Of all the clothes and accessories, we must store in our room, shoes are among the most egregious problem item. We possess too many pairs for our own good, and they are often bulky or come in weird shapes.

Most of us have several different types of footwear to store, including everyday shoes we might wear to the shops or office, sneakers or running shoes for workouts, boots for cold weather, and heels or special-occasional footwear.

It’s time to stop tripping over your heels or digging through mismatched sneakers every time you want to leave the house and look presentable for society.

There are many different ways you can organize your shoe mess, whether you prefer to stack them or line them up — or maybe you’ll take any configuration as long as it saves space and makes your shoe situation neater.

The most common mistake people make is to squash all these different types of shoes together at the bottom of the wardrobe or jumble inside a large box. Not only does this create an unwelcoming pile of clutter, but it can scuff footwear and make it lose its shape. Plus, it can make finding a matching pair tricky.

Keep your shoes off the floor.
When it comes to storing shoes, your first instinct may be to chuck them on the floor of your closet. This is the wrong instinct.
It makes your shoes harder to find when everything has flopped over each other in a big space. They are also more likely to get beat up when you are constantly moving pairs aside in the search of your favorite flip-flops.

If you insist on sticking with the floor plan, though, implement some basic shoe organization.

Use a shelf or rack
After choosing a space, use a shelf or rack to get them up off the floor and safely stored away. You can have one installed or get a simple multi-purpose shelf and using storage containers or individual shoeboxes is also a good way to protect them while being stored.

Clean and dry your shoes
Before storing, make sure that they are dry and free from any dirt that may degrade certain shoe materials over time. Some materials such as leather may require special care so use the right cleaning agents for each pair you have.

Use clear shoe boxes with lids
As any organization pro will tell you, it’s harder to pick out clothes and accessories when you don’t know what you’re looking at. Stuffing everything in a tub makes it impossible to imagine your options, so when you’re sorting your shoes, try to keep them as visible as possible.

Store boots upright
Depending on their length, boots tend to flop over and take up a lot of unnecessary floor space. To keep them in shape (literally), use rolled-up newspapers or magazines, or even old plastic bottles.

Proper shoe storage is key to maintaining your shoes and extending their lifespan, but it is not the only thing you can do to keep your footwear looking great.