Wardrobe Talks: Benefits Of Keeping Shoe Trees And Boxes In Wardrobe Particularly Amid Covid-19 Pandemic

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Last time, in wardrobe talks, we told you about the perks of keeping cotton or cotton mul saree bags. We mentioned in our previous story how fabric saree bags help us in not only keeping our wardrobe tidy but also protect our precious sarees from rust and stain. Amid covid-19 pandemic, when staying at home is essential and new normal, our exquisite sarees remain unused and which is where we talked about saree bags. Similarly, in the times of pandemic, we hardly wear our fancy footwear too. We wear more of crocs, slippers, and flip-flops - the kind of footwears trending these days. Well, we will be talking about how to keep footwear in the wardrobe for this edition of wardrobe talks.

You must have observed that how often we have to bend down and check if our footwear is under the bed. It is also quite common to go on a search-mission for the particular footwear when we need it the most; sometimes all our family members are involved in the search. Apart from footwear getting misplaced, they also tend to get damaged and dirty with dust bunnies if not kept inside a covering or a box or a shoe tree. While many prefer open shoe racks or cabinets to keep their footwear in place, the others keep them in their wardrobe. If you don't have a shoe cabinet and prefer saving space and keeping your footwear in the wardrobe, we have got you covered.

Picture Courtesy: Amazon

Usually, in a wardrobe, the footwear is kept in the bottom-most shelf and usually they are kept on top of each other (if you are a footwear-enthusiast), uncovered. But making piles will make your cupboard look untidy and unkempt (as if you don't care for your shoes) and moreover, with piling up you will only waste your time finding the pair of shoes that you need. If you have bespoke, vintage or leather shoes, you can use shoe trees. But what are shoe trees? A shoe tree is a devise shaped like a shoe, which can be inserted in your shoes to protect your shoes [1]. Shoe trees help in keeping moisture at bay caused by sweat (that causes degradation of shoes). Shoe trees are actually beneficial for leather and vintage shoes and also prevent your footwear from creasing on the vamp (the front of the shoe). You can also instead use shoe horns if you want to prevent the creasing from both vamp and heel of the shoe. There are a variety of materials used in shoe trees and horns like plastic and wooden but cedar wood shoe trees are considered the best as they control odour apart from preventing moisture. A wooden shoe tree will add a classy touch to your wardrobe; so, you have all the more reasons of investing in a shoe tree.

Apart from shoe trees, which is mostly for leather and fragile shoes and sandals, you can also keep your footwear in the big boxes. Depending on the size of the box, you can store two pairs of shoes/sandals/slippers in one box or if the box is small, keep only one pair of footwear. Now, before you even start with keeping your footwear in the boxes, clean your footwear thoroughly and don't keep them in the box when they are in a damp state as it might damage your footwear. When keeping footwear in the box, wrap or stuff your shoes in an acid-free paper, in order to maintain moisture level. You can use muslin fabric for covering your shoe inside the box, as muslin stops moisture and helps the softer part of your footwear like a buckle and sequins from developing scratches [2]. Also, before you start storing your shoes, you can label the boxes such as 'pumps' or 'sports shoes' as it will help you in keeping your wardrobe organised and save you time when looking for a particular pair.

Picture Courtesy: IKEA

Adding to that, you should also let your footwear get some air. However, amid pandemic, when we mostly stick to one or two pair of footwear and hardly step out, it is difficult to let the footwear feel the breeze. So, for that, you can periodically keep some footwear in your room when your air conditioner or fan is switched on. For instance, on Mondays, for a couple of hours you can keep your sandals and similarly on Tuesdays, you can keep sneakers, and so forth. Air helps keeping odour away from shoes. Also, don't keep your shoes in direct sunlight for it results in discolouration and fading of footwear [3]. So, once a week, keep your pair of shoes out of the wardrobe but in a cool and shaded area of your house.

So, we hope you found this edition of wardrobe talks helpful.