Keep Your Kids' Shoes Tidy With A Budget-Friendly Dollar Tree DIY

In my house, the second my kids walk through the front door, their shoes get kicked off and end up scattered everywhere — even though I've told them repeatedly to line them up nicely so someone doesn't trip. It's a pretty hard habit to break, especially when kids are in a rush to get to snacks, screens, or sports. But getting that shoe pile under control doesn't mean you have to shell out for a fancy entryway bench or a custom mudroom system. Instead, you can build your own kids' shoe organizers by using cooling racks used for baking. 

The Cooking Concepts Metal Cooling Racks sell for $1.25 each, and this YouTuber found a cheap and ingenious way to make a two-tier shoe rack that requires minimal effort. She simply zip-tied eight racks together to create one large metal shelf that can hold multiple pairs of kids' shoes. She then decorated the rack with shelf liners made of foam board with your kids. Another super easy yet creative idea is to use binder clips to attach Dollar Store soda can organizers together to make shoe holders that can live on the floor of a closet. Each can holder can house its own set of shoes, and can help keep shoes from getting jumbled together in a messy pile.

Another creative way to store shoes is to turn Dollar Tree plastic storage crates on their side, securing them together using zip ties. Create an additional shelf within each crate by gluing colorful, curvy silly straws across it — cute, colorful, and a kid-friendly height.

But kids' shoes don't always live by the front door, so what do you do with all the shoes that aren't in use? Out-of-season or extra shoes can be tucked out of sight in Dollar Tree plastic baskets or using Closet Essentials shoe boxes that can slide under your child's bed. Your kids can even decorate these as well to match the season. You can also consider using zip ties to hold these together to make a unit. 

One other thing to keep in mind: instead of making it your job to put the shoes away, hand it over to your kids. Whatever storage system you choose to make, keep it easily accessible, whether that means kid-height shoe racks on display right next to where they enter the house or individual shoe holders in a closet that's by the door. The most important thing is having a designated spot and a simple system.