Piles of cruddy, mud-caked shoes have recently hung a white sock on the entryway closet door to let us know that they are suffocating—and they are about to give up. We already knew this, but we thought we had the problem solved by closing the door and playing loud seasonal music. (Shoes that are suffocating make groaning noises and they claw at the door. The music does nothing to soothe them, but it helps everyone else who may be bothered by distracting thoughts of a messy closet.) However, I have to admit that I’ve been cringing every time I walk by that closet, knowing what’s inside, and I am tired of crawling around on the floor in my nice clothes, looking for shoes. That’s not happening anymore. Those cruddy shoes are going to shine like they’ve never shined before. Buying and assembling one shoe rack—possibly more—will make everything so much better.
At the grocery store, I see a “shoe tower” that will hold 30 shoes and I think it might work, so I snap pictures of it and send them to Nate. He replies, “It’s too tall.” So, I ask him how many pairs of shoes we have. He thinks we only have 12-15. I think he’s lying. That’s why I decide on two smaller shoe racks that will hold 20 pairs each. Nate thinks we only need one. I think the shoes have multiplied since I last saw them-and that perhaps, they are multiplying now. By the time I buy two shoe racks, I may need four more. I must hurry.
Racing home, I fling open the front door and pull shoes out of the closet.
“What’s Mom doing? Is she okay?” Alex asks Nate. “Does she need help?”
“Nope. Don’t help her. She wants to do this one herself.”
“Seriously, is she okay?”
“Alex, I’m fine. I have to put some shoe racks together now and I have to hurry, before there are more shoes. They are hell bent on producing more, I just know it!”
I whip out the instructions and am absolutely delighted to see the words, “Takes about 15 minutes or less” and “no tools required.” (A flathead screwdriver is actually needed. It’s not included in the instructions, but if you keep reading, you will find out why.) Indeed, the entire package consists of two stands marked “A” and “B” (Left and Right) and about eight poles. Still, I don’t have a good track record with directions for things that can be assembled at home. Those directions often look like this to me:
The directions that I have before me are really not that bad, except they do skip one step: The poles are fused together at the ends, and there is no indication of how to get them apart. Nate suggests that I try to bend and twist them apart with my bare hands, but I don’t have any luck. Nate tries, then realizes that he could just pop the capped ends off and the poles would come out. However, the ends are not budging. Quickly, Nate finds a flathead screwdriver and saves the day by wedging the poles between his legs and popping off the ends with the screwdriver. Since that figure is not drawn on the instructions pamphlet, I thought about including one here, in case you find yourself in this situation. However, I am not an illustrator, so when I tried to draw Nate with a shoe rack between his legs, it didn’t look professional at all.
Once the shoe rack poles are forced apart, it’s just a matter of pushing them into the stands and throwing out a few really nasty shoes that are beyond repair and that don’t fit. (Oh, and Nate was right. We only needed one rack. I can take the extra one back to the store.) Now, I can place the rest of the shoes onto the rack and play seasonal music at a normal volume. My, how those hiking boots, thick with gravel and some guy’s gum, do shine!
Your Turn: Are you a believer in shoe racks? Discuss.
Fixin' Leaks and Leeks 
I have a pair of black work boots, a pair of brown work boots, a pair of ugg boots, a pair of slippers, a pair of sneakers, a pair of dress thongs, and a pair of knock about things. No need for a rack.
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Nice! Nate and Alex have about three pairs each of those things–and then there are my shoes–hence, the rack:) Cheers!
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I hate to admit it but I have shoe racks in at least 3 closets. I kind of like shoes. In fact, I just bought my first pair of Fluevogs and I’m in heaven:-)
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They are rather handy. In fact, I’m seriously considering NOT returning my extra shoe rack. I might need it!
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I laughed out loud at your description of putting together the rack! I keep mind in shoe boxes…piled up….
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Ah, yes! Save the shoe boxes–they do come in handy:)
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Shoe racks are essential, and we fill ours up!
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I agree! Thanks for stopping by!
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Oh yes! Big time into shoe racks. They are essential here in the north. 🙂
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So glad you agree! I’m thinking about not returning my extra shoe rack. It might come in handy. Thanks for stopping by!
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I like the idea of shoe racks, but don’t really have a good place to put one by the door. I could put one in my closet for the “clean shoes,” however. Now you’ve got me thinking…
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Yes–shoe racks, in the closet, are great!
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We should probably get a shoe rack. At the moment our shoes are shoved into a cupboard like yours were, only ours are piled untidily on top of each other and not paired together. Out of sight, out of mind!
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They do stay nice and neat when the door is closed:) Thanks for stopping by!
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I do, I do! believe in shoe racks. I dream of a sealed outdoor one that creepy-crawlies can’t sneak into. Right now I carry all shoes and boots into the house at night for fear of putting my foot into something squishy or venomous in the morning.
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Sealed, outdoor shoe racks? You are on to something there–that sounds wonderful!
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I have to admit I’m the worst person to talk about shoe racks. My shoe selection is as follows: one pair of flats, one pair of sneakers, one pair of high-heeled sandals and one pair of boots, all replaced as needed, but always just one pair of each, lined in the kitchen under the intercom because I always go there last before I leave the house. And one pair of flip-flops that have a sentient mind and like to play hide and seek. lol
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You sound very organized! I love that idea of placing items near the last place you go before you leave the house:)
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Funny enough, I’m not! Which’s why I own very little I can make a mess out of. But putting my shoes in there definitely saves me a lot of time and stress of wondering where I can find them! Once it became a routine, it’s made my life much less stressful! 🙂
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I have two shoe racks, shoes stacked in shoe boxes, shoes in under-the-bed storage containers, shoes in a shoe bag, shoes on a mat by the front door, and shoes in the front hall closet. I may have too many shoes.
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Wow! That’s a lot of shoes–and storage containers. But hey, it’s hard to throw things out–you never know when you’ll need them. Thanks for stopping by!
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