Organising your shoes well and keeping them in the best environmental and hygienic conditions will make them last longer.
Being a great object of desire for women and men all over the world, hoarding footwear, besides being something of a “mania”, can be a pleasure (as shown in our column Nel guardaroba di… (“In the Wardrobe of…”).
Shoes, however, must be taken care of carefully. Whether it be to save space, to change wardrobes, or simply to keep one’s wardrobe in order, knowing where and how to store and organise your shoes is also essential for their cleanliness and to extend their life as long as possible.
BEFORE STORING THEM
Make sure they are clean, to prevent the materials – especially leather – from degrading. Before storing, it is best to let the shoes dry overnight.
A minimum of cleaning is recommended even after wearing a pair of shoes only once. Any products applied to the shoes need to dry out, as does any residual moisture left by the foot or the humidity collected during a rainy day. Putting away shoes that are still wet means leaving them at the mercy of moulds and bacteria.
WHERE TO KEEP THEM
It is preferable to keep them in a dark, dry place, that is neither too hot nor too cold, and that experiences few temperature changes. Direct sunlight ruins materials, as does the cold and humidity. This means no balconies, basements or garages. Storage rooms, wardrobes and shoe racks are fine.
HOW TO STOW THEM AWAY
The best option would be to keep them in their original boxes and to wrap them in tissue paper and with special shoetrees placed inside to stop the shoe from deforming. Shoetrees can be bought in shoe shops, shoe accessories stores and online stores. There are different types available for all budgets. If possible, it is better to buy them in cedar, which keeps away moths and insects.
If you do not have shoetrees, you can use balled up sheets of paper. The important thing is that the paper is acid-free (so better to avoid the pages of newspapers).
If, due to space, it is not possible to use the shoeboxes, cloth bags can be used. It is better to avoid plastic bags: in leather shoes, they can favour the formation of moulds.
Do not stack shoes on top of one other: they could become deformed.
HOW TO ORGANIZE THEM
For those who have many shoes, it is advisable to group them by season and by type, so as to always know where to find what you are looking for.
Our advice, however, is avoid buying products that are too cheap. “Too low a price can be attractive; it may seem like an opportunity but instead you buy a product that does not last, and will wear out long before the original”, as also explained by the Vademecum drawn up by the Ministry of Economic Development in collaboration with ‘Assocalzaturifici’ and consumer associations.
