter boots or flip-flops get put away in another closet or storage when they are not in season at all.

 

The biggest thing that works for us is that it's a job for one of the kids (usually the 5 year old) to clean up the shoes when they get out of hand. 

 

The second thing that helped is that we have a dog who used to like to chew shoes. She doesn't do it anymore but when she did she would only do it with those left out by they back door near her crate. It only took a couple of pairs of favorite shoes ruined for the kids to start remembering to put their shoes away. 

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I don't like shoes all over the place, and I don't want all the shoes stored near the door - no matter how cute the shelf, it will get ugly!  

We have a basket for shoes by the front door - it holds just a few pairs.  It is currently ds12's daily chore to do a "shoe delivery" where he gathers shoes from around the basket and runs them up each bedroom.  

 

Messy boots or running shoes can stay in the garage.

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We have a small narrow entrance that leads to a narrow wonky hallway that has a small L corner near the staircase.

 

We used to line them down this hall, but we now use a small triangular bookcase in the L corner. It's close enough to the door and main living areas to be useful without them being in the way or in sight of the door. We use the bottom 2 shelves to pile all the shoes and the top shelf has a vase of wooden flowers to brighten up the area along with sprays and bits. The only shoes not regularly there are my eldest's formal shoes for SJA cadets that are kept with the clothes/uniforms. This along with a few sets of hooks at various places and heights along it has become the best way for us to organize that sort of stuff here. 

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When we had a small entry way, shoes were kept in each person's bedroom closet. Actually, we still do that today. I can't stand clutter by the front door. Exception is when someone is wearing something muddy. Then they come in through the garage and leave their shoes there.

 

 

We have a very small shoe storage area by our front door, and it's mostly for one pair of shoes and crocks each for the boys.  Everything else has to go in bedroom closets.  I occasionally keep a pair of crocs out by the door, especially in garden season, but now with the puppy, that's kind of risky.  We pretty much have no room along the hallway leading to the kitchen, because the washer/dryer are on one side, and the other side is lined with closets.

 

ETA:  The closets have other things in them that eliminate the possibility of adding shoes.  The coat closet is very small, and also houses the vacuum cleaner and several other cleaning appliances, and the other closets house either food, or kitchen-related things.

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Our closet is only two feet wide. We use this fabric shoe organizer -- http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6351-1253-JAVA-Fashion-Organizer-Collection/dp/B000S6M4KA/ref=sr_1_14?s=storageorganization&ie=UTF8&qid=1436100991&sr=1-14&keywords=shoe+rack-- that hangs over the inside of the closet door. The pockets aren't big enough for DH's shoes, but there's space for each kid to have tennis shoes and dress shoes near the door, and my shoes will fit. Extra shoes go in a similar shoe organizer over the girls' closet door.

We're in TX, so we don't have to deal with boots. If shoes are wet or messy, we go in through the garage and leave them there until they dry.

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I have ZERO entryway- as in, my front door opens directly into my living room.

 

Even if I had a giant grand foyer, shoes would live in the bedroom closets.

 

We also do not require people to remove their shoes to walk in our house, so they do not need to be taken off by any door unless thy are wet or muddy.

 

Snow boots have a place in the laundry room, which is right off the garage. I do have a small rug under the table by the front door so that wet shoes can dry if needed. I've been thinking of changing it to a basket to give more of a "target drop zone" for those who take their shoes off and leave them there. My friend tripped over a shoe in her entryway, fell into the coffee table, punctured a lung and broke 6 ribs. "Remember Miss W____?!?" is my battle cry when I start shrieking at the to put their shoes away. :cursing:

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Theoretically, in the shoe cabinet (the same Ikea one others seem to have).

 

In reality, they are strewn all over the entryway and all the way to the kitchen.

 

I've thought about getting one of the Ikea cabinets before but figured that's exactly what would happen so I may as well save the money.

 

The kids sort of toss their shoes in the general direction of the open shoe rack on the wall behind the front door. I keep my shoes in my bedroom closet, and DH's are by the back door or in the closet.

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We have this from Ikea.  It fits perfectly behind the opening of our door.  Our door opens onto a landing where you have to go up or down so it is very small.  It holds a variety of shoes and boots and has space on top for a nice basket to gather other items.

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this[/url] (only mine is white), and it looks like Target is out of stock. I've bought similar ones from Lowe's. I'm thinking of getting another shelf unit to stack on my existing one. That would give me plenty of room.

 

I have one like this in my bedroom closet. I completely forgot. I will try it out to see if it works.

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We have a very, very small entryway. This is our hallway leading off of it. We have two rows of hooks for coats and bags, and below each child has their own milk crate - wet, muddy, or snowy shoes go in the bottom, church shoes and sandals go on top. I wish we had a coat closet!

 

Ignore the stuffed goldfish toy. Long story. There are six crates in all, as the baby has only one pair of soft shoes and my husband keeps his in the garage:

 

image.jpg

I really like this!

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Where do you put your family's shoes?

 

 

 

In their respective bedroom closets.  Having all of those shoes in my living area, or visible from my living area, would drive me bonkers.  The only exception to this rule is baseball cleats; cleats stay in the garage because they are often crusty with red dirt from the field that I do not want tracked through my house.  If your entryway goes into a garage, you could always move shoe/bag/stuff collection to the garage.  

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