I’m a gear tester for Runner’s World, which means I regularly swim through an ocean of sneakers, and also, I work inside the Hearst Tower, surrounded by people who can pull off Céline loafers at 9:15 a.m. with the same ease I pull off neon race-day trainers. At any given time, I have well over 30 pairs of running shoes, plus a collection of heels, sleek work shoes, and (because we are all human) maybe two pairs of oh-no-is-she-leaving-the-house Crocs. Translation: My shoe collection is massive, wild, and constantly threatening to collapse in on itself like a very expensive Jenga tower.
Let’s organize your chaos. Fair warning: I am also autistic as heck (thanks, Mom!), and organization is one of my special interests. Alas, I also have ADHD (thanks, Dad!), so keeping it up is hard.
These tips may seem hyper-specific, but trust me, they work. If you’re serious about organizing your sneaker collection, the first step may seem counterintuitive: You need to touch every single pair. Line them up—your marathon-ready carbon-plate racers, your limited-edition Jordans, that thrifted pair you swore you’d “beat” but never wore outside—and assess.
Not “do they spark joy,” but do you actually wear them, or are they taking up space you could dedicate to sneakers you truly love? From there, sort them: running shoes, daily beaters, hype pairs, and sneakers you keep telling yourself you’ll donate “eventually.” Other footwear—boots, loafers, heels—are best stored separately from your sneaker setup. If you’ve got work boots or muck boots, for example, they should live in your mudroom or garage, well away from your sneakers.
We love this one because after a year with my son, it’s still in fantastic shape. There’s a reason there’s no photo from our house. He’s 18, so there’s a ton of gaming clutter and papers and deodorant and things all over it.
But the point is that we clean it all the time with Lysol wipes, bleach wipes, and we’ve even hosed it out when he spilled root beer on it before school and didn’t notice. You simply cannot kill this locker, it looks amazing, and it stores 30 pairs of shoes and then some. If you’re short on storage (I get it, I live in NYC), this is a good solution.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
