Shoe Systems: Why Your Home Needs One! (3 Effective Ideas)

“Shoes on” or “shoes off” inside the home? In America, the answer to that question might be a little bit complicated! Why don’t we remove our shoes? America is a melting pot of different cultures, plus we have a strong presence of freedom. It’s the perfect “breeding ground” for both bacteria on our floors and a vague system about whether or not to remove your shoes when entering a home. By deciding if you want shoes in your home, you can make your home a cleaner, more organized space. In this post, we’ll cover three effective ways to keep the family shoe mess to a minimum.

I’d never thought about removing shoes, or teaching my children to do so. But, I noticed my neighbor kids’ habit of ALWAYS removing their shoes and I appreciate it! If I think about it, removing their shoes means:

It keeps germs and dirt contained to the shoe area
We can find shoes when it’s time to go
Shoes are not in the way, adding to a cluttered environment

So, how do you go about ASKING PEOPLE to remove their shoes? You could just ask them, but for those of you that don’t want to be confrontational…

Use a sign to show people where to put shoes!

There are a several cute sayings you can hang on your front door:

Stocking or bare feet only beyond this point. All others will be toe’ed!

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Little fingers touch our floor,

Please remove your shoes at the door.

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Welcome Friends
The floors are bare
Could you leave your shoes right there? 😉

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Welcome to our home.

Please leave your worries and your shoes at the door!

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Life is full of choices: Remove your shoes, or mop the floor!

Here’s a cute printable version we whipped up for you if you want a simple solution! 😉

Or this rug is a super subtle, but decent way to remind people:

Everyone is different and I love that this rug isn’t directly asking people to remove their shoes. There are many reasons why people may feel uncomfortable taking their shoes off. This rug gives a reminder and a message: “We wouldn’t mind at all if you took your shoes off, and here’s where they go!” It costs about $20 on Amazon. So smart.

2. This shoe cabinet organizes our family’s shoes perfectly!

I’d say I have a lower than average “germ-radar”. What does register on my radar? Shoes all over the house!!! Oh the clutter and chaos looking for a pair of shoes! We used to use baskets at the bottom of our lockers, and every time someone needed a shoe, there was a shoe ExPlOsIoN. This explosion would stick around all day until someone was nagged into cleaning it up before bed. Next morning: same story! Then one day I got a show cabinet from Ikea and our shoe world changed forever.

Why is this little Ikea contraption so wonderful? The kids can see their shoes easier and so all the shoes STAY PUT! There is room for 4-7ish pairs (depending on size) in each cubby- which is perfect. Bonus: it’s totally pretty and under $100! I have eyed my friend’s Ikea shoe organizer for years. I finally bit the bullet and purchased this organizer and -seriously it is everything I’d hoped for and more! Doors close smoothly and I haven’t seen one shoe explosion since we got it.

3. This Shoe System is a Game-changer

My sister-in-law has an ingenious shoe organization system that she has used for a couple of years now. I snapped some pictures because I think it is so smart!

My sister-in-law’s family has one simple rule: no shoes in the house! Parents are old enough and wise enough to handle the whole “wearing-shoes-in-the-house” thing, so they allow adults to wear shoes inside, but there is a strict SHOES OFF policy for kids.

There are several details to her shoe system that are helpful:

A reminder on the door: “Shoes off!”
Enough spots for everyone and all their pairs of shoes.
An area for socks too! (She bought her hanging shelf from Ikea).
Both socks and shoes are eye-level and in clear pouches: which helps more than you think!
An optional place to sit while removing shoes.
A piece of carpet to ease your senses- making it a little more pleasant on your feet as you walk into the house.
Both parents are on board to enforce the “shoes off” policy.

Here’s what you’ll need to implement to her system:

Enough clear hanging shoe organizers for the whole fam. Her family of six used three organizers. Get some here (under $8).
Command hooks for damage-free walls. Get a pack here (under $7).
Ikea hanging mesh organizer for socks. Get it here (under $12).
Optional rug ($23) and chair ($19) to sit on!

We are major fans of this system because:

No dirt is tracked in the house at all.
Kids can always find their own shoes, since there is only one place to look! It is hard to miss!
No socks and shoes spewed across your house, thus reducing clutter.

I had to share these awesome shoe system ideas with you! Pass this article along to a friend that could use a system to reduce some stress in their life! Let’s face it, finding the right pair of shoes when you’re ready to leave the house can be stressful!

Speaking of… if you’ve never seen this comedy routine about this “thing” you didn’t know was a “thing” until you had children: it’s called “Leaving the House”, you need to watch this English comedian! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFQfylQ2Jgg

Tame the madness, my friends, and get yourself a system! Let us know what works well for you! We shared some other great shoe organizing ideas at the END of this article: click here!

Jennica